Pan Am partners on new Canada-US intermodal

Pan Am Railways is partnering with port operator DP World and Canada’s Port Saint John on direct intermodal rail service to the U.S. Northeast.

“Pan Am Railways is excited to announce our partnership with DP World and the Port of Saint John to provide direct intermodal service from Saint John to the Boston, Mass., market via the inland container terminal at Ayer, Mass.,” said Michael P. Bostwick, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Pan Am Railways. “We will provide value to importers and exporters via an alternate gateway into the large consumer markets around Boston and central New England that reduces congestion on the highways. As the vessel calls at the port increase, we will be there to grow our service offerings and train capacity to match those needs.”

The new service is a key to growth at the Canadian port.

“An integral part of DP World’s strategy for Saint John has been to extend its market coverage through competitive intermodal connections in Canada and the U.S.,” said Curtis Doiron, general manager of DP World Saint John, a unit of Dubai’s DP World. “The new Pan Am Railways service will now provide existing and new customers a viable gateway option in Saint John. We share the enthusiasm of our supply chain partners in another milestone for Port Saint John.”

The port’s Rodney Container Terminal handles container, dry bulk, break bulk and project cargo. Container volume totaled 63,658 TEUs in 2016, up 3.2% from the previous year.

Jim Quinn, President and Chief Executive at Port Saint John, said, “The Port is a transition point between marine services and inland transportation networks. The natural geographic advantage Port Saint John, being located close the U.S. border, is now enhanced by this new PanAm service into the New England marketplace. Importers and exporters seeking to move goods to and from major centers in the North East now have an option that will get them there faster and move over shorter inland distances.”