THE Mexican government is investing $US 7.15bn in passenger projects this year as well as in 70km of freight infrastructure on the Mayan Train network on the Yucatán Peninsula. Additionally, there is a project to expand 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 on the latter will focus on a 170km section, including a branch line to Dos Bocas Refinery.

The National Railway Plan “is part of a national connectivity strategy,” says Vianey De la Mora García, director general of the Mexican Railway Association (AMF). The Regulatory Agency for Railway Transport (ARTF), soon to be renamed Integrated Trains and Public Transport Agency, (ATTRAPI) “has determined that longer-distance passenger services will operate on dedicated tracks, with minimal shared use with freight rail concessionaires.”

Those companies - Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Ferromex (26% of which is owned by Union Pacific) and Ferrosur - “are closely coordinating with the government to ensure that freight services continue to operate efficiently, with operating-window schemes where necessary. Ongoing collaboration between the [rail freight] sector and [Mexican] authorities is seen as key to balancing passenger and freight services in terms of safety, service quality and sustainability.”

Bidding is under way for contracts to upgrade infrastructure and restore passenger services on two segments of freight railway: the 107.8km Querétaro - Irapuato line (Ferromex) and the 393.9km Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo line (CPKC), with both projects included in the National Railway Plan’s first phase.

Work is expected to begin this month on the Querétaro - Apaseo el Grande line with two construction contracts also due to be awarded this month, according to Andrés Lajous Loaeza, head of ARTF. The contract for the 70km Apaseo el Grande - Irapuato section will be awarded in October. An initial call for proposals for the stations will be announced this month.

A decision on the contract for the Saltillo - Santa Catarina line is expected on September 18, and El Sauz - Nueovo Laredo on October 3, Lajous said. A total of 47 trains in two different configurations will be required for both lines - one with capacity for 300 passengers and a second with capacity for 600. A draft call for proposals is expected this month and a decision will follow in October.

Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, outlined these plans in November 2024. Sheinbaum has reaffirmed a commitment to “upholding existing freight concessions and private investments.” Her administration says it “emphasises the importance of strengthening freight services while expanding rail infrastructure, highlighting its efficiency, environmental advantages and contribution to regional development.”

Sheinbaum’s predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced the initiative - which at the time was somewhat more ambitious - in November 2023. Ferromex, CPKC and Ferrosur conducted feasibility studies in response.

Passenger services along Ferromex’s right-of-way cover three lines:

  • Mexico City - Querétaro - Irapuato - León - Aguascalientes - Chihuahua - Ciudad Juárez
  • Manzanillo - Colima - Guadalajara - Irapuato, and
  • Mexico City - Querétaro - Guadalajara - Tepic - Mazatlán - Nogales.

Passenger services along CPKC right-of-way would be on the railway’s principal freight corridor: Mexico City - Querétaro - San Luis Potosí - Saltillo - Monterrey - Nuevo Laredo. CPKC says it is “actively collaborating with the Mexican government to support implementation, specifically for the Mexico City - Querétaro and the Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo segments.”

CPKC adds that it is making steady progress, including with a technical review of project segments. That includes providing detailed assessments and alternatives to facilitate decision-making, and mutual agreements.

“We are working toward clear agreements that minimise shared infrastructure usage between passenger and freight services,” CPKC says. “Where interactions are unavoidable, CPKC has proposed infrastructure solutions and operational adjustments, ensuring that the impact on freight operations and growth remains minimal.”

CPKC also agreed to support a study to host a 75.5km commuter line serving 26 stations on its B Line in Monterrey.  It would connect with the existing 39km, three-line light metro network operated by Metrorrey Public Transport.

Ferrosur

Two passenger services will use Ferrosur’s right-of-way: Mexico City - Veracruz - Coatzacoalcos, and Mexico City - Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) - Pachuca.

Construction on the Mexico City - Querétaro (Ferromex) and AIFA - Pachuca (Ferrosur) lines is underway. These lines will be electrified, effectively extending Mexico City’s Suburban Train and the Mexico City - Toluca Interurban Train commuter services.

Construction began in March on the line from Lechería in the north of Mexico City to Pachuca, with initial work focusing on a new 57km double-track electrified branch from AIFA to Pachuca. 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 daily passengers and offering a 75-minute journey time between Mexico City and Pachuca, and 38 minutes between the airport and Pachuca, with trains operating at up to 130km/h.

The initial stretch between Lechería and AIFA is set to open in December, according to Mexico’s secretary of infrastructure, communications and transport. Stations on the full line to Pachuca will be located at Xaltocan II (providing a connection with the Suburban Train), Xolox, Tizayuca, Temascalapa, Tepojaco, Empalme El Rey, Platah, Jagüey de Téllez, and Pachuca.

On July 15 ARTF issued a tender for 15 ERTMS-equipped EMUs, including commissioning, maintenance and the supply of workshop equipment, for use on the Mexico City - Pachuca line. Submission and opening of proposals will take place on August 18, with the contract set to be awarded on August 29. The 100m-long, 130km/h trains will feature high-platform level boarding and priority seating, and will have similar specifications to the CAF rolling stock used by the existing Suburban Train. They can operate in multiple and offer at least 315 seats with a maximum capacity of 700 passengers.

Diesel-electric locomotives will be used to haul coaches on non-electrified lines.

The Querétaro - Irapuato line will serve six stations and a catchment area of 4 million people. Work is divided into four segments, and contracts will be awarded for each:

  • Querétaro - Apaseo el Grande (30.7km)
  • Apaseo el Grande - Cortázar (28.4km)
  • Cortázar - Irapuato (46.9km), and
  • Irapuato station (1.8km).

The Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo line will have 10 stations and is expected to serve a catchment area of 6.7 million. Work is similarly split across six segments, with contractors invited to bid for each 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), and
  • Arroyo El Sauz - Nuevo Laredo (133.5km).

Mexico’s Ministry of National Defence is responsible for work on Ferromex’s 226km double-track Mexico City - Querétaro main line, where there will be six stations. Construction began in April and the project is expected to enable a journey time of 2 hours, with trains operating at up to 200km/h. The line will offer interchange with local public transport, including commuter rail services from the Buenavista terminus in Mexico City 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.

Lajous Loaeza confirms that the programme’s second phase 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.

He also confirms that tenders will be launched later this year for diesel-electric rolling stock and railway systems for the new line. Mexico has been steadily introducing a fleet of second-hand British HST diesel trains on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (FIT) line, connecting Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz. FIT is a component of the wider CIIT project.

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