LAREDO, Texas — Kansas City Southern will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for the second span the railway is building over the Rio Grande at Laredo.
The current International Railway Bridge linking Laredo with Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, is the busiest railroad freight gateway in North America.
The U.S. ceremony will take place just south of Zaragoza Street on the east side of the maine line. This new bridge will be constructed alongside the existing bridge and upon estimated completion in 2025, it will help expedite trains through corridor to relieve traffic congestion in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo.
The U.S. presidential permit for construction of the new single-track span bridge was received in July 2020. All permits are now in hand on both sides of the border, and design work is complete as KCS moves into the construction phase of the project.
The existing single-track bridge is the only railroad bridge crossing of the Rio Grande linking Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. KCS and Union Pacific use the bridge to interchange with KCS de Mexico.
The new capacity will help improve security, facilitate better fluidity of train traffic through Laredo, and retain Laredo’s status as a center of North American trade in the future.
Cross-border trains currently fleet northbound or southbound over the existing span in four-hour directional windows. The bridge handles more than two dozen trains per day, with the lion’s share being UP-KCS de Mexico interchange moves.
KCS currently runs an average of 10.5 trains across the bridge, according to the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger application. Post-merger, CPKC expects to send an average of 19.4 trains per day across the border at Laredo.
Note the KCS boxcar in the rendering has UPFE reporting marks. Fail!
The entire rendering looks made up. Not like a real bridge plan.
Probably some graphic designer that doesn’t know anything about railroads. Unless they know something we don’t? Hmmmm, very interesting!
Halloween is not an especially auspicious day to be inaugurating a new bridge.
Waiting for complimentary comments from BNSF and UP. This was a major argument for denying CP-KCS, that Laredo would become overcrowded even though they all knew a new bridge had already been approved. Not holding my breath.
Believe that capacity will more than double. Example When I watched the operation a north bound with a Mexican crew stopped at the middle of the bridge and started walking back to Mexico. Then a US crew started walking toward the loco waiting at the middle of the bridge. An hour or more later the same Mexican crew brought another train northbound . Different US crew then waked to the waiting loco.
With 2 bridges there possibly can have a train each way meet and exchange cres without walking the bridge and go to yard(s) to bring another train. A little co ordination can move trains much faster.
Now with a single bridge, does the Mexican crew take the train into the US and be relieved by a US crew? How it now done from north to south?
Ed Burns
It has been over 15 years ago that I was there. Before KCS take over of TM. So, the proceedures may have changed? It appeared that the Mexican crew pulled the lead loco’s cab about 10 feet beyond a small marker that may have been a border marker. Mexican crew left, then the US crew walked on bridge to the lead loco’s cab and pulled the train’s head end into the TEX – Mexican;s main track at the station.
For clarification the station is located between the TM’s single track and UP’s track & yard south and north of the station. UP has 14 tracks. Station had platforms both sides but still there ? Probably customs is still in station but did not check. Too hot.
TM’s yard was actually at about some 9 miles east of the Laredo station. That IMO might be a problem as TM had removed a second main track from the international bridge connection past station to ~ 700 feet west of the TM yard. Track removed was west track next to station platform and then to the north of remaining track going to TM’s yard. However it could be restored if CPKC decides that the single track is too much a choke point. That single track has over 15 signaled grade crossing between station and TM’s yard. Also some crossings not signaled. Otherwise until second bridge completed traffic is limited in one direction from Mexico
s Neuveo Laredo yard all the way to the former TM yard with the necessary delays for customs in both directions at the station. Wonder what the Mexican and TM’s yard capacities are?
The TM’s track blocks every N – S street in Laredo. If a land barge breaks down the only acces will be I – 35 which ducks under the TM track.
In Mexico the single tack from the bridge is about 1200 feet that splits into 3 tracks/ The 3 tracks are only about 1200 feet ;ong with what appears to be a small Mexican customs shack at south end. Then tracks go to 2 main tracks. Line B the W and north track from the bridge goes directly to Monteray while other track goes west then south to the Neuevo Laredo yard (18 tracks ). That yard is ~ 3000 feet long. Also has an ngine facility further south to the east with a loop track. The yard can connect at each end to line “B” .
It appears that trains longer than say 5000feet would have to be broken into parts to fit in either yard.
Had a McDonalds with great viewing about 100 feet north of the TM ROW near I-35.