More than 20 groups, representing farmers, fertilizer companies and grain shippers, are urging the Canadian government to take action on the CN Rail Bridge that spans the Second Narrows in Burrard Inlet between Vancouver and the North Shore.

A letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canadian Transportation Minister Steve MacKinnon, made clear the Second Narrows Rail Bridge is a critical artery for Canada’s export economy and the potential for an accident or mechanical problem in the future to again shut down the bridge. The organizations behind the letter, sent the second week of May, include the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Sask Wheat, Soy Canada and Fertilizer Canada.

The mechanical steel lift bridge, built in 1969, is the only way for trains coming from inland Canada to cross Burrard Inlet and access the North Shore terminals, which include G3, Richardson, Cargill and Vancouver Wharves for grain, the Canpotex potash facility and Neptune Terminal for coal. Trains make the crossing when the bridge is in the down position, while vessels are able to transit underneath when the bridge is in the up position to reach terminals located to the west of Second Narrows, including Pacific Coast Terminals for K+S Potash and Westridge Marine Oil Terminal.

In February of this year, the bridge had a significant mechanical issue and was locked in the down position for four days, severely restricting rail traffic to the North Shore and blocking all vessel traffic through Second Narrows.  Although the disruption lasted less than a week, it exposed a major infrastructural weakness in the Port of Vancouver; that an outdated 57-year old mechanical rail bridge is relied upon to carry about one-third of the cargo (approximately 43.7 million tonnes in 2024) that moves through the port.

Possible solutions are twinning of the existing bridge or building a suitable, modern replacement. Of course this would require a major capital investment from CN Rail who owns and operates the bridge. Despite the obviously critical importance of the bridge, with this being Canada, don’t expect a solution anytime soon.