Deltaport Intermodal Railyard Capacity Study

Deltaport is the largest container terminal in Canada. It is located in the Port of Vancouver and operated by Terminal Systems Inc (TSI). Approximately 60% of the vessel throughput at Deltaport moves via the on-terminal intermodal railyard (IY). The Port, TSI, and BC Rail (the rail operator for switching) felt that the IY, in its current configuration, was the limiting factor in overall terminal capacity and undertook a detailed simulation study to determine how to accommodate a growth of approximately 50% through the IY. The IY is served by rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs). The study first analyzed historical IY RMG productivity. Historical data was used to calibrate simulation models of terminal activity which include rail, vessel, and gate moves. Once a successful calibration was achieved, future cases corresponding to annual throughput of 2.4M annual vessel TEU were simulated with various combinations of numbers of tractors, yard cranes and rail switching. Output from these models of future peak shift operations was used to define a range of likely RMG productivity levels for future operations. This data, along with peaking factors and estimates of downtime for train switching, along with the minimum practical operating distance between RMGs were used to develop annual lift capacity for the IY. These capacity figures were compared to previously calculated values for berth and container yard operations to ensure that the facility was capable of handling 2.4M TEU overall. At the start of the study, it was assumed that the IY would need to be extended in length in order to accommodate the target throughput. The study indicated that - by adding working tracks in parallel, adding RMGs and identifying rail switching methods - TSI should be able to meet the target volume within the existing IY footprint.