CPKC and CSX have introduced changes to the Southeast Mexico Express rail service, adding a dedicated train and cutting transit times on freight routes between the southeastern United States, Texas and Mexico. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

CPKC and CSX add dedicated SMX train
Photo: CPKC. CPKC and CSX add dedicated SMX train

According to CPKC, the revised SMX service began operating on 4 May 2026. It gives freight customers more routing choices for shipments moving between markets such as Atlanta, Charlotte and central Florida, and destinations including Dallas and Monterrey.

Updated SMX transit times

Under the updated schedule, transit times have been reduced across all existing SMX routes. The Atlanta–Dallas journey is now about one day faster, while freight moving between Atlanta and central Mexico is expected to arrive roughly two and a half days earlier than under the previous timetable.

According to CPKC and CSX, the service changes follow investment in the corridor. This included work on track, bridges and signalling systems along parts of the former Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, as well as further improvements on rail routes in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

Keith Creel, CPKC President & CEO said:
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. 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.

Dedicated SMX service and route options

With the new timetable in place, the dedicated SMX service provides two-day transit from Atlanta to Dallas, three-day service from Monterrey to Atlanta, and four-day service from central Mexico to Atlanta. The companies have also added new origin and destination points in Charlotte, Jacksonville and central Florida.

The Southeast Mexico Express was launched in December 2024 after CPKC and CSX acquired sections of the former Meridian & Bigbee Railroad. That move established a direct interchange between the two Class I freight railways near Myrtlewood.

Steve Angel, president and CEO of CSX said:
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. 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.

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