KCS was founded in 1887 by Arthur Stilwell, who envisioned a single-line railroad from the U.S. heartland to the Gulf of Mexico. Building off of his vision to develop a north-south railroad, KCS extended its network into Mexico in 1997 by joining with Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana S.A. de C.V. (TFM) to operate the Northeast Railway, which was considered Mexico's premier rail line.
In 2005, KCS acquired full ownership of TFM and renamed it Kansas City Southern de México S.A. de C.V., resulting in the first and only coordinated rail network between the United States and Mexico, KCS officials said in a prepared statement.
Last year, KCS handled 2 million carloads and generated revenue of $2.1 billion — the first time carloads reached the 2 million threshold and annual revenue exceeded $2 billion, they said.
"The ringing of the opening bell of trading on the New York Stock Exchange is for us a celebration of the contributions of generations of dedicated KCS employees," said KCS Executive Chairman Mike Haverty.
To learn more about KCS' history, follow this link to read an article ("A vision quest for KCS") that appeared in Progressive Railroading's October issue.
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