Discussions

I passed this idea to the feds after the 2015 election when they declared they would be making significant investments in infrastructure, and moves to help the environment. No follow up.  
 
Brandon is extremely well situated to have a regional shipping container handling facility. It serves as a regional hub for a significant area. Why should goods destined for our market pass through Brandon on trains, to be offloaded and handled in Winnipeg, then trucked back?  
 
This adds time delays and costs to consumers, and renders local businesses less competitive generally. And some days the highway can be closed due to weather.  
 
The trucking also adds significant environmental effects, and significant damage to the trans Canada highway. As one example, one local manufacturer consumes as much as 7 million pounds of steel in a busy month, all brought in by truck. A loaded semi does as much damage to a paved road as the passage of 9,600 cars. So such a project should qualify for a number of green credits, and simply do us all a lot of good, road paving isn't cheap.  
 
I believe Brandon would be a first class location for a container handling facility, with huge local benefits.  
 
Edited by GarryTait, 2019-09-30 10:23:57

I can't see how this wouldn't be a huge win provincially, federally, and locally. Farm producers and local businesses of all sorts would have access to faster and more efficient shipping and receiving of goods. All the infrastructure/ equipment needed can be got basically off the shelf from China or elsewhere. We are quite flexible to designate space for such a facility.  
 
In the example I cited above, one company alone is leading to road wear and tear equivalent of up to 1.68 million vehicles per month, with loaded trucks going back and forth to Winnipeg. Never mind the truck traffic going back empty to warehousing / container points. The damage of an 18,000lb unloaded big rig is said to be 410 times that of a car, another 71,750 car equivalent.  
 
There should be federal and provincial money ready for such a development, the time has definitely come.  
 
For the feds, this would be a great model to roll out to many regional centers, and arguably help reach CO2 targets, just by working smart instead of the status quo

Regina already has one.

Regina is further away than Winnipeg, there is a huge gap in container handling, and Brandon is the natural central point.  
 
As I have outlined, just the impact on our road system likely makes a solid economic case. Never mind the many other direct benefits to shipping and delivery of goods for the whole region.

Not to be a Negative Nelly, but Brandon is too small.  
 
We keep hearing that Brandon has a "trading area" of 150-180k people. That's less than 1/2 of Regina and 1/5 of Winnipeg (or less). The trading area simply isn't big enough with two such big hubs practically a stone's throw away.  
 
Does it make sense to have a train of goods roll through Brandon and then trucked back here from Winnipeg? Logically, not really. However, if you're looking at a container train with 100-200 containers on it, but only a few destined for this region (if any) on any given train, it makes perfect sense to truck them back from an economic standpoint.  
 
Once Brandon proper hits 100K+, with a trading area in the 250+ range, then it might make more economic sense.  
 
You know, at about the size we would get a Costco...

Yeah, Cosco, odd how there were apparently plans for near 20 years. I think you have to consider other factors to understand the lack of a Cosco....  
 
As for containers, we have a major rail yard here, many goods are split off of other trains here, so I don't buy that as a major impediment. The externalized costs of having taxpayers pay for the awful beating of the roads by heavy transport is an impediment to a rational transport strategy.  
 
But over all, I'd say a container handling facility is a scalable idea, and would pay huge dividends for the region, not least for farmers who could direct market to overseas markets, and source supplies on the world market.  
 
And in general I don't see any downside, apart from businesses with contrary interests, and a captive market.  
 
This is the exact kind of win win for all levels of society, and the environment that we need to get to.

see it happening with CentrePort being built on the western edge of Winnipeg. New intermodal terminal in the works that will have CP, CN and BNSF working out of one place. So for them to build another small intermodal terminal in Brandon won't make sense. The extra time and equipment for the small number of containers won't make any savings. There's also lots of cargo that are on aircraft that also go to Winnipeg to be unloaded then trucked to their destination.  
 
Edited by Trevor B, 2019-09-30 17:39:02

Well, clearly those commercial interests will never voluntarily invest in this market when the alternative is people here will just pay whatever costs or impediments to business that leaves us with.  
 
That's why I point out the significant public interest, and added to that the large environmental benefits. I would say regional facilities fit perfectly with government and community intervention.  
 
Edit:  
 
The mention of air connection is something I hadn't considered either, but we have a full capability airport here, underutilized...  
 
Edited by GarryTait, 2019-09-30 18:02:38

don't disagree with the though of having an intermodal container facility here. But the logistics are a little more complicated. If every small city had their own facility, the costs for duplicate equipment, fuel, wages also increase. Each place would need to build facilities, track, reach stackers, fleet of trucks and rolling chassis, employees, etc..  
 
