Niagara's fully serviced industrial lands are all located close to major transportation routes and international bridge crossings, which has lead to the region's strong public and private sector transportation infrastructure that is supported by over 100 local companies providing a full range of logistical services.
Niagara's border crossings are able to handle large volumes of traffic, which makes them less congested than other major Ontario crossings into the U.S.. That said the Niagara border is the second busiest commercial crossing between the U.S. and Canada, carrying 19% of all trade between the two countries.
Developments in Niagara's transportation infrastructure are stimulating significant economic growth for the region.
Niagara has two main short line railways and two national railway systems running through the region. The short line systems are Norfolk Southern and Railink Southern Ontario, and the two national railways are Canadian National and Canadian Pacific. These railways feature several suitable train-loading facilities and a number of opportunities to purchase property that have existing rail spurs or potential rail spur extensions that can serve to transport products from coast to coast at a very affordable cost.
The Trillium Railway is a short line railway operator that operates Port Colborne Harbour, which connects rail infrastructure with interchangers to the major lines in the area. Through the interchanges, customers are connected to the vast North American railway network and marketplace.
Ports Niagara
Niagara is strategically located on the Welland Canal, which is part of the St.Lawrence Seaway System. The Welland Canal provides direct international shipping access to and from Niagara. Docking facilities are located at Port Colborne, Port Robinson, Thorold and Welland along the canal. There are also companies that provide docking and loading services at several of these canal locations.
The Welland Canal corridor has 20 wharves along its 43 km stretch from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie
The difference of 99.5 m (326.5 feet) between the levels of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie is overcome with eight locks
Approximately 32 vessels can go through a lock on a busy day in the Canal
Vessels 222.5 m (740 feet) long and 23.8 m (78 feet) wide and loaded to a draft of 8 m (26 feet 3 inches) can pass through a lock
Iron ore and wheat constitute the main commodities carried through the Canal
Other bulk commodities carried through the Canal include corn, barley, soybeans, coal, steel, fuel oil and other petroleum products.
Project cargoes (e.g. large gas turbine assemblies, boilers, and wind turbines) also utilize the Seaway in order to reach their intended destinations.
Tens of millions of tonnes cargo are shipped every year via the Welland Canal.
Less than one hour away, The Port of Hamilton handles the largest volume of cargo and shipping traffic of all the Canadian Great Lake ports, ranking it among the top ten ports in Canada. The port is equipped to handle cargoes that range from raw materials such as coal, iron, salt, sand, grains and soybeans to liquid fertilizer and jet fuel.
Niagara has three International commercial and cargo airports within a one and a half hour drive. The largest airports are Lester B. Pearson International Airport located in Toronto, and Buffalo-Niagara International Airport located in Buffalo, New York. Although Hamilton International Airport is significantly smaller, it also services international carriers. Both Buffalo-Niagara, Lester B. Person and Hamilton airports have the capabilities to ship products non-stop internationally.
On a local level, the Niagara District Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake provides local general aviation services and has three fixed-wing charter companies that can provide Just-In-Time deliveries.
The Niagara region is centrally located and is a day's drive from 55% of North America's population. Large cities such as Hamilton, Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston and New York City are all in a day's drive from Niagara.
The Niagara/U.S. border represents a major corridor for rapidly expanding Canada/US trade, with four international bridges to the United States.
The GTA-Niagara Trade Corridor initiative is part of the province's initiative to proactively and responsibly plan for future growth and economic prosperity in southern Ontario and the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) area. It will become part of a network of north-south transportation corridors that connect the heartland of Ontario with major US industrial markets.
In addition to the GTA-Niagara Corridor, the three main Niagara highways (QEW/420/406) are currently under extensive reconstruction projects to increase their capacity to absorb significantly more traffic. This five year $3.4 billion upgrade will ensure the reduction of traffic congestion, which will also ensure that $1.2 trillion worth of goods carried on Ontario highways each year will get to market on time.
The following map image link will display the transportation infrastructure that is currently present in the Niagara Region.
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