EAGLE PASS, Texas — Union Pacific last week began using international crews to handle interchange with Grupo Mexico’s Ferromex at the Eagle Pass gateway, the No. 2 U.S.-Mexico rail border crossing.
The move shifts the interchange from the International Railway Bridge over the Rio Grande to UP’s Clark Park Yard in Eagle Pass, 7 rail miles from the bridge. UP says this allows trains to keep moving over the single-track bridge — rather than sit for 30 minutes or more — which increases fluidity and security.
“This change enhances safety for crews, strengthens border security and creates a more fluid process at this key rail gateway,” Eric Gehringer, UP’s executive vice president of operations, said in a statement. “Interchanging trains inside a secure rail yard is a proven approach used at other border crossings, and it allows us to manage train movements more safely and efficiently.”
At the RailTrends conference in New York last week, GMTX CEO Fernando López Guerra said the change doubles capacity at the border crossing, which currently handles up to 20 trains per day.
The Mexican crews have been trained and qualified by Union Pacific, including certification under Federal Railroad Administration rules for the territory, UP says. Union Pacific crews continue to handle all U.S.-based operations, including taking control of inbound trains, switching cars, building outbound trains, and serving local customers.
Canadian crews routinely operate trains to the nearest U.S. yard at border crossings in Detroit and Port Huron, Mich., as well as Buffalo, N.Y., among other places. Canadian Pacific Kansas City also relies on international crews at the busiest U.S.-Mexico rail crossing at Laredo, Texas.
Last month the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen claimed that the use of international crews poses a threat to border security [see “BLET claims…” Trains.com, Oct. 9, 2025] .
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This report should include the wage rates of the Mexican crews. It seems like an exaggerated claim this doubles capacity. Ten trains a day sitting for 30 minutes for a crew change is 5 hours of idle time, if one believes the 30 minute crew change claim. What about the other 19 hours, after allowing for the 7 miles of single track?