In a momentous stride for the southern Ontario logistics landscape, the Hamilton Container Terminal (HCT), in collaboration with the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) and Canadian National Railway (CN), has officially inaugurated a direct intermodal rail service connecting Hamilton, ON, to Montreal, QC. The launch ceremony at Pier 18 on Hamilton’s Bayfront marks the beginning of a transformative era for importers and exporters, with a concerted effort to boost supply chain capacity in the region.
Situated at Pier 18, the new rail transload terminal operated by HCT aims to revolutionize logistics, reducing truck movements, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Canada’s railways, with their lower greenhouse gas profile for container movements than road transportation, play a crucial role in addressing climate change.
“It is Hamilton Container Terminal’s (HCT) mission to connect the Greater Hamilton Region with all Canadian gateway ports,” said Amandeep Kaloti, CEO of Hamilton Container Terminal. “Transloading containers in close proximity to the customer contributes to a more efficient transportation network.”
“Our first trial, establishing HCT as an intermodal hub within the CN rail network for container movements to and from this area, is a significant step toward achieving this goal,” Kaloti added. “Once established, we will be saving at least 200 truck movements per day between Hamilton and elsewhere in southern Ontario. This amounts to approximately 70,000 tons of reduced carbon emissions annually.”
Approximately 20 per cent of southern Ontario-bound containers from Canadian ports are destined for the Hamilton region, offering businesses a cost-effective alternative closer to home. This improvement in greenhouse gas emissions aligns with a significant reduction in complexity, logistics, and cost, bolstering the competitiveness of Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTHA) exporters on the global stage.
“The GTHA is Canada’s most populous and economically dynamic region,” said Doug MacDonald, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer at CN. “The partners recognize the need to build supply chain capacity now, as the regional economy continues to grow, with congestion already a strain on southern Ontario highways. At CN, we consistently seek opportunities to enhance the capacity of our network. The HCT Rail Terminal represents an opportunity to meet the needs of the growing Greater Toronto-Hamilton market.”
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