Canadian Government and CPR Make Joint Investment to Increase Railroad Security
Windsor, Ontario - Rail cargo security at Canada’s busiest
border crossing will be further increased thanks to investments by the
Government of Canada and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The Honourable John
Godfrey, Minister of State (Infrastructure and Communities), the Honourable
Jean C. Lapierre, Minister of Transport, and Rob Ritchie, President and
Chief Executive Officer of CPR, today announced a joint investment of over
$8 million to secure a 7.5-km CPR rail corridor from Walker Road in Windsor
to the U.S. border. This will be accomplished by protecting that length of
track and preparing the site for the installation, by the U.S. government,
of a Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS). This is a state-of-the-art
security system designed for rail cargo inspection.
The VACIS system will be used to scan contents of freight cars and
containers as trains roll by slowly.
“The Windsor Gateway is the busiest international trade corridor in North
America and Canada’s single largest border crossing point for trade and
traffic with the United States. The Government of Canada remains committed
to a safe and secure border, and projects like this one contribute to this
objective,” stated Minister Godfrey. “We continue to work with our
colleagues in the U.S. and our partners here in Canada to deliver improved
security measures through investments in border infrastructure.”
“Securing our border in Windsor is essential to the continued movement of
goods to the United States,” said Minister Lapierre. “The security of this
rail corridor in Windsor and application of this technology are essential
and will continue to improve our good relations with our biggest trading
partner to the south.”
“Trans-border movement of goods remains a critically important and growing
aspect of the Canadian economy,” Mr. Ritchie said. “This is also true
regarding CPR’s cross-border service. No border location is more critical to
trade than the Windsor-Detroit crossing, which includes the Detroit River
rail tunnel. Our funding partnership will ensure that this essential rail
traffic remains safe and secure, while maintaining fluid trade flow, with
fewer interruptions and shorter delays. This is a good thing for U.S.-Canada
trade relations, as well as the freight industry as a whole.”
The Windsor location is unique and distinct from other rail crossings with a
requirement for tailored solutions. The location of the CPR line, which runs
under the Detroit River through a tunnel, makes it impractical to install
the VACIS facility at the precise border point on either side of the river.
Because of the distance of the VACIS facility from the border and the
particularities of this rail border crossing, extensive security measures
are required. The Government of Canada and CPR have each committed up to
$4.12 million to secure the 7.5-km rail corridor leading to the border and
to prepare the site on the rail right of way, east of Walker Road, in
Windsor, for the installation of the VACIS system.
Infrastructure investments will include the installation of state-of-the-art
surveillance technology stretching from the Walker Road site to the portal
of the Detroit River rail tunnel and fencing to secure the site. It will
also include track reconfigurations, and signal and communications
modifications. These improvements will create a secure zone through which
scanned trains can proceed into the United States.
The VACIS system is an effective, safe and flexible means of detection. It
scans the contents of freight cars as trains roll by at no more than 7 to 10
km per hour, causing minimal disruption to the flow of goods at border
crossing inspection stations. A one-mile long train can be scanned in about
10 minutes.
VACIS technology is already in use at other Canada-U.S. border crossings on
CPR rail lines. CPR has absorbed the entire cost of associated necessary
investments at Rouses Point, New York; Noyes, Minnesota; and Portal, North
Dakota. These investments include new rail sidings, siding extensions and
buildings to house operations and security equipment.
The federal government’s contribution to this project comes from the Border
Infrastructure Fund (BIF), which is helping improve some of the busiest
Canada-United States border crossings so vital for the economic growth and
prosperity of the country. The $600 million BIF supports the initiatives in
the Smart Borders Action Plan by reducing border congestion, increasing
safety and security, and expanding infrastructure capacity over the medium
term.