ACE Rail Terminal is planned as a Fort Saskatchewan facility for propane and butane exports. It will load those products into rail tank cars. Exports will move through AltaGas terminals on the West Coast. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

CN $80M Atlantic Canada investment upgrades bridges and Autoport, lifting speeds for shippers in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Photo – CN

In a CN announcement, Canadian National, Keyera Corp. and AltaGas Ltd. outlined their plans. The companies said they plan to advance the Alberta Corridor Export Rail Terminal Project.

The project centers on Keyera’s ACE Rail Terminal in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. CN will connect the site with AltaGas’ West Coast export terminals. That includes terminals at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, in particular.

In addition, Keyera will own and build the ACE facility on land it controls in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. The terminal will be supported by long-term commercial arrangements with AltaGas and CN.

ACE Rail Terminal and Alberta export capacity

The ACE Rail Terminal is valued at $240 million. It will be designed with unit train loading capability. Also, it is designed to connect the Fort Saskatchewan region with West Coast export markets. That connection will use CN’s rail network and AltaGas’ export terminals.

The facility is expected to start up in mid-2028. Once in service, it is projected to provide capacity for about 45,000 barrels per day. That capacity is for propane and butane. The products would move from the Fort Saskatchewan region to West Coast export facilities.

The terminal will use a loop design capable of handling unit trains. The layout is intended to improve loading efficiency, reduce handling requirements and lower transportation costs. Meanwhile, construction work is underway, including land clearing. The expected in-service date is aligned with completion of Keyera’s KFS Fractionation III project.

“This project reflects our continued focus on strengthening and extending Keyera’s integrated value chain while providing customers with an efficient solution to diversify market access and benefit from growing global LPG demand,” Keyera CEO Dean Setoguchi said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with two other industry-leading Canadian companies on infrastructure that will create jobs and support the continued growth and competitiveness of the Canadian energy industry.”

CN, Keyera and AltaGas outline project roles

Separately, AltaGas CEO Vern Yu said the agreement supports the company’s open-access energy export platform.

“This agreement represents a meaningful step forward as we continue to strengthen AltaGas’ open-access energy export platform,” said AltaGas CEO Vern Yu. “Leveraging unit train capability enhances operating efficiency and reduces costs, creating greater value for our customers while strengthening the global competitiveness of Canadian energy. We value our relationships with Keyera and CN and are pleased to further these partnerships in support of our long-term growth objectives.”

CN CEO Tracy Robinson said the terminal aligns with the railway’s role in linking customer shipments with global markets.

“CN’s network is built to connect our customers’ products to global markets,” CN CEO Tracy Robinson said. “The ACE Rail Terminal is strategic, trade-enabling infrastructure that will add efficient and scalable capacity between the Alberta Industrial Heartland and West Coast gateways, particularly the Port of Prince Rupert as key energy export projects approach completion. It supports the competitiveness of Canadian energy products, gives customers more reliable access to global markets, and reflects the kind of supply chain investment Canada needs to compete over the long term.”

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed:

Don’t miss…2026 National Freight Strategic Plan guides USDOT policy