Hamilton’s port is set to be home to a new logistical hub for steel transportation thanks to funding from the federal government.
The Liberal government is set to sink around $5 million into a 60,000-square-foot indoor rail transloading facility at Pier 15.
The initiative will allow for the diversion of some steel coming off regional and international boats onto rail cars as opposed to trucks.
At present, all steel coming from abroad to the city’s port through the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority is shipped exclusively by truck.
“We’re building a logistic hub that will be able to transload steel that comes from abroad onto trains,” federal Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra told 900 CHML’s Bill Kelly Show.
“This project will build a warehouse … expand the track and enable the transloading of that steel onto trains.”
Alghabra said the move helps to tackle disruption in the supply chain happening locally due to continuing global supply challenges by adding 100,000 megatonnes of steel-handling capacity to the port’s operations.
“We want to build greater capacity, more resilience, greater efficiency and also tackle the root cause of inflation that we’re seeing all over the world today,” Alghabra explained.
The new facility is expected to accommodate transport for finished steel products tied to the automotive, construction and appliance industries.