EAGLE PASS, Texas — Mexican railroad Ferromex will resume issuing permits for unit grain trains entering Mexico through the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, gateways “as a result of the improved ag unit train crossing cadence and pipeline” beginning today (Monday, Oct. 21), Union Pacific has informed customers. On Oct. 12, UP announced that […]
Railroad: Ferromex
UP, Ferromex limit grain traffic into Mexico following derailment
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Union Pacific and Mexican partner Ferromex have suspended permits for grain shuttles as a result of a derailment in Mexico, UP said in a notice to customers issued Saturday, Oct. 12. The suspension of permits for two active Ferromex embargos reflects “the high volume of ag unit trains in the pipeline […]
Mexico rail group “surprised” at capacity concerns raised by U.S. grain shippers
MEXICO CITY — Pushing back against criticism from American agricultural exporters, the Mexican Railway Association insists that the country’s railroads have the capacity to handle growing cross-border trade with the United States. A coalition of American agricultural shippers told to federal regulators last month that capacity problems — not surges of migrants seeking refuge in […]
BNSF to federal regulators: We’re ready for the grain harvest
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has told federal regulators that it’s prepared for the upcoming fall grain harvest, but defended its performance last year amid weather-related disruptions to the broader supply chain. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert E. Primus requested the update from BNSF, which he said had struggled to handle the fall harvest in recent […]
U.S. grain shippers say Ferromex lacks capacity to handle traffic growth in Mexico
WASHINGTON — A number of U.S. agricultural shippers are raising concerns about inadequate capacity on Mexican railroad Ferromex, which they say has struggled to handle grain trains since late last year as cross-border rail traffic has grown. A coalition of agricultural groups yesterday asked Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert Primus, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and […]
Railroads seek to head off Mexican bridge closures as cross-border traffic grows
OMAHA, Neb. — Railroad executives will meet with U.S. and Mexican customs officials next month to discuss how they can work together to keep vital rail border crossings open amid the surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande. The railroad bridges linking Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, with Mexico were shut down for four […]
Florida East Coast Railway unveils multiple paint schemes
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The new year brings two new looks for the Florida East Coast Railway. A paint scheme unveiling for employees and invited guests took place at the Class II’s locomotive facility on Jan. 18, 2024. GE ES44C4 Nos. 816 and 820 debuted in what is to be the new official look […]
Customs officials reopen Eagle Pass and El Paso rail gateways
WASHINGTON — The Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, railroad border crossings will reopen at 1 p.m. Central today, ending a shutdown that had stranded freight on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border since 8 a.m. on Monday. Railroads cheered the announcement that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials made today. “The Biden Administration made […]
BNSF to issue permits to prevent congestion once Eagle Pass, El Paso gateways reopen
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway will use a permit system to prevent congestion once the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, rail border crossings are reopened. The bridges over the Rio Grande have been shut down since Monday as customs officials divert personnel to process a surge of migrants who have entered the country […]
Despite phone call between presidents, two key U.S.-Mexico rail gateways remain closed
WASHINGTON — The Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, railroad gateways to Mexico remained closed for a fourth straight day today — and there was no indication when freight might begin moving again despite a phone call today between President Joseph Biden and his Mexican counterpart. Biden spoke with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador […]
AAR: There’s no end in sight to closure of two Texas rail gateways to Mexico (updated)
WASHINGTON — As the shutdown of the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, rail gateways enters its third day, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has given no indication of when it will allow freight traffic to resume. Customs officials closed the gateways — the second and third busiest rail border crossings — at […]
With two key Mexico rail gateways shut down, cross-border freight begins stacking up (updated)
WASHINGTON — The temporary shutdown of the U.S.-Mexico railroad border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, has thrown a kink into supply chains that demand reliability. Eagle Pass and El Paso are the No. 2 and No. 3 rail gateways by volume, respectively. Union Pacific says the closure has prompted it to place […]