The Global Transportation Hub’s President and Chief Executive Officer will share his views on the role and strategies of inland ports with a group of industry leaders during the two-day Rail to Ports Conference, hosted by the Van Horne Institute in Calgary, Alberta. The conference runs October 11-12.
“Canadian processors, manufacturers and shippers are facing a surge in competition for space on the rails,” says Richards. “There are only so many trains and so many locomotives. With more oil tank cars being loaded, it puts pressure on capacity for grain, potash and other materials. As an export-oriented province and country, we need to always think about the most efficient ways to get our goods to market.”
The expected increase in freight, including oil transported by rail, is creating a need to rethink how and where materials are packaged, transported and loaded, according to Richards.
Richards believes the shortage of land near port facilities makes it more important to explore processing and containerization opportunities further inland. The GTH, with 1,800 acres of land adjacent to Canada’s major highways and a CP Rail Intermodal facility, is exploring ways to address the future needs of processors and shippers.
“Without question, containerization of processed products from our agriculture-based economy is a large opportunity,” says Richards. “We have access to crops and affordable land. It is an economic opportunity to process and package goods at a facility like the GTH instead of shipping raw materials and fighting for trans-load space at port.”
Other presenters include The Hon. Marc Garneau, Federal Minister of Transport; Pierre Lavallee, CEO of Canada Infrastructure Bank; Christian Dea, Chief Economist for Transport Canada; and numerous leaders of inland port and terminal port facilities.
Interested attendees can still register here: http://ow.ly/YiiG30m5xdy
Continuing Saskatchewan’s proud tradition of ground-breaking trade and commerce, the GTH is a logistics hub for the 21st Century. The only Foreign Trade Zone in the province, the GTH is a Saskatchewan’ made gateway for global trade.
To learn more about Canada’s only self-governing inland port, check out THEGTH.com