UP, Ferromex launch Los Angeles/Mexico intermodal service

UP, Ferromex launch Los Angeles/Mexico intermodal service    Union Pacific Railroad and Ferrocarril Mexicano launched a new expedited all-rail intermodal service Monday, offering seven-day transit between Los Angeles and Guadalajara and Mexico City.
   The ramp-to-ramp service is offered six days a week for northbound shipments and five days a week for southbound. The service bypasses customs at the border, instead clearing customs within the interior of Mexico.
   Union Pacific will interchange traffic with Ferromex over the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez gateway. Additional U.S. and Mexican cities are expected to be added to the service.
   Shippers have complete tracking capability in both the United States and Mexico and may make around-the-clock reservations. The service uses EMP container equipment in both 48-foot standard and 53-foot high-cube containers.
   UP is the largest railroad in North America, covering 23 western states. Ferrocarril Mexicano has operated since obtaining concession from the federal government in 1998, and has 8,500 kilometers of track.