Port Saint John trade corridor gets $463 million for rail, road and marine upgrades
Federal, provincial and project partners are funding work intended to expand the New Brunswick port's capacity and improve its links to export markets.
Port Saint John is set for a $463 million upgrade to its rail, road and marine connections after federal and New Brunswick officials announced the Saint John Trade Corridor project on October 21, 2026, in Saint John. The work is intended to help the port move more cargo to national and international markets.
The federal government will contribute up to $254 million, while New Brunswick is investing $116.5 million. Global News reported that partners delivering parts of the project will provide the remaining $92.5 million. Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon and Premier Susan Holt announced the investment in the city.
What the Saint John Trade Corridor will build
The project includes dredging the port's main channel, expanding and upgrading warehouses, and building a Canada Border Services Agency container examination facility. Global News put the planned facility's size at 2,787 square metres. Shoreline stabilization is intended to protect rail access at the Bayshore Rail Terminal, while Simms Corner is to be reconstructed to address congestion and safety.
Transport Canada specified upgrades to 103 kilometres of New Brunswick Southern Railway track using continuously welded rail. It said the work is expected to increase mainline speed to 64 km/h and reduce freight transit times between the port and Class 1 railways.
Port Saint John CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks called dredging the biggest part of the project, Global News reported. Widening and deepening the channel is intended to allow two-way vessel traffic at high tide and give ships a longer tidal window. Transport Canada expects the marine work to increase high-water tidal windows by at least 30% for fully loaded vessels with deeper draughts.
Why the port investment matters for trade
Transport Canada says the improvements are intended to enable annual handling of 850,000 to 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units, a measure of container capacity. The project is the first funded through the Trade Diversification Corridors Fund, which the federal government says was introduced in Budget 2025 with a $5 billion allocation.
Holt linked the investment to finding new markets for New Brunswick goods amid tariffs and trade disputes with the United States. She said Canada had long benefited from its US relationship but needed to look elsewhere for growth, according to Global News. The announced work sets out how officials plan to expand trade capacity; the government did not give a project-wide completion date.
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Sources and context
- $463M Port of Saint John project aims to boost New Brunswick exportsGlobal News
- The Government of Canada invests $254 million to support trade diversification and increase trade capacity in the Saint John Trade CorridorTransport Canada
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
