CN Rail is taking steps towards replicating the Port of Prince Rupert model in Eastern Canada. The model has driven US-bound cargo through the Canadian West Coast, and CN hopes to have and eastern counterpart up and running in a matter of years rather than a decade. Growing intermodal volume in Montreal faces several challenges, including ship size limits, a truck-centric market, and a tendency for ship discharges to prioritize containers for the local market. CN envisions Quebec attracting Suez-routed services moving goods from factories south of Singapore and possibly from Vietnam. Halifax is also well-placed to tap manufacturing shifting from China to the likes of India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
