CPKC donates high-tech scanner to bolster U.S.-Mexico border security

Canadian Pacific Kansas City donated a Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System Integrated Rail 6500 (VACIS IR6500) to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency to increase the security of trade by rail at the rail port of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas, the CBP announced this week.

Under CBP’s Donations Acceptance Program (DAP), the CBP will use the VACIS IR6500 to scan and adjudicate cargo entering and exiting the United States. The system features an Exploranium SRPM-210 radiation portal monitor, which detects, locates and categorizes radiation threats, CBP officials said in a press release.

The new technology plays a critical role in maintaining safe and secure trade by rail between Mexico and the United States. It also expedites inspections allowing for 100% scans of all trains traveling through the port, they said.

“We are committed to the safety and security of goods moving by rail across the U.S.-Mexico border,” said James Clements, CPKC's executive vice president strategic planning and corporate services, CPKC. “This equipment, funded by CPKC and donated to CBP, is a key component in our industry-best secure international trade rail corridor between the United States and its largest trading partner, Mexico.”

CPKC submitted a formal proposal to donate the Equipment to the CBP's DAP IN November 2024. The VACIS system is now operational on the Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge connecting Laredo to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. This year the Ottensmeyer Bridge was expanded with a second span crossing the border.