Port Saint John Completes $247 Million Modernization Project
Canada’s Port Saint John has completed its $247 million (US$178 million) West Side Modernization Project, significantly expanding container terminal capacity and inland rail infrastructure at the Atlantic gateway.
The project was delivered through a public-private partnership with terminal operator DP World, which invested more than $75 million (US$54 million) in terminal upgrades between 2022 and 2025.
The upgrades expand capacity and include an additional berth, a deepened and widened channel, expanded laydown space, and enhanced intermodal capabilities.
Infrastructure upgrades included four new quay cranes, additional container-handling equipment, and updated terminal systems.
Operational and maintenance facilities were also expanded, with upgraded workshop infrastructure and specialized equipment, to accommodate a wider range of cargo.
This has increased Port Saint John’s annual container handling capacity from approximately 150,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to up to 1 million TEUs.
Port Saint John handled 184,879 TEUs in 2024 and is now the busiest port hub in Atlantic Canada. It ranks fourth among all Canadian ports by total cargo volume.
Inland container movements from Saint John increased by 46.3% in TEUs per day in 2025.
DP World said the expansion positions Port Saint John to support international shipping activity through a less congested gateway with growing intermodal capacity.
The port is served by three Class I railways, Canadian National (CN), CPKC, and CSX, via the New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR).
The NBSR also connects to CPKC and CSX in Maine through Eastern Maine Railway to support cross-border movements between Canada and the United States.
The completion of the West Side Modernization Project comes as Canada’s newly elected government budgets $5 billion (US$3.6 billion) for a new Trade Diversification Corridors Fund.
The funding is intended to support projects that will upgrade road, rail, and related logistics links between ports and inland markets to facilitate the movement of imports and exports.
The initiative aims to double Canada’s exports over the next decade and generate more than $300 billion (US$200 billion) in new business opportunities.
The completion of the West Side Modernization Project has attracted additional private-sector investment at the port.
This includes Americold’s plans to develop its first Canadian import-export hub at Port Saint John.
At Cole International, we offer freight forwarding services to help Canadian businesses move cargo across borders with minimal delays or surprises.
If you’re shipping goods through Canadian ports, reach out to one of our trade professionals to discuss how we can help streamline the movement of your cargo.