Report: Mexico fuel imports gain for U.S. rail
Railroads are seeing the benefits of surging energy shipments to Mexico from the United States, as fuel exports have increased by 40% in the past two years.
Railroads are seeing the benefits of surging energy shipments to Mexico from the United States, as fuel exports have increased by 40% in the past two years.
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 572,794 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5% compared with the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Freight traffic for U.S. railroads for the week ending November 25 was 463,602 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4% compared with the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Kansas City Southern (KCS) and Bulkmatic Transport Company (Bulkmatic)—the former once again reaffirming the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—intend to form a 50/50 joint venture to “facilitate and expand the exportation of liquid fuels from the U.S. to Mexico.” The project will include construction of a unit train liquid fuels terminal located in Salinas Victoria near Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and served by Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (KCSM).
Railroads serving Houston and the surrounding region have suspended service as heavy rain and flooding following Hurricane Harvey continues to rake the region.
More than 20 years after Kansas City Southern helped lay the foundation for seamless U.S.-Mexico rail freight movements when it won the concession to operate Mexico’s principal rail corridor, KCS helped dedicate a new, joint Unified Cargo Processing facility at the Laredo, Tex., railroad border crossing.
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 548,790 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending August 12, up 2.75% compared with the same week in 2016.
Kansas City Southern will invest $550 million to $560 million in 2017 capital, a 4% to 5% percent reduction from its $584 million 2016 capex program.
Kansas City Southern (KCS) on Jan. 22, 2016 reported fourth-quarter 2015 revenues of $598 million, a decrease of 7% from fourth-quarter 2014. Overall, carload volumes were 2% lower than in fourth-quarter 2014. Excluding the estimated impacts of Mexican peso depreciation and lower U.S. fuel prices, revenue was flat compared to the fourth quarter of 2014.
In its 2015 state of the railroad report, released to employees on Jan. 4, 2015, Kansas City Southern (KCS) said the company will see many of the same challenges in 2016 that it faced in 2015, creating a “cautious” outlook for the year ahead.