CN and Thunder Bay Port Work to Open Up Project Freight Corridor
A result of the heady heights of world oil prices, the extraction of oil from bitumen sands in Canada is now more and more commercially viable. One of these projects overseen by Canadian Natural Resources Limited is at Fort McMurray.
A result of the Fort McMurray 
project and the industry’s progression is now the partnership between the Port of Thunder Bay and Canadian National Railway, to develop a competitive routing option for oil sands project cargo destined for For Western Canada.
For Canadian National, opening up rail access from to Thunder Bay Port to Western Canada for project cargo has meant acquiring the short-line railroad from Boyle, Alberta to Fort McMurray, widening rock cuts on the route, as well as mile by mile re-measuring and inspection of rail lines to enable the carriage of specialty project cargos. The route now permitting the large and heavy equipment that will go towards opening up the oil sands industry in Western Canada.
Commenting on the cooperation between Canadian National and the Port of Thunder Bay, Tim Heney, the Chief Executive Officer of the Thunder Bay Port Authority said that "We are delighted to work with CN to provide this new Canadian gateway to western Canada’s oil sands." Heney added that The Port of Thunder Bay itself has had a "long history serving the needs of western Canada and we are dedicated to the integration of the marine and rail needs of transportation. We look forward to the new opportunities that this gateway will provide for the port and the community."
The Port of Thunder Bay is located at the head of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System, the facility handling all types of cargoes and is served by both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways, as well as major Canadian trucking companies.
Source: Port of Thunder Bay