BNSF, GMXT, J.B. Hunt launch intermodal service to and from Mexico

BNSF Railway Co., Grupo Mexico Transportes (GMXT) and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. yesterday announced the formation of a new intermodal service between Monterrey, Silao-Bajio and the Pantaco-Mexico City region — key markets in northern and central Mexico — through the border gateway at Eagle Pass, Texas.

Scheduled to begin Jan. 1, the new service will be a day faster than the existing service from Monterrey to Chicago. It offers customers a reliable and more sustainable transportation option to move goods seamlessly across the border to and from Mexico with coast-to-coast access in the United States, according to a BNSF press release.

"Our organizations are committed to growth in Mexico and this joint service offering is a direct reflection of that commitment,” said BNSF President and CEO Katie Farmer. "By utilizing the capacity and expertise of the largest intermodal railroad in the U.S., the largest railroad in Mexico and the largest domestic intermodal carrier, this product will seamlessly connect the North American intermodal network."

Trains carrying intermodal containers will interchange at Eagle Pass to and from GMXT, which will operate the trains between the border crossing and Monterrey, Silao-Bajio and Pantaco-Mexico City six days a week. An alternative option over the El Paso, Texas, border gateway, also will be available.

"This new service offering will provide resilient, cross-border solutions that give our customers optionality to support their growing supply-chain needs in Mexico," said J.B. CEO John Roberts. "The cost savings and sustainability benefits of intermodal service are proven, and we're proud to collaborate with our rail providers BNSF and GMXT to bring this robust service offering to reality."

Added GMXT CEO Fernando Lopez: "Eagle Pass is a strategic gateway, and we are committed to connecting Mexico and the U.S. through smart and secure borders while helping our countries facilitate the trade."