The loop track trend is expanding beyond grain terminals. Federated Co-operatives Limited’s newly opened fertilizer terminal near Grassy Lake (85 kilometres east of Lethbridge) has a loop track that can accommodate up to 110 rail cars.
In a release, FCL calls the loop track “an essential feature” because it allows it to “receive product from domestic and international suppliers, which is particularly important as domestic production of phosphate ended last year.”
The $42.8-million facility, which began receiving product in June, has a storage capacity of 34,400 tonnes. The co-op says it can load a super B trailer in six minutes and dispense up to 400 tonnes of straight fertilizer in an hour.
