THE WAY TO RUN A RAILROAD

摘要

Not so long ago, when Nissan Motor Co. shipped its red-hot Sentra sedans from plants in Mexico to dealerships in the U.S., getting them there was a big headache. Mexico's state-owned trains were plagued by miserable service and beset by illegal immigrants trying to hop rides and sometimes stealing car radios. Today, the rail line between Mexico City and Laredo, Tex., is a well-oiled machine. It was privatized in 1996 and is now 37%-owned by Kansas City Southern Industries Inc. With the guidance of kcs management, the renamed Grupo Transportation Ferroviaria Mex-icana (TFM) has embarked on a $919 million job of overhauling tracks, doubling the railcar fleet, leasing new locomotives, and upgrading the system.