The City of Laredo has worked to establish relationships and dialogue with the Texas Mexican Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad, both of which have operated in Laredo and have used the city as a crossing point between the U.S. and Mexico for over a century. In these discussions, the rail operators have often brought forth several solutions that were not feasible at the time due to a lack of legislative support of these measures.

In an effort to alleviate train congestion in the short-term, several operational improvements are being proposed, which are listed below.

• Use of International Crews: Train delays often occur at the international rail bridge as Mexican and U.S. operators must switch before crossing the international boundary. International crews can solve the problem by hauling trains across the bridge. By doing so, regular crews on both sides of the border will be able to take drags back to their respective rail yards. These crews would only be allowed to travel within an established rail trade zone, which would include rail yards on both sides of the bridge and all rail lines between them. Engineers from both countries would be licensed by their respective company to work within the rail trade zone. Furthermore, international crew members would be required to be bilingual to communicate by radio with yardmasters, dispatchers, etc. This would also allow for paperwork, such as track warrants and train lists, to be distributed in either language.
• Air Brake Testing: Another source of congestion occurs as trains block crossings for long periods of time while air brakes are tested. In order to reduce the blockage of railroad crossings, Tex-Mex proposes to test the air brakes on rail cars before they cross into the U.S. Tests will be conducted to meet the standards established by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The City of Laredo supports a binational effort to implement these operational changes.

• Federal Railroad Administration