Part of flooded KCSM main line remains closed

Kansas City Southern issued a service advisory Sunday reporting that while Kansas City Southern de Mexico resumed most operations over the weekend, its main line between Laredo and Monterrey remained closed due to “high waters and floating debris” left by Hurricane Alex, which made landfall June 30.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely and are ready with equipment, materials, and crews to complete the track work as soon as water levels subside,” said the advisory. “At this point, we estimate this section of main line could be out of service for another few days.  A more precise estimate is completely dependent on the pace at which the water recedes, which is a factor that’s completely outside of our control.”

The railroad said it would continue to work on reroute and detour options with connecting railroads, adding: “The force majeure and the embargos at Laredo, Matamoros, and Monterrey will remain in place. We estimate that it will take approximately two weeks to clear all of the trains that are parked due to the service disruption.”