BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) announced on Nov. 16 a new joint service to offer intermodal transportation connecting the Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth markets and other major markets on the BNSF network with consumer and industrial regions on the Kansas City Southern de México network.
The new service offerings, which start Dec. 1, will provide intermodal transportation five days a week.
Northbound, the service will operate from Toluca, San Luis Potosí or Monterrey, Mexico, to Dallas/Fort Worth or Chicago. Southbound, the service will originate from Chicago or Dallas/Fort Worth to Laredo, Texas or to Monterrey, San Luis Potosí or Toluca, Mexico. Customers using this service can also connect to the West Coast to and from Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Stockton, Calif., and Seattle and Portland, Ore., in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, customers will have the ability to connect to other regions along BNSF’s 32,500-mile network from Dallas/Fort Worth or Chicago as well as other railroads to reach northeastern and Canadian markets.
“We are excited to be partnering with KCS to offer our customers a new, efficient and reliable way to access some of Mexico’s largest metropolitan markets,” said Katie Farmer, group vice president, BNSF Consumer Products. “At BNSF, we are focused on providing our customers with options that can strengthen their value proposition in the marketplace. These new services leverage our strong intermodal product and KCS’ expertise south of the border to enhance customers’ supply chain efficiency into and out of Mexico.”
This new service offers customers moving consumer goods, including appliances, foods and beverages and other cross-border shipments, a secure and direct connection to some of the most important consumer and manufacturing regions in Mexico. Trains moving in both directions carrying 53-foot intermodal containers will interchange at Robstown, Texas.
“The Kansas City Southern Railway Company in the U.S. and Kansas City Southern de México are proud to partner with BNSF to expand the portfolio of services we offer in our cross-border product, enabling our shippers to compete more effectively in the market and provide enhanced supply chain logistics to the customer,” said Erik Hansen, KCS vice president intermodal.