CPKC and CSX have announced upgrades to their Southeast Mexico Express (SMX) rail service, introducing a dedicated train and shorter transit times between the southeastern United States, Texas and Mexico.
The revised service launched on 4 May 2026 and includes additional routing options for freight customers moving goods between markets including Atlanta, Charlotte and central Florida, and destinations such as Dallas and Monterrey.
Direct connection links U.S Southeast to Texas and Mexico markets
© CPKC
The updated schedule reduces transit times across all existing SMX routes. Improvements include journeys between Atlanta and Dallas being reduced by around one day, while shipments between Atlanta and central Mexico are expected to arrive approximately two and a half days sooner than under previous schedules.
The companies said the changes follow infrastructure investment along the corridor, including upgrades to track, bridges and signalling systems on sections of the former Meridian & Bigbee Railroad. Additional work has also been carried out across 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.
Under the revised timetable, the dedicated SMX service now offers two-day transit between Atlanta and Dallas, three-day service between Monterrey and Atlanta, and four-day service between central Mexico and Atlanta. New origin and destination options have also been introduced in Charlotte, Jacksonville and central Florida.
The Southeast Mexico Express was first introduced in December 2024 following the companies’ acquisitions of sections of the former Meridian & Bigbee Railroad. The arrangement created a direct interchange connection 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.