VIP Rail has opened a new rail yard in Sarnia, Ontario, adding 800 railcar storage spots and lifting its total storage capacity in Sarnia above 2,000 spots.

Aerial view of the VIP Rail Sarnia rail yard filled with rows of freight railcars
Rows of freight railcars at VIP Rail’s Sarnia rail yard. Photo: VIP Rail.

VIP Rail gave the 800-spot figure in a post on its company page. Construction of the yard is complete and it is already accepting customers, the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership said, although its summary lists the new yard at 750 spots and the Sarnia-area total at more than 2,150. Alpenglow Rail owns VIP Rail, which offers railcar storage, switching and transloading in the Sarnia market, as well as warehousing, trucking, bulk liquids terminalling and the cleaning and repair of railcars.

Extra railcar space for Sarnia-Lambton industry

The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership says the added capacity lets businesses run their railcar fleets more flexibly, hold equipment closer to their plants and adjust as production, transportation or inventory needs change. The yard also widens the rail infrastructure available to refiners, petrochemical producers and other industrial companies across Sarnia-Lambton.

Rich Montgomery, chief executive of Alpenglow Rail, said the project shows the company remains committed to its Sarnia customers and gives it room to serve current operations and to grow in the region.

Two VIP Rail terminals around Sarnia

VIP Rail runs two sites in the Sarnia area. The Sarnia terminal is a 50-acre heavy industrial property on Kenny Street served by CN. The 112-acre Corunna terminal, about five kilometres to the south, is served by CSX. Alpenglow says the two properties switch more than 45,000 carloads a year.

The announcement places the new yard in Sarnia but does not give its exact site, the railway that serves it, the cost of the work or when construction started.

VIP Rail and Alpenglow terminals outside Ontario

Alpenglow Rail acquired VIP Rail in July 2017. In October 2022 it bought the Alberta Midland Railway Terminal, which now operates under the VIP Rail brand. The 300-acre terminal in Lamont County, within Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, connects with CN and CPKC and lists more than 2,250 railcar storage spots. Alpenglow is backed by CC&L Infrastructure and also owns USA Rail Terminals on the US Gulf Coast, which added a terminal in Monroe, Louisiana, in January 2026.

Railcar storage at Alpenglow Rail terminals, as listed by the companies
Terminal Location Rail connections Listed railcar storage
VIP Rail Sarnia and Corunna Ontario CN (Sarnia), CSX (Corunna) More than 2,000 spots in Sarnia, including the new 800-spot yard
Alberta Midland Railway Terminal Lamont County, Alberta CN, CPKC More than 2,250 spots
USA Rail Baton Rouge Port Allen, Louisiana Union Pacific 600 spots, with room to grow beyond 2,000
USA Rail Port Arthur Port Arthur, Texas CPKC More than 1,000 spots
USA Rail Orange Orange, Texas Union Pacific, BNSF Up to 1,600 railcars
USA Rail Monroe Monroe, Louisiana CPKC Not stated

The new yard puts VIP Rail’s Sarnia capacity in the same range as the Alberta Midland terminal and above the figures listed for the Baton Rouge, Port Arthur and Orange terminals of USA Rail Terminals. The companies qualify their figures differently (more than, up to), so the column shows listed capacity rather than a like-for-like comparison. Sources: VIP Rail post for the Sarnia total, VIP Rail and Alpenglow Rail for terminal details.