Western Railroad Discussion > Mexico, China plan railroad link to NM border

Excerpted from the ABQ Journal:

A Chinese development company has inked plans to build a railroad linking Mexico’s Pacific coast with an industrial hub just south of New Mexico’s Santa Teresa port of entry, according to the newspaper El Diario de Chihuahua.

The newspaper reports that Chihuahua Gov. César Duarte signed an agreement on Wednesday with developer China Hyway Group Ltd., the China Development Bank and other investors to construct the rail line between Nayarit state on Mexico’s west coast and San Jerónimo, an industrial development at the western edge of Ciudad Juárez.

http://www.abqjournal.com/438430/biz/mexico-china-plan-railroad-link-to-nm-border.html

The article goes on to say construction will begin before the end of the year. It didn't indicate how long it would take to construct the line or how much it will cost. The UP's newly opened Santa Teresa yard and intermodal terminal is just north of San Jerónimo.

China has been actively investing in Latin American countries with natural resource holdings. It's a good way to unload the warehouses filled with US dollars from the lopsided balance of trade.

More American worker salary's being cut out of the factory to consumer chain.
This doesn't just affect the American dockworkers. It affects the local businesses where the workers spend their money, the workers who work at those businesses and the local governments that will be losing tax revenue. Railroad workers will be affected too. How many divisions are there between the CA ports and New Mexico? It's all mileage that won't be paid for. I don't expect the Port of Long Beach to turn into a ghost town, but another small bite will be taken from our economy.

The environmentalists may backfire on this line, if it goes forward.

Posted from Android

technoty Wrote:
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> The environmentalists may backfire on this line,
> if it goes forward.
>
> Posted from Android


Don't they eat enviromentalists and NIMBY's in Mexico? If they include coal, then Oregon and Washington are going to lose significantly!

This line can be built relatively quickly as it is a private project with deep pockets. Money greases a lot of palms and things get done quickly.

Rob

Not sure why they think they need new rail.....couple of Mexican ports already bring in substantial tonnage from Asia. Much easier to build brownfield than greenfield capacity, too.

BobE

One good thing is that it may encourage more rail transport in general.

You can't stop it. However, America has invested heavily in foreign countries over the years, only to be burned in many cases. We'll see if China gets burned, too.

I think it is time for American railroads to do something really bold. Many of your routes are choked with traffic, and a new route might make sense here at home. A new Chicago bypass, for instance.

Nailing to a wall with a nail gun was popular a few years ago.

> -----
> > The environmentalists may backfire on this
> line,
> > if it goes forward.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
>
> Don't they eat enviromentalists and NIMBY's in
> Mexico?

China has been investing in middle Africa as well, Ore and Coal. Engineers from China, not sure where the worker bees are from.

Haven't heard much about the Coal to Gasoline project in Wyoming lately, that one was said to be all Chinese workers.

What to you mean the environmentalists and NIMBYs are eaten? I have no knowledge in this concept.

Posted from Android

The original article has been extensively updated to include comments indicating skepticism as to whether the railroad could actually be built. These include obstacles such as construction of a yet-to-be-built deep water port in Nayarit state and possible opposition from the two groups that currently control all Mexican rail traffic: Ferromex and Kansas City Southern de México. Also it is not clear whether the proposal has the support of the heavily centralized Mexican federal government.

Not to mention that the establishment of a new border crossing might be an issue in and
of itself.

Out

Those two sections of Mexico are already linked by rail -- on two different routes -- the CH-P route via Sufragio and the former NdeM route via Torreon and Guadalajara. I seriously doubt that either route is operating at capacity.

This is **ALMOST** as far-fetched as the line the Chinese want to build linking Siberia and Alaska.

Let's just say I'll believe it when I see it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/14 15:42 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

This would be an 800+ mile railroad through major mountains. Like other posters, I think this is not at all realistic.

It's like the oft talked scheme of getting from Ensenada to Mexicali over some of
the worst terrain on the continent.

Out

technoty Wrote:
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> What to you mean the environmentalists and NIMBYs
> are eaten? I have no knowledge in this concept.
>
> Posted from Android


They place very little priority on environmental impacts of projects in nations like Mexico & people who do get laughed out of the room if it's something that has a strong economic impact. Certain southwestern (US) regions have issues with polluted water/air coming across since there aren't any strict rules about that down there. (My opinion is irrelevant here, but I think a balance between the two is ideal and much more achievable than either side want to admit).

If it's built, it will be like many other projects the Chinese sponsor. Much of the labor will be Chinese, though they will hire Mexicans at the lowest possible price and treat them like slaves. The construction will be as destructive as possible to the local environment, and the Chinese will probably be guaranteed eternal access to any resources along the route at virtually no cost. Mexico will also be loaded with Billions of $$ debt to the Chinese again forever.
When completed the line will immediately begin to fall apart, a unique ability the Chinese have, most things they built become dilapidated as they are built, with construction debris never cleared away.
There's a history of just this sort of behavior on the part of China in Africa and South East Asia.

Shouldn't be too hard to build with all the machines we have now days. You all forget they built over Donner by hand.
Can't be done my ass.......

Posted from Android

SD45X Wrote:
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> Shouldn't be too hard to build with all the
> machines we have now days. You all forget they
> built over Donner by hand.
> Can't be done my ass.......
>
> Posted from Android

Take away the environmental controls, impose 1860s and 1870s labor relations, use modern technology.

Sounds like Chinese 2014 approach to things...

I wonder how this will effect UPs plans to build a new line from Benson to Naco, AZ to tie into the Mexican network there.

On a semi-related note, does China operate double-stack trains? I had seen where India was going to start doing so but not sure if they ever did. China seems to be investing heavily in freight rail as well as HSR passenger, so wondered how "modern" they really are.