The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is advancing a project with national significance: CANXPORT. Originally launched as the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP), the initiative has been rebranded to reflect its scale and long-term role in Canada’s trade future.
A New Gateway for Exports
At its core, CANXPORT is a large-scale export transloading and logistics facility being built on a 108-acre site on Ridley Island at the Port of Prince Rupert. The facility is designed to transfer bulk commodities from rail into containers for global shipping, improving the flow of goods through Canada’s west coast. Once operational, CANXPORT will be able to accommodate 4.5 full-length unit trains per day, representing approximately 8 million tonnes of export capacity annually. In its first phase, the facility will add more than 400,000 TEUs of laden export capacity each year, with the potential to expand to 750,000 TEUs in the future.
Origins and Vision
According to Katherine Bamford, Vice President, Business Development, “CANXPORT originated as the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP), a strategic initiative by the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) to enhance Canada’s export logistics capabilities. The project was rebranded as CANXPORT to reflect its broader national significance and long-term vision. Early works began in 2023, and in May 2024 the Canada Infrastructure Bank committed a $150 million loan to support the development.”
She emphasizes that the initiative is about long-term competitiveness. “The development of new logistics capacities and capabilities in Prince Rupert is a critical element in ensuring the container business here stays competitive in the long run. CANXPORT was designed to establish large-scale export transloading capacity to improve the import/export balance of container trade at the Port while enhancing stability and agility for Canadian exporters.”
The rebranding was symbolic rather than structural. As Bamford explains, “The scope and vision did not change. As we moved from our working project name to something more permanent, we wanted a name that emphasized the benefits this facility will bring to Canada’s export industry.”
Supporting Western Canadian Industries
Western Canada’s resource economy is at the heart of CANXPORT’s purpose. “Western Canada is an economic driver for Canada through export sectors like forestry, petrochemicals, mining, and agriculture,” Bamford notes. “These industries have historically faced challenging economic periods resulting from fluctuating market economies, supply chain instability, and dependence on US markets.”
She adds that these challenges reinforce the need for diversification. “Canada’s growing resource sectors need stable and competitive supply chains to provide access to a diversified global market. The Prince Rupert Gateway enables that through strategic investments in terminal, logistics, rail, and road infrastructure like CANXPORT.”
The Role of CN
CN Rail plays a critical role in ensuring the new facility achieves its efficiency objectives. “CN is a key supply chain partner and enabler of trade through the Prince Rupert Gateway. The unit train capable trackage designed into the CANXPORT operation will support further intermodal efficiency with large-scale loop tracks that maximize the use of the Port’s footprint.”
Construction Progress
Over the past 18 months, construction crews have brought the site closer to readiness. Bamford explains that “most earthworks on the 108-acre greenfield development are nearing completion. Blasting and levelling of the platform is finished. Work is now focused on readying the embankments for the outbound rail tracks in preparation for rail and roadwork beginning in September.”
The next phase involves new infrastructure for handling exports. “CANXPORT’s terminal operator, Ray-Mont Logistics, will commence construction on its new facilities for handling resin and other export products in coming months, with their operations expected to begin in June 2026 and become fully operational in early 2027.”
Efficiency and Sustainability
Sustainability has been built into the project’s design from the outset. “CANXPORT will be the most efficient transload operation on the west coast – it’s integrated with the CN mainline and will have a direct link to Fairview Container Terminal via the port authority’s private dedicated road, the Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor,” Bamford says.
She stresses that reducing truck movements will have a measurable environmental impact. “With logistics operations fully contained within the Port of Prince Rupert integrated intermodal ecosystem, CANXPORT will help minimize environmental impacts by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by truck drayage operations.”
Beyond efficiency gains, geography is an advantage. “This careful and deliberate design builds on the Port of Prince Rupert’s many natural advantages. As North America’s closest trade gateway to Asia, Prince Rupert provides safe and efficient access from transpacific trade routes through open and deep approaches. This helps significantly reduce pilotage times and shaves days off transportation of cargo to-and-from locations across western and central Canada and the US Midwest via CN’s continent-wide network.”
Investment and Partnerships
The financing model behind CANXPORT reflects strong collaboration across governments and industry. “Canada Infrastructure Bank, in its first port investment, provided a $150 million loan to the Prince Rupert Port Authority for the first phase of CANXPORT’s development,” Bamford says. “The Government of Canada and the Government of BC are also financial contributors to the project infrastructure, as well as PRPA, Ray-Mont Logistics, and CN.”
Indigenous Partnerships
Indigenous involvement has been a defining feature of the project’s development. “CANXPORT will support a variety of agricultural, forestry, and manufactured petrochemical products from across Western Canada with capability for additional commodities,” Bamford says. “In addition, local Indigenous partners are involved in the development and operation of CANXPORT. The primary contract site development was awarded by PRPA to an Indigenous joint venture that includes Metlakatla First Nation, Lax Kw’alaams Band, Gitxaała Nation, and IDL Projects Inc.”
She also highlights their role in logistics operations. “Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams are also majority owners of Gat Leedm Logistics, the largest provider of truck drayage services within the Port, that will also support CANXPORT’s operation.”
Shaping the Future of Prince Rupert
The facility is central to the future competitiveness of the Prince Rupert Gateway. “The diversification of our Gateway and the further development of the Port’s fully contained intermodal ecosystem are paramount to our success and will continue to set Prince Rupert apart from other ports in North America,” Bamford explains. “The CANXPORT project is at the centre of the transformation. It will enable transloading and logistics services on an unprecedented scale and unlock significant competitive advantages for Canadian exporters.”
The scale of its impact is clear. “Once operational, CANXPORT will be able to accommodate 4.5 full length unit trains per day of bulk exports and empty containers, representing approximately 8 million tonnes of export capacity annually. With 400,000+ TEUs of laden exports capacity annually in Phase 1 with the ability to expand to 750,000 TEUs in the future, this project brings significant cargo optionality to Canada’s exporters.”
The port authority views CANXPORT as part of a wider effort to reshape Canada’s trade infrastructure. Bamford says, “The core of what we are building together is a better Canada through trade.”
That broader agenda includes $3 billion in active investments across terminal, logistics, rail, and road projects. Alongside CANXPORT, PRPA is advancing the South Kaien Import Logistics Park (SKILP), an Indigenous-led collaboration with Metlakatla Development Corp., as well as the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF), a partnership with AltaGas and Vopak.
“What we are building here is fundamental to enabling trade diversification and resiliency in our supply chains,” Bamford notes, emphasizing that “the Port of Prince Rupert is uniquely positioned to continue to grow capacity and market access for Canadian trade to new and existing Asia-Pacific markets.”
For more information, please visit www.rupertport.com
