Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge

The Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge is an international railway bridge across the Rio Grande and U.S.-Mexico border between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, the only rail link between these cities. Owned and operated by CPKC, the single-track bridge is the busiest rail border crossing in North America. It is also known as the Laredo International Railway Bridge and Puente Negro (The Black Bridge).

Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge
Train crossing the Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge, as seen from the U.S.
Coordinates27°29′55″N 99°30′59″W
CarriesTrains
CrossesRio Grande/Mexico–United States border
LocaleLaredo, Texas/Nuevo Laredo
Other name(s)Laredo International Railway Bridge
Puente Negro
OwnerCPKC
Next upstreamWorld Trade International Bridge
Next downstreamGateway to the Americas International Bridge
Characteristics
DesignTruss bridge
MaterialSteel
Pier constructionConcrete
Total length1,275 ft (389 m)
Width18 ft (5.5 m)
Capacity26 trains per day
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks1
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
History
Opened1920
Location

History
View of the bridge from Nuevo Laredo

The bridge opened in 1920. The approach to the bridge on the side of the United States was controlled by the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex), which had been owned by the Mexican Government since the turn of the century. The approach to the bridge on the Mexican side would also come to be fully owned by the when all railroads were nationalized under Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (N de M, English: Mexican National Railways) in the late 1930s.

Tex Mex was sold to Transportación Maritima Mexicana (TMM) in 1982. In 1996, the Mexican Government privatized N de M, and sold the Northeast Railroad leading to the bridge to Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), a joint venture between TMM and Kansas City Southern (KCS). At that same time, TMM sold 49 percent of Tex Mex to KCM, making both sides of the bridge a joint venture.

KCS bought out TMM in 2005, integrating Tex Mex into its Kansas City Southern Railway and turning TFM into Kansas City Southern de México, giving the railroad full control of a route between the midwestern United States and a large portion of Mexico.

Canadian Pacific Railway purchased KCS in December 2021 for US$31 billion. On April 14, 2023, the railroads merged to form CPKC, the first and only to directly serve Canada, Mexico and the United States. One of the major arguments for the merger was that it would increase competition in the Chicago–Mexico corridor that had been dominated by Union Pacific and BNSF Railway.[1]

The bridge is the busiest rail border crossing in North America.[2] As of 2022, the bridge was operating at its maximum capacity of 26 trains per day. Further growth was limited by the need for customs and safety inspections at the crossing. On October 31, 2022, KCS broke ground on a second parallel bridge, which will double the capacity of the crossing, and allowing each bridge to be focused on a single direction of traffic. The bridge is expected to be completed in October 2024.[3]

The full length of the Texas-Mexican Railway International Bridge.

References
  1. Stephens, Bill (April 21, 2023). "CPKC to handle Schneider's cross-border intermodal shipments between the Midwest and Mexico". Trains. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  2. Stephens, Bill. "Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern merger to redraw Class I railroad map". Trains Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  3. Sebastian, Brett (November 17, 2022). "Second International Rail Bridge to Keep Laredo Bustling | GoRail". gorail.org. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
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