Grupo México , through its Grupo México Transportes (GMXT) division , decided to withdraw from the freight rail tender process in Argentina, considering that the proposed scheme under the Open Access model lacks the necessary incentives to guarantee long-term efficiency, investment, and competitiveness.

He stated that after analyzing the competition rules, the company’s Board of Directors concluded that the proposed model does not coincide with the model promoted in Mexico and North America.

“The tender in that country contemplates the rail operating model known as Open Access, which consists of an infrastructure used by multiple operators who divide the same cargo among themselves, diminishing the possibility of achieving economies of scale. From our perspective, this model is inefficient, reduces the competitiveness of the system as a whole, increases costs and prices for customers, and requires public subsidies to be maintained. On countless occasions, different companies have collapsed and declared bankruptcy due to this scheme,” he stated.

In contrast, the Vertical Integration model adopted in Mexico and integrated into the United States and Canadian network has generated incentives for investment and operational efficiency , since by controlling the entire system, freight rail companies optimize the use of their assets, improve logistics planning and benefit users and supply chains, he explained.

Volume and revenue on the rise in the third quarter

During the third quarter of 2026 (3Q26), GMXT reported revenues of $978,384,000, an annual increase of 12.3%, while EBITDA reached $388,809,000, an advance of 8.2% compared to the same period in 2025.

The company moved 524,538 railcars, a figure that represented a growth of 5%; the increase was led by the metals segment  with a 15.4% increase in cars, followed by intermodal which grew 11.8% and by cement with a 3.5% increase.

The main driver of performance was the intermodal business ; this segment increased its revenue by 16.3%, driven by greater container movement and by the growth of cross-border traffic in the south.

This was further supported by the dynamism of the metals sector, which registered increases of 15.4% in volume and 14.1% in revenue, supported by the recovery of the scrap market and compliance with the slab program.

Likewise, minerals increased its revenue by 13.2% thanks to greater iron ore movements on long-distance routes.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo GMXT withdraws from Argentina; reports revenue increase in Q3 2026 apareció primero en T21.

Grupo México , through its Grupo México Transportes (GMXT) division , decided to withdraw from the freight rail tender process in Argentina, considering that the proposed scheme under the Open Access model lacks the necessary incentives to guarantee long-term efficiency, investment, and competitiveness.

He stated that after analyzing the competition rules, the company’s Board of Directors concluded that the proposed model does not coincide with the model promoted in Mexico and North America.

“The tender in that country contemplates the rail operating model known as Open Access, which consists of an infrastructure used by multiple operators who divide the same cargo among themselves, diminishing the possibility of achieving economies of scale. From our perspective, this model is inefficient, reduces the competitiveness of the system as a whole, increases costs and prices for customers, and requires public subsidies to be maintained. On countless occasions, different companies have collapsed and declared bankruptcy due to this scheme,” he stated.

In contrast, the Vertical Integration model adopted in Mexico and integrated into the United States and Canadian network has generated incentives for investment and operational efficiency , since by controlling the entire system, freight rail companies optimize the use of their assets, improve logistics planning and benefit users and supply chains, he explained.

Volume and revenue on the rise in the third quarter

During the third quarter of 2026 (3Q26), GMXT reported revenues of $978,384,000, an annual increase of 12.3%, while EBITDA reached $388,809,000, an advance of 8.2% compared to the same period in 2025.

The company moved 524,538 railcars, a figure that represented a growth of 5%; the increase was led by the metals segment  with a 15.4% increase in cars, followed by intermodal which grew 11.8% and by cement with a 3.5% increase.

The main driver of performance was the intermodal business ; this segment increased its revenue by 16.3%, driven by greater container movement and by the growth of cross-border traffic in the south.

This was further supported by the dynamism of the metals sector, which registered increases of 15.4% in volume and 14.1% in revenue, supported by the recovery of the scrap market and compliance with the slab program.

Likewise, minerals increased its revenue by 13.2% thanks to greater iron ore movements on long-distance routes.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo GMXT withdraws from Argentina; reports revenue increase in Q3 2026 apareció primero en T21.

SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCÍA, NL.– The 140% increase in railway concession fees could be passed on to freight transport rates starting in 2027, making the movement of goods more expensive and generating inflationary pressures in Mexico. However, despite the federal government’s proposal being approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the industry continues discussions with authorities seeking alternatives , including tax measures, to mitigate the economic impact and prevent the increased operating costs from being passed on to its customers.

