BIDDING is underway for contracts to upgrade infrastructure and restore passenger services on two main line railways in Mexico: the 107.8km Querétaro - Irapuato and the 393.9km Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo lines. Work on the projects will begin immediately after the construction contracts are awarded at the end of July, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SCT) has confirmed.
Both projects are included in the first phase of the government’s National Railway Plan, which aims to reintroduce passenger services on 3000km of lines across Mexico, as outlined by president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, in November. Work on the Mexico City - Pachua and Mexico City - Querétaro lines is already underway with passenger trains set to operate at 160-200km/h on the upgraded lines.
The government is investing Pesos 157bn ($US 7.15bn) in the programme in 2025, which is divided across the four passenger projects, along with investment in 70km of freight infrastructure on the Mayan Train network on the Yucatan peninsula, and the project to expand both freight and passenger services on the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), the 303km line between Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico and Salina Cruz on the Pacific Coast. Work here will focus on a 170km section, including a branch line to Dos Bocas refinery.
An interdisciplinary team from across various federal government departments is working alongside state and municipal governments on the rail programme.
The projects
SCT confirmed that basic engineering studies for the Querétaro - Irapuato and Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo lines have been completed, with further studies and environmental assessment set to proceed once the construction contracts have been awarded.
The Querétaro - Irapuato line will serve six stations at Querétaro, Apaseo el Grande, Celaya, Villagrán/Cortázar, Salamanca and Irapuato, serving a catchment area of 4 million people. Work is divided into four lots and contracts will be awarded for each section:
- Querétaro - Apaseo El Grande (30.7km), where work will begin
- Apaseo El Grande - Cortázar (28.4km)
- Cortázar - Irapuato (46.9km), and
- Irapuato station (1.8km).
The Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo line will have 10 stations at Derramadero, Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, García, Santa Catarina, Monterrey, Escobedo, Bustamante, Anáhuac and Nuevo Laredo. It is expected to serve a catchment of 6.7 million while SCT says the project is expected to create 230,000 jobs. Work is similarly split across six sections with contractors again invited to bid for each lot individually:
- Derramadero - Ramos Arizpe (54.1km)
- Ramos Arizpe - Santa Catarina (63.3km)
- Monterrey - Joyas Anáhuac, (19.4km)
- Joyas Anáhuac - Unión San Javier (23.8km)
- Unión San Javier - Arroyo El Sauz (99.8km), where construction will begin, and
- Arroyo El Sauz - Nuevo Laredo (133.5km).
Other projects
Construction got underway in March on the Mexico City - Pachua project, with initial work focusing on the new 57km double-track electrified branch from Felipe Ángeles International Airport to Pachua. The project is set to create 40,000 jobs and the line is expected to serve a population of 1.2 million, carrying 83,000 passengers a day. The line will offer a journey time of 1h 15min between Mexico City and Pachua, and 38 minutes between the airport and Pachua, with trains operating at up to 120km/h.
Stations will be located at Xaltocan II, providing a connection with the suburban line, along with Xolox, Tizayuca, Temascalapa, Tepojaco, Empalme de El Rey, Platah, Jagüey de Téllez, and Pachuca.
Mexico’s Ministry of National Defence is responsible for work on the 226km Mexico City - Querétaro line. Work began in April on the double-track line which will serve five stations: Huehuetoca, Praderas del Potrero, Tula, San Juan del Río, Los Héroes/Airport (yet to be determined), and Querétaro. It is expected to offer a journey time of 2 hours, with trains operating at up to 200km/h. The line will offer interchange with local public transport, including suburban rail services from Buenavista to Cuautitlán as well as metro and bus services in Mexico City. The line is expected to serve around 1.75 million people and the project will create 80,000 jobs.
Andrés Lajous Loaeza, head of the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF), confirmed in May that tenders will be launched later this year for rolling stock and railway systems for the lines. Mexico has been steadily introducing a fleet of second-hand British HST diesel trains on passenger lines in recent months.
Lajous Loaeza also confirmed that the second phase of the programme will be launched in 2026. This will include connections to San Luis Potosí, Guadalajara, and the Pacific coast. “We have noticed demand for a service between Los Mochis and Culiacán,” he says.
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