Suspension of rail operations impacting Borderland’s business
JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Trains in Juarez continue to be stuck carrying tons of cargo and merchandise south of the border.
ABC-7 spoke with Jerry Pacheco, the president of the Border Industrial Association, who said this holiday season we will continue to see delayed shipments of cargo not arriving on time, which will start disrupting our region's supply chain. CBP stopped the trains because a lot of migrants travel on top.
This will also cause costs to go up, causing consumers to pay more.
All the cargo that will not be delivered by train will probably have to be shifted to be delivered by commercial trucks, according to Pacheco.
President Pacheco explains trucks and trains each have their pros and cons. Depending on the threshold, trucks could deliver cargo faster than trains, but trains are also more efficient and cheaper than commercial trucks.
During a morning news conference, Juárez Mayor Cruz Pérez Cuéllar also commented on the recent suspension of rail operations in El Paso.
Mayor Pérez Cuéllar said he supports U.S. Customs and Border Protection's decision to stop rail operations due to the risks migrants face every day when they travel on top of commercial trains.
“I think they (FERROMEX) should not let anyone board for the safety of the migrants and to comply with the law; this U.S. CBP decision should put enough pressure on this to be fixed,” Mayor Pérez Cuéllar added.