One of the proposals involves granting rail transport a tax treatment equivalent to that received by road transport in terms of the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS).

“What we are fighting for is that they give us the same IEPS consideration that they give to land transport in exchange for the increase, and that way it wouldn’t impact the rates, although we would have to evaluate it,” Luis Hernández, executive vice president of Intermodal at Grupo México Transportes (GMXT) , told T21 .

However, he reiterated in an interview at ETYL MTY 2026 , organized by Grupo T21 , that the industry will continue to seek a gradual adjustment in line with inflation, rather than applying a 140% increase all at once.

“We agree that the increase should be in line with inflation, not 140% overnight. Railroads in Mexico have invested billions of dollars during their concession periods, in addition to paying royalties. If they had imposed a 6% or 7% increase, we could still absorb it in the overall cost, but with 140%, there comes a point where we can no longer bear that cost. We will have to assess how much we can pass on to the market,” he explained.

It should be noted that the Chamber of Deputies approved with 339 votes in favor , 113 against and two abstentions in general and in particular, the opinion that reforms, adds and repeals various provisions of the Federal Law of Rights , to update fees of the tax regime applicable to the use, enjoyment or exploitation of the assets of the public domain of the nation.

According to the document, a 140% increase in tolls for the use of railways in the country was proposed; however, the Maya Train, the Interoceanic Corridor, and other projects with less than 15 years of service will be exempt. The proposal, included in the 2027 Economic Package, will amend the Federal Law of Rights to update the rate from 1.25% to 3% of total railway revenue .

Hernández considered that the main risk for the sector lies in the fact that the increase will end up being reflected in rail rates and in the prices of transported products, supply chains and the final consumer, as well as in federal policy on the use of said transport.

“It’s worse for Mexico, because it will increase the cost of transporting goods by rail. At the end of the day, if rates go up, the price of the final product goes up, and we’ll all end up paying for it,” he said.

Although railway companies are still analyzing scenarios to cope with the increase , one of the main challenges will be determining which segments of freight transport could absorb the higher costs. However, other markets, such as the movement of minerals and grains, could experience greater tariff pressures.

“Intermodal rates certainly won’t be affected, because they are very competitive, but we would have to evaluate what we are going to do with minerals and grains, which also have an impact on the cost of living,” he pointed out.

Regarding whether this increase could have implications for the investment programs of the concessionary companies, he indicated that for now there are no plans to halt the committed projects.

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

El cargo The railway sector seeks to mitigate the impact of new charges on concessions apareció primero en T21.

Mota-Engil will build and design 68 kilometers (km) of section I of the Querétaro–Saltillo passenger train , Querétaro–San Luis Potosí section, Querétaro–San Miguel de Allende subsection, chainage from km 0+000 to km 68+000.

In addition, it will be responsible for the construction of viaducts, stations, tunnels, bridges, railway underpasses, railway overpasses and pedestrian bridges.

According to the tender award documents published by the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transport (ATTRAPI) , the consortium headed by Mota-Engil Mexico, Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção and Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção Africa was awarded a contract for 22 billion 407 million 721 thousand 317.66 pesos .

The following participated in this competition: Arturo Hernández González, the consortium Constructora de Proyectos Viales de México, Obrascon Huarte Lain (OHL) and CAABSA Constructora .

As well as Omega Industrial Constructions , Omega Corp., Gallo Meda Construction, and Broad Services of Mexico.

ATTRAPI specified that the winning consortium will sign the contract on October 16 .

“The start date for the work will be from October 17th, with an execution period of 973 calendar days,” the agency indicated.

According to ATTRAPI, the tender includes the construction of a railway line, which includes the necessary studies for the preparation and authorization of the executive project , and subsequently the development of the construction work will be carried out.

“The project is designed to operate at speeds of up to 177 kilometers per hour (km/h). Furthermore, its route has been carefully planned to minimize environmental and social impacts, making extensive use of existing rights-of-way and complying with the urban development regulations of each municipality,” he explained.

The Querétaro-San Luis Potosí rail connection will promote the attraction of investments in the commercial, industrial and social sectors, in addition to contributing to the reduction of travel times and the mitigation of polluting emissions.

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

El cargo This consortium will build a section of the Querétaro-Saltillo passenger train apareció primero en T21.

