Prime Minister breaks ground on Contrecoeur terminal expansion

Canada has started the construction on the new Contrecoeur container terminal at the Port of Montreal.

Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney broke ground on the project, saying that the federal government through the Canada Infrastructure Bank has committed $839 million in financing. Other financiers include the Government of Quebec that is contributing $94 million and Transport Canada with $108.5 million.

The project involves the construction of two berths, a container handling area, an intermodal marshalling yard connected to the main rail network, a truck gate connected to the road network, and secondary facilities.

Work on phase 1, which includes in-water works such as dredging and quay wall construction, started in October last year; phase 2 is set to begin next year.

Commercial operations of the new terminal are targeted for 2030.

This project will expand the capacity of the Port of Montréal by approximately 60% – making it the largest eastern port expansion in Canadian history. The expansion will also add a modern, high-efficiency container terminal with integrated rail, road, and marine infrastructure. 

According to Carney, this program is set to unlock one of Canada’s most critical trade corridors, enabling significantly more goods to move reliably through the St. Lawrence gateway.