For the air cargo, there are many companies that fly cargo into Winnipeg. Both dedicated cargo and cargo carried on passenger aircraft. You will need special pallet loaders, tugs and carts, processing facilities.  
 
In the end it's much more economical and environmental to bring the containers and cargo to central places like Winnipeg, then truck out to their final destinations. Guess it comes down to the difference between point to point verses hub and spoke transportation systems.  
 
https://www.centreportcanada.ca/the-inland-port/tri-modal-transportation  
 
Edited by Trevor B, 2019-09-30 19:03:24

the company your referring to is Behlen, they used to have spur right from the CN yard into their yard. Not sure why they rid of it. The other steel place gets their material also delivered by rail directly to them.

Yeah, that's the one. And a lot of people are mystified by the removal of the spur line.  
 
I can't see how it's cheaper or more efficient.  
 
"In the end it's much more economical and environmental to bring the containers and cargo to central places like Winnipeg, then truck out to their final destinations. "  
 
I don't buy that logic in the least. A cargo plane could land here as easily, possibly with greater efficiency . The other arguments also don't have much bearing. Of course any such handling of goods requires appropriate equipment and manpower. I would see the employment opportunities as beneficial for the community. One would assume the benefits would be great enough to merit investment from all levels of government.  
 
As for efficiency, just the figures for wear and tear on the highway probably make a solid economic case. Even if we assume no more than double 14 million pounds per month coming and going, that's the equivalent of 3.36 million vehicles wear and tear, or more than one vehicle per second all year.  
 
Efficiency can mean completely different things for communities than it means for business, especially when citizens are the ones paying for highway paving at roughly 1.5 million per mile, and any other costs or inefficiencies are just the problem of the region with no alternative.  
 
The other listed benefits are obvious. I estimate the project as a huge regional win.  
 
I think it deserves a proper feasibility study, and environmental study.  
 
Edited by GarryTait, 2019-09-30 20:23:47

Are you saying that we need an inter-modal facility every 300kms or so?? How is that efficient?

Yes, it would be more efficient.  
 
It would pass an environmental review with flying colours by significantly reducing fuel use by avoiding needless round trip transport of 270km highway miles. That would mean it would qualify for carbon credits on international markets, an auditable benefit and side revenue stream.  
 
It would also clearly benefit Manitoba Infrastructure by significantly reducing the wear on the Trans Canada highway, also easily auditable, both the feds and province would agree with figures for reducing costs of road repaving at roughly 1.5 million per mile.  
 
Local businesses would certainly benefit from shorter turn arounds on shipping and delivery of goods, reliable timely and cheaper delivery, thus making their bottom lines nationally competitive, and improving the efficiencies of the entire Brandon economic area for consumers as well.  
 
Imagine a future in which fuel costs increase, and the cost savings will become even more pronounced. Without this infrastructure, Brandon will find itself in a steadily worsening position for business competitiveness and local cost of living.  
 
Such a facility will provide local employment opportunities. Much of the goods transported from Winnipeg, Regina, or Vancouver by truck now are handled by companies with no relationship to our community. Skilled jobs would result. Local tax revenues.  
 
Farmers in the region could make great use of container handling, and finally get out from under the thumb of the grain companies by direct marketing to overseas markets, any significant farm operation now has equipment capable of loading and delivering containers. And for receiving perhaps fertilizer and equipment from global destinations, greatly leveling the playing field. And farmers could use any advantage now.  
 
So, yes, I'd say it's a keystone project for a better community, a win on every level.  
 
As for elsewhere, why not? Dauphin would benefit for the same reasons. As would Swan River, and a whole list of communities through the prairies. It would be nearly like putting all the small regional centers on tidewater. There will be some cut off for feasibility, but clearly the distance between Winnipeg and Regina is too much, and Brandon is the obvious next hub.

Given that a ton of goods can be transported with a tenth of the fuel, rail transport is the obvious improvement.  
 
The difference is that the costs of road damage are externalized by business, they are effectively getting a huge subsidy at the taxpayer's expense. A complete accounting shows that rail transport is far more efficient.  
 
This is even more pronounced when we are talking about containerized shipments which have to be transported in and out 470km round trip by road going in the wrong direction.  
 
Further to my comments above, I made a typo, it should have read 470 km (round trip distance).  
 
Also, as reminded by TrevorB, there's intermodal capability. With great access to a rather underutilized international capable airport, a portion of air cargo could justifiably be diverted from Winnipeg and Regina.  
 
Lastly, implementation of such a forward thinking project would garner Brandon positive press nationally and internationally, boosting the community profile and reputation.  
 
Edited by GarryTait, 2019-10-03 13:05:31