The Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, today announced an investment of up to $254 million through the Trade Diversification Corridors Fund to support the Saint John Trade Corridor project, in partnership with the Government of New Brunswick’s Regional Development Corporation, the Saint John Port Authority, New Brunswick Southern Railway, and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
This investment will implement a series of targeted improvements to unlock the Port’s potential, enabling it to handle between 850,000 and 1 million twenty-foot equivalent container units annually along the Atlantic coast.
The Saint John Trade Corridor project will expand warehouse capacity, supporting higher-value cargo and lower dwell-times. Dredging and marine service upgrades will increase tidal windows, reduce tide-related delays, and accommodate larger vessels.
The project cements Saint John as a stronger, agile Atlantic Gateway. Combined with other recent investments in cold-chain infrastructure, Saint John will support discretionary and temperature-sensitive cargo, reinforce North–South trade links, and provide shippers with an additional routing option when other gateways face congestion or disruption.
Building on recent investments, including over $76 million through the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF), this project will improve port operations, strengthen rail connections, and reduce delays in moving goods. These improvements will help the Port of Saint John handle more cargo, attract new shipping services and business opportunities, and support job creation and economic growth in the region.
As Canada continues to unlock access to new global markets, today’s investments will optimize port operations and develop trade-enabling transportation infrastructure that move our economy through the:
- Expansion and upgrade of port warehouses.
- Establishment of a new Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) container examination facility, staffed by a portion of the 1,000 newly recruited officers.
- Dredging and rehabilitation of marine infrastructure to improve operations, which will increase the number of high-water tidal windows by at least 30% for fully loaded vessels at deeper draughts and increase the safety and optimization of vessel movements.
- Stabilization of the Bayshore Rail Terminal shoreline to protect the only rail access to Port Saint John and safeguarding essential rail and port operations. The preservation of existing rail capacity and terminal functionality will support continued Port growth and trade activity.
- An upgrade of 103 km of New Brunswick Southern Railway track with continuously welded rail, which will deliver improvements to this rail corridor, including increasing mainline speed to 64 km/h, reducing freight transit times between Port Saint John and Class 1 railways, increasing freight capacity and fluidity to/from Port Saint John and increasing rail safety.
- Reconstruction of Simms Corner to separate rail and road traffic, improving safety and reducing delays.
Through this investment, this project will enhance regional connectivity, strengthen links to national and international trade corridors, and help build a more efficient and resilient transportation network.
This investment also advances priorities identified by the Atlantic Economic Panel, which highlighted Saint John’s potential to grow as a major trade gateway. By expanding port capacity and strengthening rail connections, Canada is helping businesses move more goods to more markets.
(Group photo from Transport Canada and port photo from SJPA)