UP Upgrades Eagle, Falcon Premium Intermodal Services
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(UP Photograph)
Recent operational changes have allowed Union Pacific (UP) to remove a full day of transit time for customers shipping on its Mexico intermodal products, Eagle and Falcon Premium, which connect the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Eagle Premium serves Mexico, Chicago, the West Coast, and eastern U.S. points, including Detroit, Mich., and Louisville, Ky. Falcon Premium, which was developed jointly earlier this year with CN and GMXT (Grupo Mexico Transportes, comprising Ferromex, Ferrosur and IMEX), directly connects all CN origin points within Canada and Detroit, Mich., to GMXT terminals in Mexico at Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Silao, Guanajuato (see map below). This interline service “leverages GMXT’s best-in-class transit times between Silao, Guanajuato, and Eagle Pass, Texas; Union Pacific’s superior route from Texas to Chicago; and CN’s best-in-class service connecting Chicago to all points in Canada through the unique EJ&E Chicago bypass,” according to CN. It is said to benefit intermodal customers shipping automotive parts, food, FAK (freight all kinds), home appliances, and temperature-controlled products.
“Union Pacific has a great network, and we will continue leveraging it to offer our customers competitive, world-class service,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said during the Sept. 12 announcement. “I’m optimistic about the strong performance and the growth potential as a result of our operational excellence and opportunities created by the nearshoring trend in Mexico.”
“CN is pleased to offer customers an entire day off the already fast Falcon Intermodal Premium Service,” CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson said in a Sept. 12 statement. “I am confident the early results of the Falcon service, combined with our speed and reliability, will enable the continued growth of this service.”
