West Red Lake Gold Mines has announced the completion of the phase one of its refurbishment of the Madsen Mine shaft in Ontario’s Red Lake mining district, Canada.
This initial phase has demonstrated the shaft’s ability to safely hoist gold ore and waste material, with a current capacity of around 200 tonnes per day (tpd).
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The Madsen Mine shaft, which historically served as the main system for transporting materials for about 50 years, is undergoing a refurbishment effort aimed at ultimately returning it to its original material haulage design of approximately 2,000tpd.
The phased programme involves incremental infrastructure upgrades intended to support increasing material hoisting rates as mining activities move to deeper levels.
According to the company, phase one and the upcoming phase two will allow material to be hoisted from the active mining zones in the mine’s Austin and South Austin complexes, reaching to Level 10 at a depth of roughly 500m.
All major equipment required for phase two is now on site, and installation along with further upgrades is in progress.
Phase three, once complete, is expected to allow haulage from deeper parts of the mine, potentially from Level 17.
The refurbishment programme is part of West Red Lake Gold Mines’ strategy to increase material handling capacity, enhance mining efficiency, and lower operating costs.
The Madsen Mine shaft previously offered haulage access down to Level 26, its deepest point, over its five-decade operational history.
West Red Lake Gold Mines president and CEO Shane Williams said: “The phased refurbishment of the Madsen Shaft represents an important investment in the long-term growth of the Mine. As mining advances to deeper levels, the Shaft will complement underground truck haulage by providing an additional means of moving ore and waste to surface at much lower costs while reducing haulage distances and improving operational flexibility.
“While underground trucks will continue to play an important role throughout the Mine, the Shaft is expected to improve operating efficiency and contribute to lower operating costs and all-in sustaining costs over time.”
In February 2026, the company disclosed new results from its infill and conversion drilling campaign at the Rowan Project within the Red Lake Mining District.
