Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM) celebrates this Friday 25 years of operation in the country and does so by reiterating an investment of more than 120 million dollars for the development and completion of different railway infrastructure projects.
“KCSM’s objective in the short and medium term is to continue strengthening its rail network to offer better opportunities for international and cross-border trade, with an extension of connectivity to ports and interior terminals, more so now with the integration into the network of the Canadian Pacific”, said the president of the firm in Mexico, Óscar del Cueto.
For five decades, the company has focused on strengthening the freight rail network that it has under concession (4,215 km of rail tracks that cross 15 states in the country), which has had a positive impact on the economic development of Mexico , in addition to helping to increase cross-border trade, which is why it serves as a pillar for hundreds of companies in the country.
“In 1997, at the beginning of the concession, between 12 and 14 daily trains used to cross the Laredo KCSM international bridge. Today, between 30 and 32 trains cross the international border daily. The average length of trains has increased significantly, in 1997 it averaged between 55 and 60 cars per train. Now they move long trains with up to 120 cars. This has made it possible to offer new services, for example, for the automotive sector and for the transportation of hydrocarbons”, it was detailed in a statement.
In addition, the gauge of the rail on the network it operates has also increased, in 1997 it was 90 pound flattened and today most of the system is 136 pound welded rail, allowing larger trains to be moved at higher speeds, which improves the fluidity of the system and allows a better service to be provided.
As part of the evolution of the KCS business, at the end of last year the signing of the agreement for the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, the parent company, was announced.
Said commercial agreement is one of the largest in the sector and “represents a great opportunity for Mexico and cross-border trade with its main trading partners. The company that is born from the merger will form the first rail network that connects the United States, Mexico and Canada, in a direct line, benefiting from the T-MEC”.