Hudson Bay Railway mineral exports are gaining a wider role as the Arctic Gateway Group expands concentrate shipments from northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Zinc concentrate unloading at the Port of Churchill
Crews unload zinc concentrate at the Port of Churchill’s dedicated critical mineral storage facility. Photo: Arctic Gateway Group

Hudson Bay Railway mineral exports and new concentrate flows

AGG operates both the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill⁠. The company said Eldorado Gold Saskatchewan will use the railway’s Flin Flon subdivision to move concentrate from northern Saskatchewan to eastern Canada.

In Manitoba, Hudbay Minerals Inc. is shipping zinc concentrate north from its Snow Lake operations to the Port of Churchill. At the port, the material is unloaded and prepared for export to European markets, according to AGG.

Port of Churchill and HBR modernization

Chris Avery, CEO of AGG, said:

“The Hudson Bay Railway is moving the materials that are helping build Canada’s future economy,”

“The fact that concentrate from a nation-building critical minerals project, who like the Port of Churchill has been identified as a nationally significant project, is about to move on our railway speaks to the improved strength of the railway and growing role the HBR can play in supporting Western Canadian mining, industrial development, and trade diversification.”

The additional industrial traffic comes as AGG works with federal and provincial partners on the next stage of modernization for both the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill. These partners include Canada’s Major Projects Office⁠, AGG officials said.

Freight train carrying critical minerals on the Hudson Bay Railway
Archive official photo of critical minerals being transported across northern Manitoba via the Hudson Bay Railway. Photo: Arctic Gateway Group

The wider use of the Hudson Bay Railway for concentrate shipments comes after Canada announced $175 million over five years in March 2025 for HBR operations and maintenance, as well as pre-development work at the Port of Churchill. The corridor is also tied to Port of Churchill Plus, which the Major Projects Office describes as a proposal to upgrade the port and expand trade corridors with an all-weather road, an upgraded rail line, a new energy corridor and marine ice-breaking capacity.

The railway has already undergone significant upgrade and rehabilitation work as AGG continues to modernize the network. Planned improvements include bringing HBR up to modern North American industrial weight standards, allowing it to fully interoperate with Canada’s Class I rail network.