MEXICO’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SICT) has awarded a consortium of CICSA and FCC a $US 1.47bn design and build contract for a 111km section of new passenger line. Assuming an end of September construction start, work will be complete within 31 months on the Saltillo - Santa Catarina section of the new Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo passenger line in northeastern Mexico.

The lot awarded on September 15, the second of four, includes the construction of viaducts, 15 level crossings, 30 bridges and a new station at Villa Aldama. A new track for passenger services will be laid alongside the existing freight line, with passing loops provided at 25km intervals, and provision has been made for future track-doubling.

The 393.9 km Saltillo - Nuevo Laredo line, an active CPKC freight corridor, is central to the federal government’s strategy to restore and expand passenger services across Mexico. It forms part of the planned 1200km Northern Rail route, linking Mexico City with the US border at Nuevo Laredo.

“Passenger trains will run on dedicated tracks at speeds of between 160km/h and 200km/h, featuring main, secondary, and intermediate stations to serve both metropolitan and rural communities,” says Andrés Lajous, head of the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF). The line is projected to carry 7 million passengers annually, strengthening economic and tourism ties across the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

Four lots

The route has been divided into four construction lots:

  • Lot 1 (Unión San Javier - Arroyo El Sauz, 100 km): awarded in August 2025 to ICA for $US 780m, with work starting on August 26
  • Lot 2 (Saltillo - Santa Catarina, 111 km): awarded to CICSA and FCC on September 15, with work due to start on September 30
  • Lot 3 (Arroyo El Sauz - Nuevo Laredo, 136.5 km): ARTF published a shortlist of five consortia on September 18, with bids ranging from $US 594m to $US 868m. The winning bidder will be announced October 3, with work due to start 10 days later and finish by May 2028, and
  • Lot 4 has not yet been defined but is expected to cover the remaining 50km of the line between Santa Catarina and Unión San Javier.

The shortlisted bidders for Lot 3 are:

  • Comsa and VISE: $US 838.4m
  • Constructora de Proyectos Viales de México, CAABSA, and OHL: $US 868.1m
  • Gami Ingeniería e Instalaciones, Construcciones Urales, Recal Estructuras, and Azvi:  $US 594m
  • ICA Constructora: $US 802.7m, and
  • CICSA and FCC: $US 839.6m.

Local media note that the 2025 federal allocation of $US 72.3m for the project is a fraction of the total cost, with future funding dependent on annual budget allocations.

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