Intermodal shipping: CP set to move intermodal operations to Global Transportation Hub by late 2012

Class I railroad carrier Canadian Pacific (CP) recently announced it will be a tenant at the Western Canada-based Global Transportation Hub (GTH). CP’s plans for a new intermodal facility at the Global Transportation Hub were announced in December, 2007.

The GTH is comprised of roughly 2,000 acres of serviced land, according to CP officials. And they added it will eventually serve as a major transportation and logistics center that will provide improved access to global supply chains for Saskatchewan exporters.

CP’s GTH Intermodal Facility will be located on a 300-acre site at the GTH, which is adjacent to CP’s main line between Regina and Moose Jaw. Construction will commence this summer and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. CP said this facility will replace its existing terminal that has been in operation since 1980, adding that it allows for up to 250,000 container handlings per year, which is abut five times what is handled at the current terminal.

CP Spokesman Ed Greenberg told LM there are several operational improvements that will come with this new intermodal terminal.

“The existing intermodal facility operates on a small and inefficient footprint of about 17 acres,” said Greenberg. “The new 300-acre intermodal facility has been designed to handle an increasing number of intermodal trains and will be a major improvement for CP, its customers and the City of Regina. For one, opportunities for the co-location of warehouse, distribution and shipper facilities are very limited in the downtown.  The new Global Transportation Hub addresses that and the location improves the efficiency and capacity of our network.”

When asked if moving to a new location was a result of increased intermodal demand, Greenberg said it comes down to the new intermodal facility further strengthening CP’s company’s ability to meet the growing shipping needs of its customers, explaining that the existing intermodal facility operates on a small and inefficient footprint, while the new intermodal facility has been designed with sufficient potential capacity to handle an increasing number of intermodal trains.

And in terms of benefits for shippers moving freight into and out of the GTH, he said the new intermodal facility will increase integration of rail and truck modes in the Regina region to meet current and projected demands of Asia Pacific trade, create capacity for growth and increase efficiencies.

CP and Canadian Logistics Services, a Regina-based provider of warehousing, distribution, and logistics services, are the two transportation service providers to have announced they are moving to the GTH.

Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco said in a statement that “Canadian Pacific’s relocation of its intermodal facility to the GTH is an important stage for the GTH and it clearly demonstrates the railway’s ongoing commitment to Regina and why CP is such a valued corporate citizen. CP is clearly one of the anchor tenants of the GTH, which will attract other potential business to this important intermodal hub for Regina and Saskatchewan.”

In terms of what the competitive benefits of this terminal re-location are for CP, Greenberg said the need for global trade and supply chains to achieve the rapid, seamless and secure movement of products has driven the need for intermodal transportation services. 

“Our new state-of-the-art facility at the Regina Global Transportation Hub fits into CP’s plans to take on global trade demands,” explained Greenberg. “This new facility gives us more room to grow this part of our business and improve service reliability. This will be a state-of-the-art facility that will provide the infrastructure capacity to handle the volumes of container traffic and the improved ability to integrate transportation modes for the efficient and seamless movement of goods.”