The Land Transportation Board (STB) reported that it has resumed the procedural timeline for considering the merger application submitted by Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) .

“It is important to note that this decision does not constitute a ruling on the merits of the merger application or on the issues raised by commentators or in motions submitted since the applicants filed on July 27. The Board will address these matters in subsequent decisions,” STB stated.

The agency recalled that on May 28 it accepted the applicants’ revised major merger request for consideration, but suspended the procedure requiring the submission of additional information.

“This step ensured that STB had the necessary information to thoroughly evaluate the proposed transaction and allowed the public an adequate opportunity to comment on whether the transaction is in the public interest. The applicants submitted supplemental information to the Board on July 7 and 27, 2026. In today’s decision, STB considers the record now sufficient to resume the procedural schedule,” the statement said.

The decision, he mentioned, favors the timeline that is designed to provide stakeholders with sufficient time to consider the potential impacts of the proposal .

Therefore, he explained that those who wish to participate in the procedure as registered parties (i.e., those who want to be notified with copies of all documents submitted in this procedure) must duly submit a notice of intent to participate to the Board before September 4, 2026 .

He indicated that comments on the revised application, including objections, requests for conditions, and any other evidence or arguments against it, must be submitted by November 18. Responses to the comments must be delivered by February 16, 2027.

In addition to establishing a procedural timetable, the decision also orders applicants to resubmit, within 10 days, any working papers to which selection criteria have been applied .

The STB also denied the railroads’ request for expedited proceedings regarding their proposals to divest themselves of control of the St. Louis Terminal Railroad Association. The applicants’ working papers must be submitted by August 28.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo STB reactivates timeline for merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern apareció primero en T21.

MONTERREY, NL.– The sun’s rays were just beginning to bathe the emblematic Fundidora Park when the employees of Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) of Mexico gathered to participate in a race that combined sport, camaraderie and team spirit , reflecting the company’s commitment to the health and well-being of its workers.

More than a decade and a half of sporting tradition was reflected in the sixteenth edition of the CPKC Mexico race , where employees and their families participated in a day of physical activity and camaraderie.

As part of the event, medals and awards were presented , in addition to prizes for the top three places in the different categories, including the children’s participants.

Fundidora Park offered runners a route surrounded by large green areas , wooded paths and some of the most representative spaces of the old industrial zone that today constitutes one of the main urban lungs of Monterrey.

The symbiosis of Fundidora Park with the railway has its roots in the very development that this industrial space reached, where there was a wide internal network to move coal, iron ore and molten steel between the workshops and furnaces.

Now, in those spaces, the race participants were able to enjoy attractive views of the park, which were combined with a festive atmosphere driven by music and batucada along the route.

The competition featured runners of varying ages and experience levels , from those seeking to improve their personal bests to those participating in a sporting event for the first time. Children also had their own dedicated space, participating in categories designed to promote physical activity and healthy social interaction from an early age.

At the end, the awards ceremony was held, in which the top three places in each category were recognized for their performance. The winners received trophies and certificates, while all participants received commemorative medals as a memento of the event.

With these types of initiatives, CPKC de México reaffirmed its commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles , strengthening the bonds between its employees and creating spaces for coexistence that transcend the workplace, consolidating a tradition that year after year brings together the railway family around sports and recreation.

Seniority, recognition of career

As part of the festivities, CPKC of Mexico took the opportunity to recognize the career of its employees at its Seniority 2026 event, during which awards were given to staff who completed five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service .

From the perspective of Oscar Del Cueto, president of CPKC Mexico, the anniversary celebrations reflect learning, challenges overcome, shared achievements, and relationships that strengthen the company culture . Furthermore, the examples set by the honorees inspire the new generations joining this railway family.

“This year, we also recognized Ana Laura Salazar, who has reached 30 years of service with our organization. This achievement reflects her dedication, perseverance, professionalism, and a deep passion for contributing to collective success. She embodies the value of building a career that leaves a legacy that transcends results and positively impacts those around her,” Oscar Del Cueto emphasized.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo On rails, 16th CPKC Race of Mexico apareció primero en T21.

The Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transport (ATTRAPI) launched the call for bids for the construction and design of 82 kilometers (km) of section II of the Querétaro-Saltillo train , Querétaro-San Luis Potosí section, San Miguel de Allende-Villa de Reyes subsection, chainage from km 68+000 to km 150+000.

According to the document, representatives from Holcim Mexico Operations , Calzada Construcciones, ICA Constructora , VISE , and GP Construcción were present during the first working visit .

In addition to China Communications Construction Company Mexico , Regiomontana de Construcción y Servicios, and Proveedora de Materiales del Norte.

The tender includes the construction of viaducts, tunnels, bridges, railway underpasses, railway overpasses and pedestrian bridges in Guanajuato , with the purpose of connecting the cities of Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende.

