North American freight rail associations pen joint letter in support of NAFTA

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Railway Association of Canada

The freight rail associations representing Mexico, the United States and Canada, sent a joint letter to negotiators ahead of the sixth formal round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) discussions being held in Montreal, Quebec, Jan. 23-28.

 

Leaders of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Railway Association of Canada (RAC) and the Asociación Mexicana de Ferrocarriles (AMF) delivered the letter in an effort to communicate the vast benefits that NAFTA has provided for the Canadian, Mexican and United States economies, and the critical need to maintain free trade on the continent. The letter calls for constructive negotiations and the preservation of successful elements currently in place.

“Economic growth tied to NAFTA has allowed railways to invest tens of billions of dollars into their infrastructure while improving productivity and customer service, and fostering innovation,” states the letter, signed by Edward R. Hamberger, AAR, Gérald Gauthier, RAC and Dr. Iker de Luisa Plazas, AMF. “Collectively, these improvements have enabled railways to maintain the low rates that are required to provide shippers with access to global supply chains and support their success.”

The organizations stressed the integrated nature of today’s global economy and the need for a continental railroad network in providing access to markets and the most affordable products to businesses and consumers in each nation.

“We are thrilled to work with our peers in Canada and Mexico to send a simple message: we must not exit NAFTA in the admirable pursuit of modernizing the agreement,” said AAR’s Hamberger. “Our members serve customers that touch nearly every sector of the global economy and do so through a complex supply chain spearheaded by railroads. This cannot be upended overnight, so we are hopeful that representatives can forge a deal that continues to improve economic outcomes across all countries and North America as a whole.”

“Railways are the backbone of an integrated North American economy whose success is largely due to NAFTA,” said RAC Acting President Gérald Gauthier. “Canada’s railways stand together with our counterparts in the U.S. and Mexico in encouraging all sides to work collaboratively towards a continued win-win-win approach that builds on the existing framework and the progress that we’ve made as trading partners.”

The full letter can be downloaded below.

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