The Mexican Association of Railways (AMF) identified ports and border crossings as the main bottlenecks for the development of the railway industry and trade with North America.

“We have a very clear focus on ports and borders, on how to make them more efficient. Much progress has been made in inland terminals, but if we manage to free up the capacity that is currently tied up in the ports, we can continue improving terminal capacity,” stated Francisco Fabila, president of the AMF.

During the conference “Integrated Railway Systems in the Mexican Railway Association” , organized by the College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM) , he noted that the organization has already held meetings with the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) to identify and address the main operational obstacles in ports and border crossings.

The goal, he said, is to standardize customs inspection processes between Mexico and the United States through coordination between customs authorities and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) , with the aim of streamlining rail transit by replicating similar schemes to those already in operation with Canada.

Fabila added that, although incidents of vandalism, blockades and thefts persist , collaboration with the federal government has allowed for strengthening railway security.

“We are experiencing a very good moment in comparative terms with the highway; today there is a pleasant sense of security,” he emphasized.

In that regard, Héctor Lases, coordinator of the CICM’s Transportation Infrastructure Committee, agreed that the modernization of customs is required; in addition, there are challenges in the Waybill and dispatch , as well as blockages, thefts and vandalism, although these have decreased.

“There is also an uneven playing field with the rest of the multimodal transport, excess dimensions, route, training, etc., saturated terminals; we need more and better terminals to encourage the use of rail and not only the last mile is used for the delivery of goods and raw materials that are moved to different consumers and companies,” he specified.

Francisco Fabila stated that in the coming years, the industry will invest with the goal of continuing to increase cargo handling by this mode of transport at border crossings, and developing more cargo at the border that contributes to trade in North America .

In addition to making investments in ports to increase the participation of the railway in these infrastructures, mainly in Manzanillo, as well as developing other terminals.

“Today, with what we have, we have sufficient capacity to meet the challenges, and in recent years many intermodal terminals have opened, yard capacity has increased, and sidings on the main lines are becoming longer; let’s remember that sidings were 800 meters long when the concessions were granted, and now they require them to be more than 3,000 meters long in their expansion to accommodate rail operations. It’s a very coordinated dynamic in terms of maintenance and investment capacity generated by new development; this is something that the railways do every year,” Fabila pointed out.

However, he stated that the evolution of the railway is not about building more tracks , but about how to make the existing ones more efficient.

“Building for the sake of building is difficult. What you have today is what you get. The railway evolved from what we call the milkman’s train, which was ‘I’ll leave a car for you, I’ll leave a car for you, I’ll leave a car for you,’ and it evolved from prioritizing traffic density on long journeys to democratizing it with the intermodal sector,” he said.

Francisco Fabila and other logistics specialists will participate in ETYL MTY , organized by Grupo T21 , which will take place on October 14 and 15 at the Presidente InterContinental Monterrey in Nuevo León . We invite you to learn more about the event and register here .

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

El cargo Ports and border crossings, the main challenges for Mexico’s railway industry apareció primero en T21.

The College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM) and the Mexican Association of Railways (AMF) signed a collaboration agreement to promote training , knowledge exchange and joint work between both organizations.

Jesús Campos López, president of the 41st Board of Directors of the CICM, noted that the federal government will build 2,400 kilometers of passenger rail lines, with an investment of 750 billion pesos. He stated that for these lines to function effectively, each station must be connected to urban transportation, with access points, parking facilities, and feeder routes that will guide the development of the surrounding area .

“Ideally, the network should be planned as a single national system, with clear rules for rights of way and interconnection, common signaling and control standards, and separate tracks where the volume of trains requires it,” he said.

With that vision, he considered that the government and concessionaires could find investment schemes for freight where it is technically viable and achieve maximum use of the infrastructure.

Francisco Fabila, president of the AMF, pointed out that with the projects and development expected for the sector in the coming years, these types of agreements allow us to ” be closer and generate the necessary knowledge for what’s to come. We see a freight rail sector with a lot of dynamism and areas of opportunity from the academic side, seeing experts in operations and how we create operational knowledge for the freight rail industry.”

“From the passenger side, the challenge is enormous, it’s ambitious. We know it will be achieved, but it will require many professionals capable of developing the knowledge and skills needed when these projects are carried out and put into operation,” he emphasized.

He asserted that the Mexican freight railway is among the most competitive in the world, registering a 26% share of land freight, with a cost per ton/kilometer of $0.03, close to that of the United States.