The agency specified that the first and second clarification meetings will be on October 13 and 31, respectively, while the submission of bids will be on October 2, and the decision will be announced on the same day.

According to ATTRAPI, the work will begin on November 2, 2026, with a completion time of 1,003 calendar days .

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Evangelina del Toro  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo ATTRAPI launches tender for section II of the Querétaro-Saltillo train apareció primero en T21.

The meat trade between Mexico and the United States demands a logistics system capable of maintaining timeliness, food safety, and the cold chain. Although trucking dominates border crossings, rail is beginning to gain ground as an alternative for building intermodal, two-way routes .

In 2025, Mexico imported more than 1.24 million tons of pork and 209,000 tons of beef from the United States , with a combined value exceeding $4.1 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) . Mexico also exported meat to 27 countries and shipped 304,000 tons to the U.S. market, representing 65.6% of its total exports, according to the 2025 Statistical Compendium of the Mexican Meat Council (Comecarne) .

This influx opened up opportunities for refrigerated rail services. In August 2025, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) of Mexico announced the addition of SuKarne to its refrigerated container solution, operated with Americold to the United States.

“We have Senasica personnel in an office alongside USDA staff to handle meat imports and expedite inspections from Kansas City. What we’re trying to do is streamline the process. Senasica welcomed this as a way to alleviate congestion and provide support at the border. In Salinas Victoria, we have an inspection point, and obviously in Laredo, where many shipments converge. Finally, at the Toluca ramp, we just received permission to receive grains, cotton, and dog food,” explained Linda Hernández, Business and Industrial Development Manager for the company, at the 2026 National Freight Transportation Forum of the National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP) .

CPKC has 1,000 temperature-controlled containers and four inspection points at the point of origin authorized by the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) . This aims to prevent disruptions and delays.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Evangelina del Toro  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo On steel rails: the new meat route apareció primero en T21.

Following the derailment of one of its trains in Sonora on July 25, Ferromex reported that the incident was caused by a landslide, which resulted in no injuries. The company also stated that the cleanup of the spilled chemical and the restoration of rail service have been completed .

The company stated that through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) it has been specified that the incident did not represent an immediate risk to the population , although various studies are being carried out to learn about some of the probable impacts.

“The spilled materials have been collected, aerial monitoring showed no evidence of a widespread spill in the area, and laboratory studies and soil sampling are currently being carried out in the area they have delimited so that they can later offer their final conclusions. Ferromex is implementing the immediate actions and measures indicated by Semarnat and Profepa,” he explained.

Ferromex stated that train service was restored last Wednesday, July 29 , and that the removal of the units from the incident area is nearing completion.

It should be remembered that the incident occurred in the vicinity of the Cuauhtémoc ejido, 20 kilometers from the municipality of Naco, Sonora, in an unpopulated area.

Similarly, Ferromex stated that the incident was caused by a landslide at the ends of a culvert as a result of excessive water accumulation from heavy rains in the region, which weakened the structure of the track, without there being any injured or affected persons nor official record of health consequences related to this event, “as has been falsely mentioned.”

“From the very first moment, the company’s security and civil protection protocols were activated, and the corresponding authorities at different levels of government were notified,” he emphasized.

The event caused a runoff of sodium hydrosulfide and a spill of copper concentrate, so company personnel immediately went to the area and, with the support of municipal, state and federal authorities, carried out work to contain the leak and collect the spilled materials.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo Ferromex clarifies that the derailment in Sonora was due to a landslide. apareció primero en T21.

In the early morning of July 26, in the vicinity of Rancho Potrero El Cobre, in the ejido Cuauhtémoc, municipality of Naco, Sonora, a derailment of several units of a Ferromex train was recorded, causing the spill of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS).

Therefore, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) announced that it is addressing the environmental emergency resulting from the spill of approximately 59,000 liters of said chemical .

“The Attorney General’s Office is conducting inspections and assessments to determine the environmental impact. Following the accident report, personnel from the State Civil Protection Coordination went to the site, where emergency responders and representatives from the companies involved were already present. During the initial inspection, it was confirmed that no one was injured as a result of the derailment,” he said.

He specified that as part of the contingency response, Conagua carried out monitoring and sampling of water and soil to identify possible environmental impacts , while authorities from all three levels of government maintain coordination of response and investigation actions.

However, Profepa personnel are on site to strengthen the technical work of inspection , surveillance and environmental assessment resulting from the spill of the hazardous material.

Preliminary reports indicate that the spill does not pose an immediate risk to the population. However, inspection procedures will continue to determine the extent of the environmental damage and, if necessary, order urgent measures and initiate appropriate legal and administrative actions in accordance with current environmental legislation.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo Profepa responds to chemical spill caused by Ferromex train derailment apareció primero en T21.

Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) reported that they submitted new information requested by the Land Transportation Board (STB ) regarding customer protection; however , the authority requested that the companies make certain employee data public.

The STB clarified that on May 28th it suspended the UP-NS merger process pending a new order and requested additional information from the applicants. In that decision, the Board stated that the suspension did not affect the discovery phase.

He explained that on July 2 , several unions filed a joint motion asking him to order the companies to reclassify as “public” the employee impact annexes included in the appendices of the revised application, arguing that they had improperly designated the information as “highly confidential.”

These annexes provide detailed information on how the proposed merger would affect UP and NS trades and management employees , including the number of posts that would be abolished, created, or designated as transferred due to the proposed merger, and the post transfer locations for certain posts.

“In its decision, the Board granted the unions’ motion, concluding that this type of information has been publicly disclosed in prior proceedings and does not appear to be commercially or competitively sensitive. Applicants must reclassify the employee impact annexes as public and submit those documents to the Board by July 27. It also notes its commitment to ensuring that its proceedings remain open to meaningful participation from all interested parties, and applicants may take this opportunity to address, as appropriate, any concerns about public participation as part of their supplemental responses,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, UP stated that it offered better customer protections than any previous rail merger. The new commitments are provided along with the additional information requested by the STB.

“The merger will provide our customers with faster, more reliable, and more efficient coast-to-coast service from day one and will generate savings that will be passed on to consumers. We speak with our customers every day, and by listening to them and reviewing STB feedback, we saw opportunities to offer additional assurances through an unprecedented set of voluntary commitments to our customers,” said Jim Vena, CEO of UP.

Among the new commitments are new competitive opportunities. The combined rail will significantly expand the Gateside Price Commitment (GPC), doubling the number of eligible shipments and extending the benefits to rail bulk carriers.

Similarly, railroads will preserve Class I for three to two shippers, as well as for two to one shippers, where they may legally grant access to another railroad.

Likewise, in the event that service performance decreases during the merger integration, customers will be able to obtain temporary access to an alternative rail service.

Regarding the public benefits of the merger that are not delivered on time, customers will have access to a new pricing process. Combined with the new service protection during the integration period, this new process places greater responsibility on customers.

“The public benefits of our merger are clear. A stronger supply chain makes American businesses more competitive. Shifting freight from road to rail reduces wear and tear on taxpayer-funded highways, improves safety, eases congestion, and lowers emissions. Revitalizing the rail industry creates well-paying, unionized jobs,” said Mark George, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo UP-NS improve merger proposal; US authority calls for release of jobs data apareció primero en T21.

Grupo México Transportes (GMXT) reported a 14.3% increase in its total revenue during the second quarter of 2026 (2Q26) , and confirmed that it is looking to invest in the railway sector of Brazil and Argentina.

“We are analyzing different investment opportunities seeking to generate value for our shareholders; these opportunities include railway operations in Brazil through acquisition and in Argentina through the bidding of railway assets for rail freight movement,” the company stated.

He specified that in the case of Brazil there is the possibility of a stake in a relevant asset of the country, with a view to growing volumes in a diversified manner and improving efficiency .

For Argentina, he explained that they expect the corresponding tender to be launched, which, if it is a comprehensive model, could be attractive to the company , unlike the divided model ( open access ) that has proven to generate losses and require subsidies from the government and would not be of interest to Grupo México .

“Both offer a significant opportunity for increased volume transport by rail. With our 30 years of experience and advanced technologies, we could integrate them into the aforementioned rail networks and gain market share, higher volumes, and greater efficiencies,” he emphasized.

Regarding its Q2 2026 results, GMXT went from $853,221,000 to $975,238,000 year-on-year , growth that was mainly driven by the agricultural, intermodal and automotive segments.

According to the report sent to the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) , EBITDA reached $406 million 648 thousand in Q2 2026, an 8.3% increase year-on-year.

Meanwhile,  the cargo transported grew 7% compared to the same period in 2025, totaling 524,649 cars.

The increase in volume was led by the metals segment , with a 26% increase in cars, followed by intermodal which grew 12% and the agricultural segment with a 6% increase.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo GMXT reports increased revenue in Q2 2026; seeks to invest in Brazil and Argentina apareció primero en T21.

The adoption of predictive maintenance schemes based on artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be fundamental to preventing failures, strengthening operational safety, optimizing spending on railway infrastructure and bolstering Mexico’s logistical competitiveness, said Tomás Allen, commercial vice president of Fracttal , a company specializing in the digital maintenance of equipment and physical assets.

