Ports America is pleased to welcome Pacer International to its Puerta México Intermodal Facility, located in the industrial zone of Toluca, 65 kilometers west of México City.

In May, Pacer initiated six-day-per-week direct rail service to and from the terminal in Toluca to handle shipments, including automotive and third-party domestic traffic (FAK) northbound and southbound. This new service parallels Pacer’s existing PacerMex ramp points throughout its US and Eastern Canada network and provides through non-stop, in-bond service.

Michael E. Uremovich, chairman and CEO for Pacer, commented on the new service.

“Pacer is excited to combine the productivity, security and professionalism of the new Ports America facility with Pacer’s already extensive service network in Mexico," Uremovich said. "Together we are creating an even better product for customers looking to maximize security, high-quality service, and the cost-effective trans-border movement of freight into and out of Mexico from the US and Canada.”

In making the welcoming announcement, Stephen Edwards, Ports America president and CEO, detailed some of the facility’s advantages.

“The Puerta Mexico terminal offers multi-modal terminal services and on-site customs and bonded warehousing facilities to ocean carriers, railroads, intermodal and other logistics service providers with its on-dock direct access to rail line “N” of Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM),” Edwards said. “Puerta México is quickly becoming the terminal of first choice for service to and from the central valley, the ports of Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo, and Laredo at the US border. It is helping to lower logistics costs, thereby lowering prices and bringing greater choices to consumers.”

With an estimated capacity exceeding 150,000 containers and 2 million tons of cargo per year on more than 130 acres, this terminal essentially doubles the intermodal capacity previously available to the greater Mexican central valley region prior to its opening in 2008. This facility also alleviates a major bottleneck in the central valley supply chain. In addition to storage, cross-dock and transloading, the terminal will be a vehicle distribution center.