In addition, he said that 30 years after the concessions were granted, the cargo capacity increased from 1,000 to 17,000 tons per train , from 60 to 150 cars per train, the speed increased from 15 to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h), and the power of the locomotives increased from 2,838 to 4,400 horsepower.

Similarly, he noted that between 1997 and 2026, concessionaires have invested more than 16.4 billion dollars (USD), more than 70% in infrastructure and almost 23% in equipment.

He also highlighted the technological evolution of the sector with control centers featuring telemetry and real-time visibility , data traceability, inspection of railcars and containers as the train passes, as well as the use of artificial intelligence to optimize train classification.

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

El cargo CICM and AMF strengthen collaboration to boost railway development apareció primero en T21.

The College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM) and the Mexican Association of Railways (AMF) signed a collaboration agreement to promote training , knowledge exchange and joint work between both organizations.

Jesús Campos López, president of the 41st Board of Directors of the CICM, noted that the federal government will build 2,400 kilometers of passenger rail lines, with an investment of 750 billion pesos. He stated that for these lines to function effectively, each station must be connected to urban transportation, with access points, parking facilities, and feeder routes that will guide the development of the surrounding area .

“Ideally, the network should be planned as a single national system, with clear rules for rights of way and interconnection, common signaling and control standards, and separate tracks where the volume of trains requires it,” he said.

With that vision, he considered that the government and concessionaires could find investment schemes for freight where it is technically viable and achieve maximum use of the infrastructure.

Francisco Fabila, president of the AMF, pointed out that with the projects and development expected for the sector in the coming years, these types of agreements allow us to ” be closer and generate the necessary knowledge for what’s to come. We see a freight rail sector with a lot of dynamism and areas of opportunity from the academic side, seeing experts in operations and how we create operational knowledge for the freight rail industry.”

“From the passenger side, the challenge is enormous, it’s ambitious. We know it will be achieved, but it will require many professionals capable of developing the knowledge and skills needed when these projects are carried out and put into operation,” he emphasized.

He asserted that the Mexican freight railway is among the most competitive in the world, registering a 26% share of land freight, with a cost per ton/kilometer of $0.03, close to that of the United States.

In addition, he said that 30 years after the concessions were granted, the cargo capacity increased from 1,000 to 17,000 tons per train , from 60 to 150 cars per train, the speed increased from 15 to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h), and the power of the locomotives increased from 2,838 to 4,400 horsepower.

Similarly, he noted that between 1997 and 2026, concessionaires have invested more than 16.4 billion dollars (USD), more than 70% in infrastructure and almost 23% in equipment.

He also highlighted the technological evolution of the sector with control centers featuring telemetry and real-time visibility , data traceability, inspection of railcars and containers as the train passes, as well as the use of artificial intelligence to optimize train classification.

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

El cargo CICM and AMF strengthen collaboration to boost railway development apareció primero en T21.

The Mexican Association of Railways (AMF) identified ports and border crossings as the main bottlenecks for the development of the railway industry and trade with North America.

“We have a very clear focus on ports and borders, on how to make them more efficient. Much progress has been made in inland terminals, but if we manage to free up the capacity that is currently tied up in the ports, we can continue improving terminal capacity,” stated Francisco Fabila, president of the AMF.

During the conference “Integrated Railway Systems in the Mexican Railway Association” , organized by the College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM) , he noted that the organization has already held meetings with the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) to identify and address the main operational obstacles in ports and border crossings.

The goal, he said, is to standardize customs inspection processes between Mexico and the United States through coordination between customs authorities and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) , with the aim of streamlining rail transit by replicating similar schemes to those already in operation with Canada.

Fabila added that, although incidents of vandalism, blockades and thefts persist , collaboration with the federal government has allowed for strengthening railway security.

“We are experiencing a very good moment in comparative terms with the highway; today there is a pleasant sense of security,” he emphasized.

In that regard, Héctor Lases, coordinator of the CICM’s Transportation Infrastructure Committee, agreed that the modernization of customs is required; in addition, there are challenges in the Waybill and dispatch , as well as blockages, thefts and vandalism, although these have decreased.

“There is also an uneven playing field with the rest of the multimodal transport, excess dimensions, route, training, etc., saturated terminals; we need more and better terminals to encourage the use of rail and not only the last mile is used for the delivery of goods and raw materials that are moved to different consumers and companies,” he specified.

