Prince Rupert Port Authority to move forward with Ridley Island Export Logistics Park with completion planned for 2026

The location for the next big project for the Prince Rupert Port Authority
which today announced plans to develop their Ridley Island Export
Logistics Terminal on an 108 acre site

There will soon be some accelerated activity taking place on the Price Rupert Port Authority waterfront, with the PRPA announcing this morning that they will be moving forward with the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project, the Port observing that construction on the massive development is already underway.

Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO for the Prince Rupert Port Authority noted of  the new chapter for growth for the Prince Rupert waterfront footprint from the decision to move forward.

“The development of this innovative project and its introduction of large-scale export logistics capabilities at the Port will fundamentally improve competitiveness for Canadian exporters, and marks the opening of a new chapter of Prince Rupert intermodal growth. It also demonstrates the strong alignment of our corporate, government and community partners with PRPA's strategic vision for growing Canadian trade,” 

In their announcement today, the Port expanded on how the project will progress over the next three years.

The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is commencing construction on the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP), an innovative large-scale logistics project that will provide expanded capacity and capabilities for rail-to-container transloading of multiple export products at the Port of Prince Rupert. The investment promises to deliver critical trade infrastructure that will improve supply chain resiliency, strategic market access and enhanced competitiveness for Canadian exports.

The project will be developed on a 108 acre Greenfield development that is scheduled to be in operation by the fall of 2026. The Port also identified Ray-Mont Logistics as the operator of the Export Logistics Park.

Ray-Mont Logistics will develop and operate facilities that provide transloading service capacity for 400,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) for agricultural, forestry, and plastic resin products. Ray-Mont currently operates a successful multi-product transload facility on a temporary Ridley Island location that has proven the export transload concept in Prince Rupert.

Towards their involvement, Charles Raymond, President and CEO of Ray-Mont Logistics observes of the unique nature of the RIELP project.

“Ray-Mont is committed to developing and expanding our successful export transload business in Prince Rupert and believes that RIELP represents an ideal platform to significantly increase the scale, efficiency and level of service to our existing and future customers. RIELP will be unique in North America in terms of its ability to simultaneously handle multiple unit trains of varying commodities and significantly decarbonize the logistics chain,”

The Ridley Island Export Logistics park (blue on map)
is one of a number of Port related plans for the future

The project will also mean additional work ahead for the Existing Ridley Island Road Rail Utility Corridor connecting to CN Rail services and connection to operations at Fairview Terminal.

 

The project will also include an expansion of the existing Ridley Island Road Rail Utility Corridor that will facilitate unit trains 10,000 feet in length with direct access to the site from the CN network. 

The transload facilities will be connected to Fairview Container Terminal by direct private road access, the 5-kilometer Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor, ensuring all product movements will be within PRPA jurisdiction and fully avoid public infrastructure. 

The full electrification of transload facilities, optimization of rail, and the minimal truck drayage cumulatively represent a significant step forward in decarbonizing Canada’s export supply chains.
 

The Port has also outlined the scope of involvement of Local First Nations in the region and how they will contribute to the Terminals operations.

Local Indigenous partners will be active participants in the development and operation of RIELP. 

The primary contract for Ridley Island site development has been awarded to an Indigenous joint venture arrangement that includes Metlakatla First Nation, Lax Kw’alaams Band, Gitxaała Nation and IDL Projects Inc. 

Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams are also majority owners of Gat Leedm Logistics, which will be a primary service provider of truck drayage services.

There are multiple investors in the Export Logistics Terminal project with an estimated 750 million dollars in investment money to come the following:

PRPA, Ray-Mont Logistics, CN, the Government of Canada, and the Government of BC. 

Canada’s National Transportation Corridor Fund is providing $64.8 million and the Province’s Stronger BC program is providing $25 million toward the project.

The full PRPA information release, with additional notes on the project and quotes from Federal and provincial participants can be reviewed here.

The Port Authority also has a project Description page available for review on their website that resource included background information and videos towards the development.

You can explore some of the previous notes on the Terminal plans from our archive page here.