Ridley set to see increased Coal arrivals as rail access to Tumbler Ridge mines reopens

The prospect of increased shipments of coal through Ridley Terminals is on the horizon with mining activity in the province's Northeast improving with increased output at some re-opened operations giving CN Rail cause to finally reopen a once closed spur line.

Earlier this week, notice was made of the growing shipment levels from the Tumbler Ridge area and with it the need to return the former BC rail line closed in 2014 to active service that move coming after an investment of 23 million dollars in upgrades and improvements to the long idled line.

The reopening of the rail line comes after Conuma Coal Resources, a US based mining company which currently operates in the Tumbler Ridge area was ordered earlier this summer to stop moving coal by truck and shift to a rail option.

Added rail capacity in the Northeast coal patch could bring additional
shipments to Ridley Terminals 

Many regional politicians in the Northeast had been putting pressure on CN to return the line to service so as to take the volume of trucks off the roads.

Conuma has two mines currently in operationin the Northeast, Brule and Wolverine, with a third Willow Creek expected to be back into production in the near future.

The expanded transportation service to that area could be particularly positive for Ridley Terminals, which will benefit from any opportunity to increase capacity out of the Northeast mines.

So far this year, RTI has seen some impressive numbers posted, following a number of years of challenging times for the coal terminal on Ridley Island.

The most recent statistics from the Prince Rupert Port Authority highlight those growing volumes, with close to 4 million tonnes of coal shipped out of the North coast port up to July of this year.

On their website, CN makes note of the advantages of shipping through Ridley, with the Pacific gateway offering the best transit times from the West Coast.

You can review the plans ahead for the Northeast coal patch from this article in the trade publication Energy and Mining

More background on items of interest for Ridley Terminals can be reviewed from our archive page.