Why rail transport takes so long

dbsb3233

Well-Known Member
First Name
TimCO
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
54
Messages
9,299
Reaction score
10,814
Location
Colorado, USA
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E FE, 2023 Bronco Sport OB
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
Like many here, I was puzzled why it takes 2 weeks to get a railcar the 1600 miles from Cuautitlan, Mexico to Kansas City. It's only 2 days when driving. I knew there would be more stops along the way, since trains are commonly pulling a wide variety of railcars and products bound for different destinations. But I figured that would only add a few more days, not weeks.

I found a good video that helps explain why it's so complicated and why it takes so long. Decided to start a thread for a few videos about the rail process, since so many of us are anxious and wondering why it takes so long. Maybe we have a few experts here that can post some additional info.

Sponsored

 
OP
OP
dbsb3233

dbsb3233

Well-Known Member
First Name
TimCO
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
54
Messages
9,299
Reaction score
10,814
Location
Colorado, USA
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E FE, 2023 Bronco Sport OB
Occupation
Retired
Country flag

JellyBelly

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kris
Joined
Jun 27, 2020
Threads
14
Messages
2,481
Reaction score
1,937
Location
San Diego
Vehicles
MME RR FE
Country flag
Looks like nearly all of the MMEs bound for the US or Canada come from the Cuautitlan plant up to Kansas City on Kansas City Southern (KCS). Here's a link to their weekly stats, including their network-wide average speed with all the stops included.

https://investors.kcsouthern.com/performance-metrics/railroad-performance-measures?sc_lang=en
Nice find.

General question I have always had is why they dont drop off cars on their way to KC , say at Houston for all TX etc. But that requires cars to be loaded in specific groupings so that those train cars can be unloaded at those points - makes it very hard to predict the stops each day and possibly empty slots in some train cars and makes it a very long journey for cars headed north. So best to load them all up and use the hub and spoke model from KC.
 

Jimrpa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Sep 10, 2020
Threads
230
Messages
7,009
Reaction score
9,299
Location
Wayne, PA
Vehicles
2021 Infinite Blue Premium Mustang Mach E ER AWD
Occupation
Retied (formerly tried to herd highly technical, independent cats)
Country flag
According to Google, it’s about 1600 miles from Mexico City to Kansas City. That website says these trains are running at a gross speed of 10 MPH, so it’s taking out cars, on average 160 hours, or about a week, just to get to the Kansas City hub? Then according to PALSAPP, my origin will be New Castle, DE, so I assume some drain will take my car from KC to DE. That distance is about 1,100 miles or another 5 days. And I’m sure you have to add 2 days to each end of a train trip for various shuffling, so that’s another 8 days. So 8+5+7 =20 days until it’s ready to be loaded onto a truck and sent to PA. I can see that process and the delivery trip taking a few days. Sigh... I can’t imagine what the process for our EU friends must be like? And then the UK? What do THEY have to go through? Do the cars get imported to the EU, then exported to the UK? Ugh
 


GoGoGadgetMachE

Well-Known Member
First Name
Michael
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Threads
153
Messages
5,614
Reaction score
12,654
Location
Ohio
Vehicles
2021 Mach-E 1st Ed., 2022 Lightning Platinum
Occupation
Professional forum cheerleader and fanboy
Country flag
if model train people have taught me anything, it's that rail transport takes so long because they just go round and round on very specific routes with little flexibility.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Why rail transport takes so long 1614529802388
 

Kamuelaflyer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2020
Threads
9
Messages
7,925
Reaction score
15,848
Location
Hawaii
Vehicles
2021 Premium Infinite Blue. ER AWD. 2020 Raptor
Country flag
According to Google, it’s about 1600 miles from Mexico City to Kansas City. That website says these trains are running at a gross speed of 10 MPH, so it’s taking out cars, on average 160 hours, or about a week, just to get to the Kansas City hub? Then according to PALSAPP, my origin will be New Castle, DE, so I assume some drain will take my car from KC to DE. That distance is about 1,100 miles or another 5 days. And I’m sure you have to add 2 days to each end of a train trip for various shuffling, so that’s another 8 days. So 8+5+7 =20 days until it’s ready to be loaded onto a truck and sent to PA. I can see that process and the delivery trip taking a few days. Sigh... I can’t imagine what the process for our EU friends must be like? And then the UK? What do THEY have to go through? Do the cars get imported to the EU, then exported to the UK? Ugh
Two weeks to Kansas City. The train stops, drops off cars, picks up other cars (railroad cars not automobiles). Wash, rinse, repeat until it reaches the terminus. Freight trains in the USA routinely reach 130 railroad cars plus multiple locomotives in length. They’re also slow.
Sponsored

 
 




Top