Rail-P9_200x173-pixProject 16 of the West Vancouver Freight Access Project will begin work by the end of August, and is scheduled to be complete in 2015.

The new rail entrance located adjacent to Lafarge North America will bring a rail line into the port that will travel below the BNSF and Union Pacific Railroad’s north/south mainline on the Columbia River Rail Bridge. This configuration along the banks of the river will prevent port-bound rail from blocking the north/south rail line, while increasing the efficiency of rail movement into and out of the port.

Early stages of construction include building a pile supported, watertight trench, which will support the concrete foundation for trains that will travel into the port, including the expanding rail yard corridor.

Innovative methods, including vibratory placement, have been chosen to drive piles into the ground in an effort to minimize audio impacts to neighbors and wildlife.

The advancement of Project 16 is a milestone in the WVFA project and in Vancouver’s ever-changing waterfront.