The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has an automotive transfer facility (known as the Automotive Compound, or the CPRAC) in the north east portion of Toronto. The facility handles the transfer of automobiles, minivans, SUV, and pick-up trucks between railcars and highway transports. The railcars are either the bi-level or the tri-level automotive carriers, and the highway transports are the bi-level automotive trailers.
This facility is at the North-West corner of the junction of Finch Avenue and Markham Road. It has an area of about 40 acres, is just north of the main switching yard (the Agincourt Yard, S-W of Markham Road and Finch Ave.) of the CPR. The mainline of the CPR runs adjacent to the main yard and provides direct access to major markets in North America.
Throughout the 1970-80 Toronto had tremendous growth. When the Agincourt Yards was opened in 1964, the lands surrounding the yard were mostly farmlands and industrial areas. The Agincourt Yard is a major rail switching yard where railcars are sorted and trains are built according to the types of goods and destinations. By early 1990, the surrounding areas have become built-up residential areas. The price of land in Agincourt has appreciated tremendously, and there were frequent complaints about noise, traffic tie ups, and pollutions from the Agincourt Yard and the CPRAC because of its close proximity to residential areas.