A proposal to move Canadian Pacific Railway’s container yard from downtown Regina to a site west of the city is far from a done deal, according to the railway.
Spokesperson Ed Greenberg said March 5 that the company is aware of the idea but needs more details.
“As part of regular or ongoing discussions (with government) this concept has been raised,” he said. “It’s still a concept.”
The provincial government is leading the proposal to move the yard from its current site just north of downtown to a location nearer the airport and the Trans-Canada Highway.
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The highways department has applied for money through Transport Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative to help upgrade the infrastructure that would be required to support a new intermodal facility.
There are space issues at the current terminal, said Murad Al-Katib, who heads Regina-based Saskcan Pulse Trading and is president of the Canadian Special Crops Association.
Moving a heavy commodity into the downtown area can also cost companies money through lost time due to traffic.
“Any ability of CP Rail to accommodate better flow of containers in and out – more apron space, better access – would give us a positive logistical advantage,” he said. “At the same time, this is not an imminent happening.”
Greenberg would not comment about investments made at the current location in equipment to make operations more efficient and whether that investment could be recouped if the terminal moved.
However, increased container traffic and the ability to link different types of transportation at one easier location has made the idea of a new terminal attractive.
Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan government planned to announce a new transportation strategy March 6. Details were unavailable before Western Producer deadlines, but a government advisory said the plan would include multi-year investment in a strategy to fundamentally realign the province’s transportation system.
The provincial legislature resumed sitting March 7 and the budget will be announced March 22.
