Railways for the Automotive Industry

Rail Infrastructure for the Automotive Industry

We design, build and maintain the railways and terminals an automaker uses to ship vehicles and receive auto parts. An automotive plant runs on production scheduled down to the minute. If the track fails, railcars don’t leave and the vehicle yard fills up.

We have built terminals and rail spurs for BMW, Mazda and Nissan, and we maintain tracks at automotive plants in Mexico.

What We Do for the Automotive Industry

We cover the full track life cycle, from the executive project to maintenance. The railroad handles the transportation; we build and care for the plant’s rail infrastructure.

Engineering and Permits

Executive project and permits before moving any earth. Conceptual design, engineering, construction drawings and permit management to connect to the main line.

Preventive and Corrective Maintenance

Maintenance contracts so the track keeps pace with production. We inspect track geometry, gauge (the distance between rails), fastenings, ballast and drainage. We also perform ultrasonic rail inspection.

Automotive Terminal Construction

Loading tracks, turnouts and concrete pads. A pad is the concrete slab next to the track where vehicles are loaded and unloaded. We include earthworks, drainage, thermite welding, rail stress relief, lighting and signalized grade crossings.

Materials and Railcar Movers

Track material from Rail Depot and railcar movers from Rail Movers. For in-plant switching, we offer Shuttlewagon railcar movers, for which we are the exclusive representatives in Mexico.

How We Plan an Automotive Terminal

We plan the terminal around the plant’s production schedule. Before designing, we review:

Shipping volume: how many vehicles leave per day and in how many railcars. This defines the number and length of the loading tracks.
Railcar type: autoracks (vehicle carriers) or auto parts railcars. Each one requires a different platform.
Loading area: concrete pads, ramps and vehicle circulation around the track.
Growth: space and alignment to add tracks as production increases.

Vehicle Shipping

The terminal is designed to load railcars without crossing vehicle traffic with rail switching movements. Fewer crossings mean less risk of product damage.