Port/Rail Interface: Saguenay

Project Cargo Move Via the Port of Saguenay Railway

Photo/Saguenay Port Authority

Sunday, May 14, 2017, was a special day for the Saguenay Port Authority, when Canmec used the port's railway service to transport large sections of forced pipes between its La Baie plant and the port’s Grande-Anse Terminal. The railway infrastructure was inaugurated in the summer of 2015, but this was the first time a regional manufacturer used it to guarantee the transit of "non-standard" parts to the port.

Canmec will make three similar moves during the summer. All components delivered to the port in this manner will be loaded this fall on a ship bound for Havre-Saint-Pierre 470 miles distant and the construction site of Hydro-Québec's 1550 megawatt hydro-electric complex. As the port notes, the operation is an outstanding demonstration of the intermodal coordination between different modes of transport rail, water and road.

Formerly known as Chicoutimi, Port Saguenay is located on the Saguenay River in the province of Québec some 54 nautical miles from the river’s confluence with the St. Lawrence River. The main channel depth of 13.8 meters, or 45.3 feet, allows safe navigation year around by vessels of up to 100,000 deadweight tons. Traffic in 2016 consisted of some 300,000 metric tons of bulk and general cargo and more than 30,000 cruise passengers.