CN to expand Prince George locomotive shop to support Prince Rupert port

THE Canadian National Railway has announced a C$12 million (US$12.1 million) expansion of its locomotive shop at Prince George, British Columbia, to support, increasing intermodal use arising from increasing traffic through the coastal Prince Rupert container terminal.

"Prince George is strategically located midway between Edmonton, Alberta, and Prince Rupert, BC, which are roughly 1,000 miles apart," said CN vice president and COO Keith Creel.

"The facility serviced locomotives for more than 9,000 CN trains that transited the city last year. We are at maximum capacity with three shifts per day, seven days a week, and we need to expand it to handle existing and forecast growth of intermodal, coal and other traffic in northern BC."

CN will increase floor space at the Prince George locomotive shop by 50 per cent to nearly 50,000 square feet, permitting the addition of four repair bays with pits to handle the forecast increase in locomotive inspections and repairs.

CN will also spend more than C$4 million this year to extend two key sidings north of Prince George on the line toward Chetwynd, BC, to accommodate 10,000-foot coal trains serving mines in northeastern region of the province.

CN will have spent more than C$60 million since 2004 on the construction and expansion of a major transloading and intermodal terminal for the export forest products through Port of Prince Rupert yard capacity expansion and upgrades and mechanical installations to repair and service freight cars.