Transportation Infrastructure

•Highway Infrastructure •Air Access •Rail Service •Port Infrastructure •Ferry Service

Direct Access to Inter-Provincial and International Transportation Infrastructure

• Pictou County is just over an hour northeast from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, via inter-provincial divided highway system.
• Pictou County is served by its own regional airport located in Trenton, less than 5 km from the most populous of the towns, New Glasgow.
• Pictou County is the point of access to one of two major tourist routes to Prince Edward Island via Northumberland Ferries Ltd. Nova Scotia-PEI service. The ferry service docks at Caribou, Pictou County.

100km of Inter-provincial highway passing directly through the centre of the County

The Province of Nova Scotia is well served by an extensive series of arterial highways, designated the "100" series. The Trans Canada Highway 104, which runs through the middle of the County, is the second busiest 100 series highway in Nova Scotia and the primary east-west traffic corridor in the province.

The highway system connects Pictou County with all major points in the United States and Canada and is also the main route to the major tourism destination of Cape Breton Island. The highway services inter-provincial traffic, commercial trucks, tourist vehicles and commuter traffic.

• TCH 104 crosses into Nova Scotia from the New Brunswick border at Amherst then travels east linking the towns of Truro, New Glasgow, Antigonish and Port Hasting (Cape Breton).
• TCH 104 links Pictou County to Truro, Halifax, Moncton (and points West) on twinned highway and East to Antigonish and Cape Breton.

Traffic volumes on TCH 104 past the town of New Glasgow average more than 4 million vehicles per year.

Travel Distances and Time From New Glasgow, Pictou County

Please note: Road time was calculated assuming an average speed of 90 km/h.
Rail time was calculated assuming an average speed of 80km/h.

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Serviced by major international and local commercial airport infrastructure

Halifax Stanfield International Airport, YHZ

The largest international Airport in Atlantic Canada is less than ninety minutes by road. It is the region's principal full-service airport providing passengers and cargo clients with access to markets across the country, the United States and Europe, and the only airport in Atlantic Canada to offer U.S. pre-clearance.

• 7th among Canadian airports in terms of passenger traffic, 3.4 million per year, and among the most important cargo handling airports in the country.
• Served by Canada's major carriers, offering daily flights to New York, Boston, Montreal and Toronto among others.
• International routes are regularly served by Canadian airlines connecting Halifax to destinations around the world on a regular basis.
• One of five airports in Canada to provide simultaneous intersecting runway operation, providing increased traffic capacity, reduced delays, and potential fuel savings.
• An internationally recognized leader in customer service, having received first place awards in the global Airport Service Quality program for the past four years.

Trenton Airport, CYTN

Trenton Airport Limited is classified as a "Local Commercial" Airport. It is centrally located within Pictou County, adjacent to the primary urban core, on an 85.4-hectare property. It is 105km from Halifax International Airport. Courier services are available to transport small freight.

A small aircraft charter and training company operates from the facility and corporate aircraft traffic makes regular use of the convenient, accessible and secure location.

Features

• Runway: 5,388ft. and 145ft. wide
• Unicom Communications System with radio-activated runway
• Lights for night use and a registered Class C non-directional beacon for navigational use
• Flight planning and weather information services provided by the Halifax flight services station.
• PAPI system
• Accommodation is available for over twenty light aircraft
• An aircraft fueling system is available for both Jet and Aviation Fuel.
• The terminal building is 30,000 sq. feet and the airport has a 10,000 sq. ft. heated hangar.

For further information, please call Trenton Airport (902) 752-9348.

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Rail Infrastructure

Freight service is provided by the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. This service operates seven days per week from Truro, Nova Scotia to Sydney, Nova Scotia and connects with the Canadian National Railway at Truro to provide access coast to coast.

Its principal cargos include coal, steel, paper and new freight cars, but can accompany common carriers anywhere in North America.

View a map of the CBCNS rail system.

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Ports and Superports

The Port of Pictou is located on the northern shore of Nova Scotia and the South Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is one of the last active commercial ports linking Nova Scotia to the world via the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This port is open to shipping year round. Pictou County is also the docking location for Northumberland Ferries daily vehicle and passenger service to PEI.

Within two hours commute to one of the most efficient ports and cargo handling facilities on North America's eastern seaboard

Pictou County is immediately linked to Nova Scotia's major port infrastructure at the Port of Halifax and, coming online in 2011, the new superport at Melford, Nova Scotia.

• Port of Halifax is one of the world's deepest (21.3 m or 70' at the low water) and can be entered from the Atlantic at any level of tide.
• Sheltered, spacious and ice-free year round
• Only 86km (54 mi) from the Great Circle route connecting North America and Europe
• Seamless intermodal connections providing direct access to major North American markets
• 30 shipping lines offering connections to more international ports than any other port in Canada

Melford Superport opening capacity in the Atlantic Gateway

When complete, Melford will be the closest North American deep-water mainland port to Europe, Asia and the Indian Sub-continent (via the Suez Canal). Transatlantic and Suez routings will reduce voyage transit times and fuel consumption by using the Melford gateway to Canada and the United States. The port will be 6-7hrs closer to Europe than Halifax.

Download a detailed guide to our port infrastructure

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Ferry Connections

PEI – Northumberland Ferries operates daily vehicle and passenger service from Caribou, Nova Scotia to Wood Islands, P.E.I. May 1-Dec 20; a 75-minute, 22km route carrying 325 passengers per crossing, departing every 90 minutes.

Newfoundland – MarineAtlantic operates daily, year-round ferry service with two routes from Sydney NS to Port aux Basques or Agentia NL. Reservations required for passenger travel, commercial carriers cross in order of arrival.

Read more on Bus, Rail & Ferry Transit in Pictou County

Links

Halifax Stanfield Airport

PEI Ferry

Pictou Marine Terminals

Port of Halifax

Melford Terminal (Superport)

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