Transport Minister Anita Anand Enacts Interoperability Mandates for Major Canadian Shipping Ports

VANCOUVER — Minister of Transport Anita Anand issued binding regulatory directives under the Canada Transportation Act on Monday, establishing mandatory intermodal container tracking protocols and expanded rail switching rules across the Port of Vancouver, Port of Prince Rupert, and Port of Montreal.

The ministerial order requires Class 1 freight railway operators—Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC)—alongside marine container terminal operators to integrate operations into the National Supply Chain Digital Office data exchange platform.

Eliminating Freight Bottlenecks at Pacific Shipping Gateways Supply chain disruptions and localized rail congestion at Canadian marine terminals have historically cost exporters billions in demurrage penalties and agricultural shipment delays.

"Canada's economy depends entirely on the fluid, reliable movement of goods through our Pacific and Atlantic trade gateways," Minister Anita Anand said at the Port of Vancouver. "These new data-sharing and operational interoperability mandates ensure that shippers, railways, and port authorities have total visibility over container movements, eliminating wasteful rail dwell times and ensuring Canadian grain, potash, and manufactured goods reach global markets on schedule."

Key Regulatory Directives The transport order mandates:

• Real-Time Container Telemetry: Mandatory 15-minute API data synchronizations detailing inbound railcar locations, terminal dwell times, and vessel berthing schedules.
• Extended Inter-Switching Limits: Permanently extending regulated inter-switching radiuses to 160 kilometers in Prairie and port corridors, allowing captive agricultural and mining shippers to access competing rail networks.
• Cold-Weather Fluidity Targets: Mandating railway submission of verified winter operating contingency plans to prevent seasonal locomotive capacity shortfalls.

Agricultural exporter associations and manufacturing federations praised the federal intervention, emphasizing that transparent logistics data protects Canadian farmers and mining firms from supply chain bottlenecks.