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Canadian Pacific Railway in June began moving paper 3,500 miles from East Millinocket, Maine, to Mexico City — an undertaking that requires three border crossings, five railroads and 20 days to complete.


CPR is relying on its CPR-MEX service to move Great Northern Paper Inc.'s paper to commercial printer Quebecor World Inc. in Mexico City.


CPR-MEX involves partner railroads Union Pacific Railroad and TFM S.A. de C.V.; short lines Bangor & Aroostook Railroad (B&A) and Canadian American Railroad also partake in the move.


"As part of our alliance with the Union Pacific, CPR-MEX is working closely with the Mexican railroads TFM and Ferrocarril Mexicano to implement simplified interline business processes for competitive interline rate making, equipment tracing and trans-border movements," said Dave Craig, CPR general manager for market development, in a prepared statement.


For Great Northern's paper move, B&A carries loads to Brownville Junction, Maine, where it interchanges with Canadian American Railroad, which transports loads to CPR's St. Luc yard in Montreal.


CPR then moves the paper to Chicago, where it interchanges with UP, which hauls it to Laredo, Texas, for interchange with TFM.


TFM carries the paper to Mexico City switching carrier Terminal Ferroviaria del Valle de Mexico, which moves the paper the last few miles to Quebecor World's plant.


Paper suppliers usually prefer shipping by water to a Mexican port or by rail to the U.S.-Mexican border, where trucks complete delivery to the receiver, because they fear long delays in Mexican yards or damage caused by long rail transit. CPR is trying to prove that it can serve paper suppliers' — and other customers' — transit needs with CPR-MEX, CPR officials said.


Through CPR-MEX, the Class I currently is moving Dofasco Inc.'s steel coils from Hamilton, Ontario, to Monterrey, Mexico, and DaimlerChrysler's PT Cruisers and Volkswagen Beetles from Mexico to Canada.