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Union Pacific Railroad recently added a feature to its Web site designed to enable customers to access rail through-rates and instructions for MexDirect, a joint U.S., Canada and Mexico service with TFM S.A. de C.V., and participating roads Norfolk Southern Railway, CSX Transportation and Canadian Pacific Railway.


Launched last year, MexDirect targets iron, steel sheet, coil and other steel products; lumber; and various panel-product shipments. Soon, the railroads plan to add paper and various consumer-product shipments to the service.


"We have had better-than-expected results from our introduction of this competitive alternative to premium priced trucking both northbound out of Mexico and southbound into Mexico for steel products," said Drew Collier, UP vice president, Mexico, in a prepared statement.


MexDirect offers shippers a single contact point in each country; information on doing business between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and how to obtain credit, place car orders, create bills, trace cars and clear customs; a single bill in U.S. dollars; and multiple warehouse and transload options.