July 3, 2013 Edmonton, Alta – CN will start serving a new
state-of-the art frac sand terminal north of Grande Prairie, Alta., starting in
November 2013.
Frac sand is used by oil and gas industries in the hydraulic
fracturing process to hold shale fractures open and let natural gas and oil
flow out.
The new 20-acre facility being built by Di-Corp of Edmonton
will have an annual throughput capacity of 550,000 tons of frac sand and will
have three tracks capable of holding 44 rail cars for unloading.
"The new transloading terminal will create additional offloading and
storage capacity at destination and also give our origin frac sand producers in
the U.S. Midwest, Manitoba and elsewhere greater supply chain efficiencies and
new market opportunities," said Doug MacDonald, CN vice-president, Industrial Products.
CN is investing significantly in its frac sand franchise. CN
announced last month it was accelerating work on the $34.7 million-upgrading of
a 74-mile rail line between Wisconsin Rapids and Blair, Wis., to increase
car-loading capacity and train velocity for growing frac sand supply chains.
In 2012, CN spent $36.8 million to restore a 40-mile rail
line between Ladysmith and Poskin, Wis., to serve the frac sand market.
For more information on CN visit, www.cn.ca.
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