Rail giants BNSF Railway, North America’s largest intermodal rail, and GMXT, the largest rail provider in Mexico, are partnering with J.B. Hunt Transport Services (CCJ Top 250, No. 3) on a new intermodal service between Monterrey, Silao-Bajio, and Pantaco-Mexico City regions, key markets in Northern and Central Mexico, through the Eagle Pass, Texas border gateway.
Scheduled to begin Jan. 1, the new intermodal service is expected to be one day faster than existing service from Monterrey to Chicago, while offering customers a reliable and more sustainable transportation option to move goods across the border to and from Mexico with coast-to-coast access in the U.S.
“This new service offering will provide resilient, cross-border solutions that give our customers optionality to support their growing supply chain needs in Mexico," said J.B. Hunt CEO John Roberts. "The cost savings and sustainability benefits of intermodal service are proven, and we're proud to collaborate with our rail providers BNSF and GMXT to bring this robust service offering to reality."
J.B. Hunt owns and operates the largest intermodal fleet in North America, with more than 117,000 containers and nearly 7,000 trucks and last week, in partnership with BNSF, rolled out an intermodal service to transport service-sensitive highway freight via rail, potentially removing millions of loads from the highway.
“Our organizations are committed to growth in Mexico and this joint service offering is a direct reflection of that commitment,” said Katie Farmer, BNSF president and CEO. “By utilizing the capacity and expertise of the largest intermodal railroad in the U.S., the largest railroad in Mexico, and the largest domestic intermodal carrier, this product will seamlessly connect the North American intermodal network.”
Trains carrying intermodal containers will interchange at Eagle Pass, Texas, to and from GMXT, which will operate the trains between the border crossing and Monterrey, Silao-Bajio and Pantaco-Mexico City six days a week. There will also be an alternative option over the El Paso, Texas border gateway. Dedicated BNSF customer support team can track shipments from in-gate to out-gate to and from Mexico and the U.S. 24/7. Southbound shipments are moved in-bond (which means shipment documentation is handled at the final destination) to minimize Mexico Customs clearance delays. Once the shipments arrive at the destination ramp, customers can clear their cargo with the customs broker of their choice through Mexico Customs. Northbound shipments are pre-cleared with U.S. Customs by a customs broker of the customer’s choice.
Noting that Eagle Pass is a strategic cross-border gateway GMXT CEO Fernando López said his company stood "ready to support the freight demand growth that nearshoring presents..."
