Trans Mountain was established on March 21, 1951, when the Parliament of Canada granted the company a charter, setting in motion the construction of a pipeline that today still serves as the key transportation link between the Alberta oilsands and the west coast of North America.

Construction of the pipeline system was a monumental engineering feat by any standard. It crosses some of the most rugged, mountainous terrain in the world as well as environmentally sensitive wetlands, waterways and parkland. Despite these topographical challenges, engineering and construction were completed in just over 30 months. At the time, many likened it to the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. When the first shipment of oil reached the Trans Mountain Burnaby Terminal on October 17, 1953, it ushered in a new era of economic growth for the region.

A great deal has changed since the 1950s, including the role of the pipeline system itself. Originally designed to transport just crude oil, it was later modified to allow customers to batch refined products as well as crude oil. It is one of the few pipeline systems in the world capable of this type of operation.

Since operation began in 1953, the capacity of the pipeline system has been increased numerous times, with the initial expansion in 1957.

Completed in 2008, Trans Mountain’s award-winning Anchor Loop project involved installing a second pipeline next to the existing Trans Mountain pipeline — a 158-kilometre section of the existing Trans Mountain system between Hinton, Alberta and Hargreaves, BC, just west of Mount Robson Provincial Park.

This included twinning a portion of the pipeline system crossing Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park, both designated part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains Parks, a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

Completed in 2024, Trans Mountain completed the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, essentially twinning of the existing 1,180-kilometre pipeline between Strathcona County (near Edmonton), Alberta and Burnaby, BC. The pipeline system’s nominal capacity increased from approximately 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day. The Expansion Project also included three new berths at Westridge Marine Terminal, increasing access to tidewater and access to new markets.