“The rail infrastructure of the future cannot be managed solely through periodic inspections and manual reports. As the complexity of networks increases, the ability to anticipate failures using artificial intelligence will be a requirement to guarantee service continuity and the safety of millions of users,” Allen said.

Predictive maintenance combines IoT-connected sensors, cloud platforms, and AI algorithms capable of continuously monitoring the condition of tracks, turnouts, brakes, electrical equipment, and other critical assets.

With this information, it is possible to identify wear patterns , prioritize interventions, and reduce unscheduled downtime before it evolves into major failures, the specialist pointed out.

For the railway sector, this technological evolution also represents a financial decision , as various international operators have incorporated predictive maintenance strategies to improve the availability of their assets, reduce repair costs and strengthen operational safety, relying on advanced analytics and AI to process information generated by sensors installed in the infrastructure in this transport.

In Mexico, Tomás Allen pointed out, the challenge takes on a strategic dimension, since the federal government plans to build at least 2,377 kilometers of new railway lines during the six-year term , in addition to strengthening the Interoceanic Train and other railway systems.

“ In railway infrastructure, the cost of an unplanned failure is often several times the cost of a preventive intervention , considering operational disruptions, logistical impacts, asset repairs and safety risks,” Allen emphasized.

In addition to passenger transport, modernizing maintenance will be a key element in strengthening the country’s logistical competitiveness , since, he stated, a more reliable infrastructure favors the continuity of freight transport, reduces downtime and improves the use of public and private investments in a context where the railway is regaining prominence within supply chains.

Therefore, with the new generation of railway projects under development, he considered that the digitization of maintenance will cease to be a complementary tool and become an essential component of the operation.

Incorporating technologies, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence from the early stages will protect long-term investments, strengthen operational security, and increase the resilience of an infrastructure that will be crucial for Mexico’s mobility and economic competitiveness.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo Predictive maintenance will boost rail safety and efficiency: Fracttal apareció primero en T21.

Given the congestion and accident rates on Mexico’s highways, it is necessary to increase freight movement by rail , with intermodal transport being the best alternative, according to Carlos Martner, coordinator of Integrated Transport and Logistics at the Mexican Transportation Institute (IMT) .

During his participation in the  XXV National Meeting of Land Transportation , organized by the Mexican Association of Land Transportation Engineering (AMIVTAC) , the specialist stated that land freight transport is considered unfeasible in the medium and long term, due to congestion in the main highway corridors that results in delays, higher maintenance costs and increased pollution.

“ The railway has to participate much more in the movement of cargo flows in the country and it certainly has the potential to do so, and in this perspective what stands out is intermodal transport, which is characterized, above all, by transporting containers by rail from both ports and land borders, as well as domestic flows in inland terminals,” he stressed.

He explained that actions are needed to transition to digitized intermodal transport and achieve real-time synchronization to promote a more balanced national freight transport network, with lower costs, polluting emissions and accidents .

He explained that since the late 1990s, intermodal transport has registered significant growth, although since 2011 it has slowed to a rate of 4.2%; however, it represents a tenth of the freight flows by rail, so “it still has a huge opportunity for growth.”

The specialist specified that the cross-border segment moved more than one million TEUs (20-foot containers) in 2025 , with an average annual growth rate of 5.1% between 2019 and 2025. Meanwhile, maritime intermodal registered a minimal increase of 0.34% in the same period; while domestic intermodal moved 209,000 TEUs last year, with an average annual growth rate of 12.1% in 2019-2025.

“It is in this segment where we believe there are very large opportunities to shift cargo from trucks to intermodal flows and origin-destination pairs that we have identified as having potential, but policies and a governance mechanism are required to make this modal shift happen; for years we have made estimates of the potential of intermodal transport in Mexico, projections and not much has happened,” he stated.

Similarly, Martner said that part of the challenge in carrying out the transition to intermodal is ” the absence of a governance framework capable of managing a large-scale interconnected logistics ecosystem.”

“If we ignore current trends, intermodal transport will continue to grow, but it will never be enough to counter the greater growth in road transport. There also need to be relatively simple policy actions that would help stimulate this mode of transport in some way, for example, creating specific protocols to immediately address blockages on railway lines ,” he stated.

He also considered that it is necessary to facilitate and standardize customs processes, and to digitize procedures and documents .

“In the case of intermodal transport, documents are required that are not required for road transport, such as Annex 29 of Foreign Trade, which has no use and yet affects and discourages the use of this mode of transport,” he argued.

In addition to establishing incentives for the use of less polluting transport , as well as controls on weights and dimensions for freight transport, “we see that the regulations are quite generous with this mode, and everything is detrimental to stimulating competition with intermodal transport,” he concluded.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Evangelina del Toro  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo Intermodal transport, an alternative to reduce congestion and accidents on roads: IMT apareció primero en T21.