U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar gives a speech on Dec. 21, 2023 at CPKC building.
David Gomez Jr./Laredo Morning Times
LMTonline
David Gomez Jr., Laredo Morning Times
A total of $5 million is set to be added to the Downtown Laredo Rail Corridor Safety Planning Project.
“Laredo is more than just a trade route, it’s a lifeline for international commerce and a critical concern,” U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said.
A press conference held by the congressman on Thursday morning was to announce federal funding to be added to the city’s project to survey and research train routes due to the growing commerce of Laredo as well as it being the No. 1 point of entry in the nation. It is also looking into safety, reliability and traffic safety.
Funding comes from the Consolidated Railroad Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program at the Federal Railroad Administration and is done in partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail.
A total of $4 million in federal funds is coming to the project with CPKC providing an additional $1 million.
“This right here represents being progressive,” District VII Councilmember Vanessa Perez said. “This is us here being proactive. We know that growth is coming to Laredo, and we know that trade is going to impact the community.”
As many as 14 trains per day travel in and out of the city, with about six to seven going each way. According to Cuellar, that number will continue to grow, and something needs to be done so it may handle more trains in the future as commerce grows.
Internationally, the crossing with Mexico has an average of 25 trains per day.
Currently, a second international railroad bridge is being built and is expected to be completed by December 2024. It is expected to double the capacity of the trains coming in from Mexico and currently holds $5-10 million in freight value each way. Southbound trains are gaining grain, auto parts/components and paper products while northbound trains are gaining finished vehicles and appliances along with mixed commodities.
Executive Advisor-Special Projects of CPKC Warren K. Erdman said he appreciated Laredo’s progress and getting ahead of the curve before it’s too late.
Laughter ensued as a CPKC operations maintenance truck drove on the railway and caused the traffic lights and signals to go off. Erdman joked that it was a train showing up earlier than expected just to interrupt his speech -- which was focused on nearshoring in Mexico and how its economy affects the trade and trains in Laredo.
“I am so grateful to the city,” Erdman said. “You are getting ahead of this problem because the growth is coming, and whether we do nothing at all, it’s still coming because nearshoring in Mexico is causing goods to be manufactured there. So, either we get ahead of the problem and we do something about it, or we suffer through the growth that’s coming no matter what we do.”
In early November, a 15-year-old girl lost her arm attempting to climb over the train in west Laredo. The news upset District III Councilmember Melissa Cigarroa who felt that safety is the most important concern for her.
“There’s no comprehension of the danger of what it is when you see it every single day,” Cigarroa said. “You see that train every single day, nothing ever happens, and so you treat it as a stationary block of metal that you can get around. It means so much more than that. People – that’s where the city’s priority needs to be. It needs to focus on the safety and well-being of our residents.”
The project is expected to upgrade warning systems to make it safer for drivers and pedestrians around the area of the railroads.