Americold Realty Trust has opened a new $100+ million import-export hub in Kansas City, Missouri, developed in partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). The 335,000-square-foot facility is Americold’s first on the CPKC rail network and will serve as a key link for the Mexico Midwest Express (MMX), the only single-line rail service for refrigerated goods between the U.S. and Mexico.
The hub includes on-site USDA inspections to reduce border delays, container load capacity exceeding 50,000 pounds to ease highway congestion, and a 300-mile service radius for regional distribution. It will also act as a consolidation point for longer-haul shipments, including flows from Canada to Mexico, addressing trucking capacity challenges and border inefficiencies.
“This is more than infrastructure – it’s a fully integrated solution that connects food producers to consumers faster and more efficiently,” said George Chappelle, CEO of Americold. “By combining our cold storage capabilities and food flow expertise with CPKC’s rail network, we’re creating a new North American cold chain.”
Keith Creel, President and CEO of CPKC, said the opening marked “the realization of a shared vision” and is the first of multiple planned facilities across the company’s network, enabling a new refrigerated supply chain across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
The project is expected to create nearly 190 jobs. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe noted the state’s affordability, location, and infrastructure as factors encouraging such investments. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas highlighted the role of strategic partnerships in reshaping industries and accelerating innovation.
Americold’s Kansas City hub is part of a wider strategy to develop import-export hubs supporting global trade lanes and faster food movement across North America. The project received support from Missouri Partnership, the City of Kansas City, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, KC SmartPort, Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri One Start, Evergy, and Spire.
