by Bill Humphreys, mayor of Barriere
Over the past few weeks in my role as chair of the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) I have been attending information meetings in a number of communities throughout the regional district. One of these was the opening of the inland port in Ashcroft.
The Ashcroft Terminal is a private inland trans-loading, container storage and distribution centre and is a member of the Canadian Government’s Asian Pacific Corridor Initiative (APGCI). On Oct. 11, 2006, Prime Minister Harper announced the APGCI with an initial investment of $5-million in federal funding.
As a result of this investment opportunity, Ashcroft Terminal was able to realize their vision of an inland port.
The terminal contains 8.7 km of rail track serviced directly off of CPR and CN mainlines, and is serviced daily by CPR. Facilities include a 350,000 sq. ft. covered warehouse, manufacturing capacity, container capacity, 600 railcar storage spots and 20 km of internal storage and marshaling tracks.
What this all means to Barriere is that within easy reach there is now a facility able to provide a method of shipping by rail and then by sea if needed, countless loads of goods without the hassle of sending trucks into the Delta Port Terminal.
By loading the goods in Ashcroft it is estimated that at least 500,000 truck trips per year on our highways and through Delta will be avoided. By scheduling delivery of rail cars to the port there will be less wait time and fewer costs to the users of the terminals.
This equates to a greater return on investments and sustainability of the various manufacturing companies and industrial entities here in the Interior of B.C.
In order to attract investors to Barriere, one of the problems that needed to be solved was the lack of a viable shipping plan for their goods. The Ashcroft Terminal provides a possible solution to this problem.
Now we are able to provide known costs that can be used to calculate the viability of a future project wanting to locate here in our community.