The Port of Vancouver USA is less than two full days away from completing a project that adds about 2,000 lateral feet of rail in the vicinity of a grain terminal as part of the ongoing series of freight access projects.
Construction of the rail reconfiguration and expansion, also known as Grain Subdivision Phase B, began in March and must be completed by Sept. 6, then turned over to United Grain Corp. by Sept. 17, 2012.
The new rail is expected to allow United Grain to load 20 rail cars at a time rather than its current six, more than tripling loading capacity. The project is a timely one in that United Grain is also transitioning to handling corn and soybeans in addition to wheat.
Another aspect of the project is the completion of a 100,000-gallon water tank near the Great Western Malting facility. The structure has been built, but still needs to be cleaned and filled by Sept. 6.
The grain subdivision and water tank construction are components of the port’s West Vancouver Freight Access Project, or WFVA, a $137 million effort by the port to create jobs and generate revenue by investing in freight rail infrastructure.
The WFVA, which was launched in 2007, is divided into 20 elements; the rail expansion is known as Project 8.
