Congressman Cuellar has been deeply involved in this issue since 2013, when he initiated an all-parties meeting and began conversation surrounding local rail blockage. In the past year, he successfully included language in the FY2015 House Appropriations bill that requires the Government Accountability Office to assess best practices to decrease rail congestion and reduce blockage of street crossings in Laredo.

Items discussed today where the possibility of pre-clearing rail cargo, clearing rail staff to operate on both sides of the border, investing in infrastructure and city ordinances for alleviating traffic congestions during certain hours.

“Where most U.S. ports of entry have, on average, one incoming train per day, Laredo has 11 incoming and another 11 outgoing trains. We met with city, state and federal agencies today to make sure Laredo’s rail cargo continues to grow while also looking for solutions to ease traffic congestion within the city that are sometimes caused by rail operations. I thank all the agencies for working together on this effort.”