Americold Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust focused on temperature-controlled warehousing, is celebrating the grand opening of its new $100+ million import-export hub in Kansas City, Mo.

Developed in partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the 335,000-square-foot facility is Americold’s first on the CPKC rail network and a key hub for the Mexico Midwest Express, North America’s only single-line rail service for refrigerated goods between the US and Mexico.

Key features include on-site US Department of Agriculture inspections to eliminate border delays; load capacity exceeding 50,000 pounds per container to reduce highway congestion; and a 300-mile service radius supporting regional food flow. Beyond the immediate region, the facility also serves as a strategic consolidation point for longer-haul shipments, including flows from Canada to Mexico, particularly for customers facing border inefficiencies or trucking capacity challenges.

“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 that delivers real value to our customers. Simply put, we’ve unlocked a better way to move food.”

Keith Creel, president and CEO of CPKC, said, “This grand opening marks the realization of a shared vision and what is today a growing strategic collaboration delivering new rail service products to the market, This facility is the first of many across our unrivaled North American network. By combining Americold with our secure, single-line cross-border service, we have created a new refrigerated supply chain for our customers shipping food and other temperature-controlled products across Canada, the United States and Mexico.”

This Kansas City hub is part of a broader network of Import-Export Hubs Americold is developing through strategic partnerships to support global trade lanes and enable the fast, seamless movement of food across North America and around the world. It reflects the power of public-private collaboration to modernize infrastructure and improve how food moves from origin to destination.

“Kansas City proudly welcomes Americold to our thriving business landscape,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “With direct rail connectivity through CPKC and a talented local workforce, this new facility highlights how strategic partnerships can reshape industries and accelerate innovation. We’re excited to be at the center of that transformation.”

The project is expected to create nearly 190 new jobs and significantly enhance regional and cross-border food logistics.

“Americold’s investment in Kansas City not only brings new jobs – it brings opportunity,” said Tracey Lewis, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City. “This project strengthens our logistics infrastructure and creates pathways for local talent to thrive in a fast-growing sector. It’s the kind of momentum we love to see for our city and our people.”

The project was supported by 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.

Source: Americold