CANCÚN, Q. ROO – Strengthening trade between Mexico, the United States, and Canada will require a rail system capable of offering much more than just installed capacity. The resilience of supply chains in North America will increasingly depend on the integration of infrastructure, technology, digitalization, and coordination among operators, authorities, and users, agreed representatives of major rail companies during the panel “Resilient and Sustainable Rail Transport: Integrating Infrastructure, Technology, and Sustainability in the USMCA,” held at the 2026 National Freight Transportation Forum of the National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP) .
The discussion made it clear that the growth of nearshoring (relocation of production lines) and the consolidation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are increasing pressure on regional logistics infrastructure, forcing the rail sector to evolve toward more agile, connected, and sustainable operating models. According to the panelists, North American competitiveness will no longer depend solely on having more tracks or locomotives, but rather on building logistics chains capable of responding quickly to an environment of greater demand, uncertainty, and environmental requirements.
Linda Hernández, Business and Industrial Development Manager at Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) , stated that rail integration between Canada, the United States, and Mexico represents an opportunity to simplify cross-border operations and offer more competitive alternatives for users. “Railways are about connection, trust, but above all, they are a promise of continuity,” she affirmed, explaining that the merger between Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific (which ultimately resulted in CPKC) made it possible to build the first rail network directly connecting the three North American countries.
The executive emphasized that true growth in rail capacity depends not only on expanding physical infrastructure. “True capacity lies in coordination. It lies in designing reliable services, investing in infrastructure, digitizing processes, and building alliances with authorities, customers, ports, terminals, and carriers,” she noted. Following this logic, she explained that a logistics chain “is not as strong as its largest link, but as its weakest.”
As an example of this strategy, Hernández presented the Mexico Midwest Express (MMX) and Southeast Mexico Express (SMX) services , developed after the integration of CPKC to directly connect Mexican industrial centers with the Midwest and Southeast United States in journeys of less than four days. He also highlighted the addition of refrigerated containers, the installation of new Senasica inspection points outside the border, and the opening of the second international rail bridge in Laredo, infrastructure that doubled the rail exchange capacity between the two countries. “When we connect the rail network, the region undoubtedly moves forward,” he summarized.
From the perspective of Grupo México Transportes (GMXT) , resilience also involves incorporating artificial intelligence into the core of rail operations. Daniel Doria, Commercial Director, explained that the company is developing “La Maquinista ,” an artificial intelligence system designed to optimize train formation, allocate capacity, and improve the network’s operational performance. The project, he said, does not seek to replace human expertise, but rather to enhance it through algorithms capable of learning, anticipating, and making operational decisions in real time.
The initial results, he asserted, already show significant reductions in dwell times, a higher average network speed, and more efficient use of the rail fleet. For Doria, artificial intelligence will be a productivity enabler, while modal integration will remain essential. “Road transport and rail definitely coexist, and coexist very well. It all depends on the customer’s needs,” he stated, emphasizing that both modes of transport must complement each other to offer tailored logistics solutions.
The executive added that GMXT, part of Grupo México , continues to strengthen its coverage through annual investments of between $450 and $500 million in infrastructure, yards, terminals, locomotives, and technology, as well as promoting alternatives such as CG Rail , the rail-sea service connecting Coatzacoalcos (Veracruz) with Mobile (Alabama), as a new option for trade between Mexico and the United States. “When infrastructure, technology, and logistics work as a single network, growth ceases to be a possibility and becomes a competitive advantage,” he concluded.
Francisco Fabila, CEO of Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de México (Ferrovalle) , stated that the transformation of the railway system will depend on the automation of critical operational processes . He explained that the company operates the most important intermodal rail hub in North America, located in the nation’s capital, and that the challenge lies in managing more than one hundred trains daily in a highly congested area using digital tools and artificial intelligence.
To achieve this, Ferrovalle incorporated rail arches with optical recognition , automated mechanical inspection systems, railcar classification algorithms, and control centers that allow for real-time monitoring of the entire operation. With these tools, processes that previously took several hours can now be carried out virtually instantly, while customers can track every movement of their trains, containers, and tractor-trailers from digital platforms. “Every movement, every train, every load, every container, and every truck is digitally visible in real time to the customer and in an automated way,” Fabila emphasized.
In parallel, he explained that digitalization has also improved the efficiency of the Pantaco intermodal terminal (also known by that name), where truck access times have been reduced from several minutes to just seconds thanks to OCR systems and artificial intelligence, strengthening connectivity between rail and trucking. He also emphasized that technology has become an essential component for reinforcing security and maintaining operational continuity at the main rail hub in the Valley of Mexico.
For her part, Daniela Zarza, Business Director – Premium at Union Pacific , focused her remarks on the need to continue strengthening North American rail integration through investments, strategic mergers, and talent development. She explained that the company is undergoing a regulatory process to finalize its integration with Norfolk Southern , which would allow for the construction of a transcontinental rail network—from coast to coast in the United States—and eliminate interchange points that currently limit the smoothness of operations. In her view, greater competition among operators will ultimately benefit customers directly through improved services and shorter transit times.
The executive also highlighted that Union Pacific, which operates cross-border services through six border crossings between Mexico and the United States , makes ongoing investments in infrastructure maintenance, technology, and cybersecurity, while also promoting diversity and inclusion strategies to increase female participation in the railroad’s operational areas by 2030. Simultaneously, the company is advancing the development of locomotives with hybrid technologies and initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of rail transport. “Rail is the safest mode of transportation in Mexico and the United States,” she stated, noting that a Union Pacific train can travel a distance equivalent to 49 times around the world before derailing.
Although each company presented different strategies, the message converged on a single point: the future of rail transport in North America will depend on its ability to integrate infrastructure, artificial intelligence, automation, sustainability, and collaboration among all actors in the logistics chain. In an environment where regional trade continues to accelerate, rail operators agreed that resilience is no longer just about recovering from disruptions, but about anticipating them and turning them into a competitive advantage under the USMCA.
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