GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) announced today that its St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (SLR) and its Canadian sister Chemin de fer St. Laurent & Atlantique (SLQ) have been certified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as partners in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program.
The role of a C-TPAT partner is to continue to ensure that appropriate security measures, based upon risk analysis and consistent with C-TPAT security criteria, are maintained in a documented and verifiable format throughout international supply chains.
“We see certification as a necessity in being a cross-border carrier, and the C-TPAT objectives are consistent with our own,” said SLQ and SLR President Mario Brault. “To put it simply, it’s just smart business.”
“Over the last 18 months, a lot of pressure has been put on our U.S. and Canadian shippers to maintain a seamless, C-TPAT-certified supply chain,” said SLR General Manager Ray Goss. “Our hope is that this certification sends a clear message to our customers, and their customers alike, that we are committed to delivering a secure and seamless C-TPAT supply chain for their businesses.”
The two sister railroads handle primarily pulp, paper and chemicals, as well as a growing demand for international container service into the New England market, primarily from the Ports of Vancouver, BC, and Halifax, NS, in connection with the CN railroad.
The SLR and SLQ operate some 260 miles of contiguous track from St. Rosalie, Quebec, to Portland, Maine. SLR also operates a 35-acre intermodal terminal, Maine Intermodal Transportation, in Auburn, Maine, 140 miles north of Boston.
“We are excited about providing New England with double-stack container service from the deepwater ports of Vancouver and Halifax and the Port of Montreal, as well as the possibilities of delivering new service from Prince Rupert, BC, with CN later this year,” said SLR Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ed Foley. “We have plenty of capacity, consistent service and great proximity to the importers, and now a seamless, C-TPAT certified supply chain.”
— PRNewswire-FirstCall
