Air Service and Railway Improvement
Fact: Investment in the railway and airport will help movement in and out of the region more efficiently.
- The operator for the rail freight line linking Fort McMurray to Edmonton has announced a $135-million upgrade in projects.
- Upgrades to the existing railway aim to reduce the current transport time from Edmonton to Fort McMurray by up to 50 per cent.
- One railcar can carry the equivalent of three standard truck loads.
- The Fort McMurray Airport oversees the single busiest airstrip of any small or medium-sized city in Canada. More than 500,000 passenger movements and 70,000 take offs and landings occurred at the airport in 2008.
- The Fort McMurray Airport plans a $100-million expansion that would triple its size by adding a new terminal, additional gates and more retail space to accommodate up to one million passenger movements per year.
Facts sourced by Oil Sands Developers Group (October 2009).
Sources for all facts available upon request.