The Halifax Port Authority and terminal operator PSA Halifax have marked a major technological milestone with the arrival of two advanced electric rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes at the Atlantic Hub container terminal. The deployment introduces the first-ever remotely operated yard equipment to the Port of Halifax, updating the gateway’s intermodal infrastructure to improve capacity, processing speed, and localized safety metrics.
The equipment integration is part of the ongoing Inter-Terminal Rail Solution Project, a multi-year infrastructure initiative co-funded by the Halifax Port Authority and Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund.
Enhancing Workplace Safety via Centralized Remote Operations
The newly installed electric RMG cranes fundamentally alter traditional yard handling operations by shifting equipment operators out of elevated machinery cabs and into a centralized, climate-controlled digital control room.
This remote-control configuration yields several immediate operational benefits:
- Improved Working Conditions: Eliminates the physical strain and safety risks associated with operators working at height during severe Atlantic weather conditions.
- Precision Handling: Utilizes high-definition sensor arrays and digital tracking feeds to optimize container placement accuracy.
- Increased Throughput: Streamlines container stack movements, allowing for more consistent container yard cycle times and fewer handling delays.
Shifting Container Freight from Urban Highways to Rail Shuttles
A primary operational objective of the new cranes is managing the loading and unloading of container shuttles running between the PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub and the secondary PSA Halifax Fairview Cove terminal.
By optimizing the terminal’s internal railhead capacity, the port expects to remove up to 75% of port-generated container truck traffic from Halifax’s downtown urban road network. This modal shift to high-capacity rail shuttles reduces localized traffic congestion, lowers municipal road maintenance costs, and creates a more predictable transit link between the two deep-water terminal facilities.
Furthermore, the expanded rail infrastructure enables the Port of Halifax to build and dispatch full-length container trains directly to major inland industrial markets, including Toronto, Montreal, and midwest North American distribution hubs. As the only port facility on Canada’s East Coast engineered to accommodate ultra-large container vessels up to 18,000 TEUs, the upgraded railyard secures Halifax’s long-term competitive logistics strategy of linking big ships directly with big trains.
Cutting Carbon Footprints Through Port Electrification
Transitioning from conventional diesel-powered yard machinery to fully electric RMG units directly advances the maritime gateway’s environmental mandates. The two new electric units are projected to cut the port’s localized greenhouse gas footprint by at least 640 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, an environmental offset equivalent to permanently taking nearly 140 passenger vehicles off public roads.
Fulvio Fracassi, President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority, stated that the new cranes represent an investment in both people and performance, noting that they serve as key elements for safe, resilient operations as the new railyard is constructed at the Atlantic Hub.
Duncan Glass, CEO of PSA Halifax, added that the remotely operated electric equipment directly supports PSA International’s corporate sustainability objective of hitting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. He emphasized that these infrastructure upgrades collectively strengthen overall rail reliability and ensure faster, more efficient cargo flows for import and export clients throughout the region.
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