Texas Pacifico Transportation Ltd. (reporting mark TXPF) is a Class III railroad operating company in West Texas owned by Grupo México.[3][4] The company operates over the South Orient Rail Line under a lease and operating agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Pacifico Transportation, Ltd. The Texas Pacifico company began service in March 2001.[5]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Grupo México |
| Headquarters | San Angelo, Texas |
| Reporting mark | TXPF[1] |
| Locale | West Texas |
| Dates of operation | 2001–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 376 miles (605 km)[2] |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
The South Orient Rail Line runs from San Angelo Junction (near Coleman, Texas) to the Mexican border town of Presidio, Texas.[6] Texas Pacifico interchanges with BNSF Railway and Fort Worth and Western Railroad at San Angelo Junction and Union Pacific Railroad at Alpine.
The line initially was rehabilitated from San Angelo Junction through San Angelo to Alpine.[7] A $7 million federal FASTLANE grant funded rehabilitation of the remaining 72 miles to Presidio.[8]
Traffic had been interchanged into Mexico with Ferromex at Presidio over the Presidio–Ojinaga International Rail Bridge, but the bridge has been out of service following fire damage on 29 February 2008.[9][10] Service over the repaired bridge awaits installation of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection facility.[11][12] It was reported in March 2024 that the Texas Transportation Commission had approved letting of a $33 million project for the inspection facility.[8] However, in late 2023 the Big Bend Sentinel had reported that delays in obtaining an X-Ray inspection machine would push the bridge reopening into mid-2025.[13]
See also
edit- Ferromex the rail line in Mexico that Texas Pacifico Transportation connects with at Presidio
- Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway original builder of the line on which Texas Pacifico Transportation operates
Further reading
editReferences
edit
- ^ "Reporting Marks: T". Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ "Texas-Pacífico: Mileage Chart". Retrieved 2021-04-24.
- ^ "2019 Texas Rail Plan" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- ^ "UP: Texas Pacifico Transportation, LTD TXPF #57". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ "TexasPacifico Is Connecting The Railroad Dots in Deep Southwest Texas - Stan Meador". Texas Rail Advocates (Southwestern Rail Conference). Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ San Angelo Junction at 31°46′37″N 99°22′16″W / 31.777°N 99.371°W lies between Coleman and Santa Anna, Texas and is about 71 miles (114 km) northeast of San Angelo, Texas.
- ^ "Texas DOT plan calls for continued rehab of South Orient Rail Line". Progressive Railroading. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- ^ a b "Big step forward for restored international rail bridge between Presidio TX and Ojinaga MX". Texas Rail Advocates. March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Saenz, Amadeo (January 2009). "Trade Transportation Activities Report" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. p. 16. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ Wanek-Libman, Mischa (23 October 2018). "Groundbreaking ceremony held for Presidio International Rail Bridge". RT&S. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ "Tex-Mex rail bridge needs a $35 million state appropriation to start cross-border service". Texas Rail Advocates. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Big step forward for restarting international trains across the Rio Grande at Presidio TX". Texas Rail Advocates. Oct 21, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Karas, Sam (November 29, 2023). "Delayed Presidio International Rail Bridge project to chug on into 2025". Big Bend Sentinel. Retrieved January 26, 2024.