The contract for the provision of final design engineering and construction management services for schedule one of the West Vancouver Freight Access (WVFA) Project has been awarded to the firm - David Evans and Associates.
Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin in Autumn and be completed by July 2008. The port's 2007 budget also includes US$6 million for the project's final design and elements of construction to be completed in 2007.
The entire project is expected to be finished in mid-2009 at an estimated cost of US$56 million, funded by the port, federal and state authorities, as well as private industry partners.
The WVFA project will provide a new rail access into the port to allow for future expansion as trade with Asia grows. The new rail line will run under the BNSF rail bridge in a bid to reduce delays and congestion caused by the current rail facilities.
"The rail windows for trains serving the port on the current Hill Track line, which crosses and blocks the BNSF mainline, are becoming tighter and will eventually create critical service issues," said Larry Paulson, the port's executive director. "More than 70 per cent of cargo travels to and from the port by rail and that figure is projected to increase to over 80 per cent in the next 20 years."
The new rail link is also intended to speed up the flow of rail freight originating in western Canada by relieving some of the congestion on the only river-grade rail line that connects the Columbia River Gorge to the eastern US.
With mainline freight and passenger rail growth projected to double by 2025 the project, in conjunction with the Vancouver Bypass project, is expected to reduce delays on the regional network by 40 per cent, a statement from port authorities said. The number of rail cars entering the port is also forecast to increase from 45,000 to 160,000 by 2025.