KCS to serve new Texas industrial park

Kansas City Southern officials joined state, federal and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony held this week for the first phase of a 540-acre rail-served industrial park in El Campo, Texas.

The SW International Gateway Park will feature 10 million square feet of warehouse, manufacturing and rail-served distribution facilities. The park will be located along KCS' rail network, according to a press release issued by NAI Partners, a real estate brokerage.

Stonemont Financial Group is providing funding and Ridgeland Property Group is the developer for the park. The first phase is estimated to be a $125 million project.

"The SW International Gateway Business Park represents a strategic opportunity for businesses that ship goods between the United States and Mexico," said Zack Markwell, Stonemont's chief executive officer and managing principal. "This development will allow the transportation of goods to occur more efficiently."

Key features of the park will include about 1.4 miles of frontage on U.S. Highway 59 and Interstate 69; staging for more than 200 rail cars; foreign trade zone and additional local and state economic incentives; six Texas ports within 250 miles; KCS certification; and development-ready, rail-served sites available for lease, build-to-suit and design-build projects.

KCS offers cross-border transportation into and out of Mexico with customs pre-clearance for faster, lower-cost service than trucks can offer, developers said in the press release. KCS de Mexico offers service to the Port of Lazaro Cardenas on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.