advertisement

---

Canadian National Railway Co. Sept. 4 inaugurated its $47 million Montreal Intermodal Terminal at Taschereau (MITT), which took 14 months to build, and is expected to host more than 1,000 trucks and process 1,500 intermodal units daily.


The facility near Quebec highways 13 and 20 includes a railway bridge, intermodal operations building, nine cranes and Speed Gate, an automated gate system designed to improve security and provide truckers faster terminal access through automated self-serve gate stands.


"Intermodal traffic … is central to CN’s market share and revenue-growth plans," said Paul Tellier, CN president and chief executive officer, in a prepared statement.


CN consolidated intermodal operations at its 920-acre Taschereau Yard because it included room for expansion; MITT occupies about 25 percent of the yard and CN in the future could increase its capacity 30 percent.


Preceeding CN's terminal opening was Maersk Sealand's Aug. 15 inauguration of Pier 400 in Los Angeles, a 484-acre intermodal terminal that includes a 40-acre, on-dock rail facility with 12 eight-car-capacity loading tracks that connects to the Alameda Corridor.


Burlington Northern Santa Fe plans to increase intermodal business with Maersk Sealand (its largest international customer) because of the shipper's increased capacity.


"This new terminal will support over 1 million TEUs (20-foot truck equivalent units) or 600,000 containers in rail capacity," said Fred Malesa, BNSF assistant vice president, international marketing, in a prepared statement.