CSX, CPKC upgrade Southeast Mexico Express with dedicated train, faster transit times

CSX Corp. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced upgrades to the Southeast Mexico Express (SMX) premium service featuring faster transit times with more origin and destination options for customers looking to reach new markets.

The new SMX premium service schedule and routing options launched May 4, 2026, offer industry-best, truck-competitive transit times between southeastern markets such as Atlanta, Charlotte or central Florida, and markets in Texas and Mexico, including Dallas and Monterrey. The service improvements have reduced transit times for every previously available SMX option. These reductions range from approximately one-day-faster service between Atlanta and Dallas, and approximately 2.5 days faster between Atlanta and central Mexico. SMX improvements are the result of capital investments in track, bridges and signal infrastructure on the former Meridian & Bigbee Railroad (MNBR) and continued investments across the corridor in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas offering greater speeds and more efficiency.

“These service upgrades, providing approximately 20 to 45 percent improvement to SMX transit times, reflect our ongoing commitment to providing more best-in-class, flexible transportation solutions to our customers looking for innovative ways to reach new markets,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President & CEO. “Together with CSX, the SMX offers a level of speed, flexibility and dependability that reaches additional growing markets in the U.S. Southeast. This is a premium rail solution that cannot be replicated because we have the best route linking shippers to Texas and to Mexico that will move more trucks to rail.”

“The upgraded SMX service demonstrates the long-term investments CSX has made to strengthen this corridor and provide more consistent, reliable service for our customers,” said Steve Angel, president and CEO of CSX. “By working closely with CPKC, we’re expanding access and delivering meaningful improvements for shippers moving freight between the key markets of the Southeast U.S. and Mexico.”

The new SMX dedicated train service provides two-day service between Atlanta and Dallas, with three-day service from Monterrey and four-day service from central Mexico to Atlanta. Customers can extend their reach with new SMX origins and destinations in Charlotte, Jacksonville and Central Florida.

CSX and CPKC debuted the SMX in December 2024 creating rail transportation routing options with available capacity along this east-west corridor for customers looking to reach Texas and Mexico from the U.S. Southeast. The connection came out of the two Class I’s respective acquisitions of portions of the former MNBR. As a result, CPKC and CSX established a direct Class I-to-Class I interchange near Myrtlewood, Alabama.

Schneider National, Inc., a premier multimodal provider of transportation, intermodal and logistic services, has already experienced the SMX advantage and looks forward to building on its earlier success in the corridor.

“Schneider has seen firsthand the value of continued collaboration with our railroad partners in bringing new, innovative intermodal products to market,” said Schneider President and CEO Mark Rourke. “The enhanced Southeast Mexico Express delivers more reliable and truck-like service, making it an attractive option for shippers looking to move freight between Texas, Mexico and the Southeastern United States. There is strong demand in these lanes, and the upgrades further strengthen rail’s ability to compete with trucks on speed and consistency while offering customers greater capacity and efficiency.”

SMX gives intermodal, automotive and carload customers truck-competitive transit times, greater capacity, and environmentally sustainable rail solutions.

Advantages of SMX include:

• Direct connectivity: Links to Mexico, Texas and U.S. Southeast.
• Market access: Expanded connectivity to diverse origin points across North America.
• Faster transit times: Improved time and cost efficiency supported by infrastructure upgrades.
• Secure transportation: Advanced technology expedites border crossings while enhancing shipment security.
• Environmental sustainability: Replaces up to 300 semi-trucks per train, reducing emissions.