Mexico · Trade
Key Facts
—What it is. A 303-kilometer rail line across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico’s narrowest point, linking the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with the Gulf port of Coatzacoalcos.
—A “dry canal.” There are no locks and no ship crossing. Containers are unloaded, carried across by train in under six hours, and reloaded onto vessels on the far coast.
—Scale reality. One freight train carries about 350 to 425 containers; a single Panama Canal ship carries 12,000 to 15,000. This is a complement, not a replacement.
