Supporting a new rail line construction in Labrador West

Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine Railway

Located in eastern Quebec near the border with Labrador, the Bloom Lake Iron Ore mine is an open pit mine generating up to eight million metric tonnes of concentrate per year. In operation since 2010, the mine ships concentrate to port facilities via railway.

To support the new rail line development, we completed field investigations, including a test pit investigation along the main rail line. We also completed borehole investigations at bridge locations along the existing Wabush Mines haul road and carried out geological mapping and exploratory test pits for potential aggregate sources. We provided recommendations for railbed design, which addressed the use of geosynthetics, and completed slope stability analysis for embankment cut slopes and embankments over muskeg. We also provided geotechnical recommendations for pile foundations at the bridge locations. We completed an environmental assessment for river and stream crossings and developed a quality control program for the railway construction period.

We met a demanding project schedule with a team of Stantec professionals across our St. John’s, Goose Bay, Montreal, Fredericton, and Dartmouth offices.