Francisco Fabila stated that in the coming years, the industry will invest with the goal of continuing to increase cargo handling by this mode of transport at border crossings, and developing more cargo at the border that contributes to trade in North America .

In addition to making investments in ports to increase the participation of the railway in these infrastructures, mainly in Manzanillo, as well as developing other terminals.

“Today, with what we have, we have sufficient capacity to meet the challenges, and in recent years many intermodal terminals have opened, yard capacity has increased, and sidings on the main lines are becoming longer; let’s remember that sidings were 800 meters long when the concessions were granted, and now they require them to be more than 3,000 meters long in their expansion to accommodate rail operations. It’s a very coordinated dynamic in terms of maintenance and investment capacity generated by new development; this is something that the railways do every year,” Fabila pointed out.

However, he stated that the evolution of the railway is not about building more tracks , but about how to make the existing ones more efficient.

“Building for the sake of building is difficult. What you have today is what you get. The railway evolved from what we call the milkman’s train, which was ‘I’ll leave a car for you, I’ll leave a car for you, I’ll leave a car for you,’ and it evolved from prioritizing traffic density on long journeys to democratizing it with the intermodal sector,” he said.

Francisco Fabila and other logistics specialists will participate in ETYL MTY , organized by Grupo T21 , which will take place on October 14 and 15 at the Presidente InterContinental Monterrey in Nuevo León . We invite you to learn more about the event and register here .

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

El cargo Ports and border crossings, the main challenges for Mexico’s railway industry apareció primero en T21.

In an intermodal terminal, every movement has a consequence on the next. A misplaced container can lead to more maneuvers; a delayed decision can halt a train; and rail planning that doesn’t consider all constraints can extend a train’s stay. This is where Ferrovalle seeks to bring artificial intelligence (AI) to the physical operation of its rail yard .

The company is working with INFORM on a Smart Yard project that will incorporate the Syncrotess Optimization Plus platform into its Mexico City intermodal terminal. The aim is not to replace the existing technological infrastructure, but rather to use it as a source of information to build an additional optimization layer capable of coordinating containers, equipment, trucks, and trains.

In an interview with T21, Rafael Velásquez, Director of Optimization and Integration at INFORM, explained that the objective begins with something concrete: increasing the performance of the equipment already in operation . The first stage includes eight RTG cranes, four reach stackers, and 14 terminal tractors, with the aim of increasing productivity before physically expanding capacity.

“A central objective of the optimizer is precisely to maximize the productivity and capacity of the existing equipment fleet and infrastructure before incorporating additional capacity. In other words, to achieve greater operational performance with current assets ,” he noted.

Logic is changing how we understand automation. It’s not just about moving a crane or tractor faster, but about reducing non-value-adding movements: repositioning, rehandling, and unnecessary travel. In this sense, Smart Yard will seek to measure productivity in maneuvers per hour and increase the proportion of productive movements relative to the total .

The challenge takes on greater significance in a railway system that maintains a close relationship with foreign trade. Data from the Statistical Yearbook of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) indicate that in 2025, freight transported by rail for foreign trade reached a total of 98.38 million tons , a 2.5% increase compared to the 96.02 million tons of 2024. This positions intermodal terminals as key components for connecting rail freight with other modes of transport.

At Ferrovalle, moreover, operations are not governed by a single set of conditions. Some yards are under customs control, while others have already been cleared, meaning that a seemingly simple decision—such as where to place a container or what movement to perform—also depends on its documentation status. The system must incorporate this condition to prevent operational optimization from running counter to customs requirements.

“Syncrotess Optimization Plus incorporates the documentary and customs status available in Ferrovalle’s systems as a condition for operational decision-making, ensuring that recommendations respect the restrictions applicable to each container,” Velásquez explained. This allows work orders to be anticipated and the movements that tractors and other equipment will need to make to be prepared before they are physically executed.

This highlights one of the fundamental changes: the dispatchers’ expertise doesn’t disappear. Technology takes over part of the information processing that until now required manually reviewing multiple variables, while staff retain oversight and the ability to intervene when operational conditions deviate from expected scenarios.

“Our approach is to combine the experience of operational staff with the ability of technology to process information and optimize decisions in real time,” the executive noted. The intention, he added, is for people to validate, adjust, and act on exceptions, while algorithms help reduce repetitive tasks and maintain more consistent decisions.

