Border Lines

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 4/1/1998

The Illinois Central Railroad, soon to be acquired by the Canadian National Railway, is looking southward as well as northward for business opportunities. IC soon will launch a high-speed ferry service for cargo between the Port of Mobile, Ala., and Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, reports Donald H. Skelton, senior vice president-marketing and sales. Some details are still under negotiation, but plans call for the service to be operated by a joint venture with Mexican partners Peñoles and Grupo Ansera del Norte (GAN), he said in a recent interview. The vessel will be operated by ScanLines, a major operator of rail/ferry service in Europe. The ship will have a capacity of 35 to 40 railcars and will offer a two-day transit time. Illinois Central, Peñoles, and GAN also are partners in a bid for Mexico's Southeast rail concession. That rail line serves the Port of Coatzacoalcos; if successful in its bid, Illinois Central will be able to offer shippers single-source multimodal service from Canada to Mexico's interior.