Kansas City Southern, through its subsidiaries, engages in the freight rail transportation business. The company operates north/south rail route between Kansas City, Missouri, and various ports along the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in the midwest and southeast regions of the United States. It also operates direct rail passageway between Mexico City and Laredo, Texas serving various Mexico's industrial cities and 3 of its seaports; and a 157-mile rail line extending from Laredo, Texas to the port city of Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as owns the northern half of the rail bridge at Laredo, Texas. In addition, the company operates a bulk materials handling facility with deep-water access to the Gulf of Mexico at Port Arthur, Texas that stores and transfers petroleum coke from rail cars to ships primarily for export; and a railroad wood-tie treatment facility. Its coordinated rail network comprises approximately 6,300 route miles extending from the midwest and southeast portions of the United States, south into Mexico, and connects with various other Class I railroads. The company serves customers conducting business in various industries, including electric-generating utilities, chemical and petroleum products, paper and forest products, agriculture and mineral products, automotive products, and intermodal transportation. Kansas City Southern was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.