CPKC debuts direct to Mexico intermodal service

Canadian Pacific Kansas City has introduced dedicated intermodal trains operating daily between the U.S. Midwest and Mexico.

The Mexico Midwest Express (MMX) Series intermodal service is the first single-line rail service option between the Midwest and Mexico.

CPKS claims the MMX Series provides the fastest transit times in the rail industry with seamless, expanded reach to more markets.

“The Mexico Midwest Express offers truly best-in-class service and represents the growth potential of providing truck-competitive service and reliable rail transportation options for shippers with the newly-combined CPKC,” said CPKC president and CEO Keith Creel.

“This is a game changer for this essential north-south trade corridor. Customers already are signing up for these new options as we compete hard to grow our business.”

Last month, CPKC announced new multi-year agreements with Schneider and with Knight-Swift Transportation for intermodal transportation services along the CPKC single-line north-south corridor. Schneider will transition its Mexico-U.S. traffic to CPKC starting in mid-May and will serve as an anchor domestic intermodal customer on CPKC’s north–south flagship intermodal service.

The MMX Series debuted May 11 with trains MMX-180 and MMX-181 which now link Chicago, Kansas City, Texas markets, Monterrey and San Luis Potosi. The trains offer third-day service to/from Laredo, fourth-day service to/from Monterrey, and 4.5-day service to/from San Luis Potosi.

MMX provides total transit time of 98 hours from Chicago to San Luis Potosi – a day faster than the nearest competitor.

A diverse group of shippers, moving a variety of products, will use this new service. Single-line haul efficiencies, combined with crossborder service, make CPKC intermodal transit times competitive with over the road trucks. Moving from truck to rail reduces emissions and makes highways safer.

Since March 2022, dedicated intermodal service between Lázaro Cardenas, Mexico and Chicago has been operating as a proof of concept on an interline basis.

The company is working to develop infrastructure to support expanded operations. A second span is being added to CPKC’s International Railroad Bridge over the Rio Grande River at the U.S.-Mexico border at Laredo, Texas. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.