Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail), in cooperation with the transport company Kansas City Southern (KCS) on an interline basis, has launched the first dedicated international intermodal train between the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico and the US Midwest.
The two parties cooperated as interline carriers to offer this new intermodal service to meet market demand and avoid delays amid the ongoing supply chain challenges affecting North America's West Coast.
Offloaded at Lázaro Cárdenas, the first train carrying containers arrived on 8 March at CP's Bensenville Yard in the Chicago area, with a total transit time of seven days from vessel arrival at Lazaro to train arrival in Chicago.
"This Mexico-to-Midwest train is a proof of concept and a sign of things to come if a combined Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) network is approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB)," said Keith Creel, CP president and CEO.
If the STB approves the combination, CPKC would make the investments necessary to offer regular Lázaro Cárdenas to Chicago service on a single-line basis and support the growth potential that would flow from new rail transportation options for inland shippers, according to Creel.