Train planning will be another area of ​​major impact. With Train Load Optimizer , container allocation to platforms will simultaneously consider weight, center of gravity, destination, priorities, safety restrictions, and operating conditions. The system will aim to reduce remnants and shorten the distance between the container in the yard and its position on the rail.

For a terminal seeking to handle increased traffic, the value lies in the effective capacity that can be freed up without necessarily building more infrastructure. Fewer unnecessary movements mean shorter journeys, better utilization of cranes and tractors, and potentially shorter rail dwell times.

The scale of the operation also explains the need to connect systems. Ferrovalle’s Terminal Operating System (TOS) will centralize information on trains, containers, reservations, weights, destinations, and customs status, while Syncrotess Optimization Plus will use that data to generate recommendations and provide information on the progress of work orders. The goal is for both systems to maintain a synchronized operational view.

For Velásquez, the challenge isn’t just installing software . The months leading up to the launch, scheduled for June 2027, include interface workshops, configuration of operating rules, technical validations, and testing both in the lab and under real-world conditions . It will also be necessary to test for the exceptions inherent in rail and intermodal operations without disrupting the terminal’s daily flow.

This initiative comes at a time when Mexico is seeking to increase the productivity of its freight rail network. The Institutional Program of the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transportation 2026-2030 aims to strengthen a competitive and productive freight rail system that enhances connectivity, boosts logistical efficiency , and contributes to the sustainable reduction of freight transportation costs nationwide.

Also, according to the 2027 Federal Expenditure Budget Project (PPEF), the federal government plans to allocate 150,875.6 million pesos to the construction and implementation of railway projects.

The combination of Ferrovalle’s operational experience with advanced optimization and AI tools will allow for the integration of information and take real-time decision-making to a new level.

“Due to its scale, complexity, and connectivity, this project represents a relevant benchmark for the technological transformation of intermodal terminals in Mexico and the region, with a clear focus on productivity, efficiency, consistency, and service,” Velásquez concluded.

Specialists like Francisco Fabila, CEO of Ferrovalle , and other logistics experts will explain the use of AI in supply chain , real-time traceability, digital twins, warehouse automation, predictive planning, and logistics cybersecurity at ETYL MTY , organized by Grupo T21 , which will take place on October 14 and 15 at the Presidente InterContinental Monterrey in Nuevo León .

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Humberto Cruz Moya  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo Optimizing capacity and productivity with AI, Ferrovalle and INFORM’s bet for intermodal apareció primero en T21.

In a region where supply chains increasingly rely on speed, capacity, and logistical reliability, cross-border rail is consolidating its position as a key component for sustaining trade between Mexico and the United States. However, while the volume of goods continues to grow, railroads on both sides of the border face challenges in infrastructure, streamlining border crossings, and developing new services to meet market demands .

Carlos Barreda Westphal, director of Ferroviaria.mx , points out that some bottlenecks facing rail transport between the two countries are related to customs administration, which offers limited service hours and days, increasingly more documents to present, new rules every year, saturated border bridges, postponement of the opening of new crossings, interruptions in the network due to political and social events, and so on.

Therefore, he believes it is necessary for Mexico to build and extend border yards at other crossings such as Nogales and El Paso, as has been done in Nuevo Laredo and Rio Escondido, and perhaps reopen the crossing at Ojinaga and Presidio, Texas.

“There is a significant trade deficit for Mexico in goods transported by rail, and this has always been an area of ​​opportunity for concessionaires. Thousands of railcars return empty to the United States. Therefore, the government should encourage more exporting industries to use rail. I believe the main challenge today lies in the traffic safety that must accompany the infrastructure, and this must come from authorities at all three levels of government. A policy is urgently needed that truly deters the crimes committed daily on federal highways, including train robberies (vandalism), track blockades due to union demands, and the boarding of trains by migrants heading to the northern border,” he commented in an interview.

According to the latest figures published by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) , the cumulative volume on Mexican railroads during the first 36 weeks of 2026 was 913,384 railcars and intermodal containers and trailers, an increase of 7.1% compared to the same period last year .

Meanwhile, the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transport (ATTRAPI) reports that, during June of this year, the total value of rail exports increased by 14.2% year-on-year . “With this result, the cumulative total from January to June reached its highest level since records began (2007), establishing a new all-time high.”

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

El cargo Between opportunities and bottlenecks: the challenge of the cross-border railway apareció primero en T21.