CONSTRUCTION started on November 7 of the 133.5km Arroyo El Sauz – Nuevo Laredo section of the 393.9km Gulf of Mexico new line from Saltillo via Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo on the US border.

The new single-track line will be exclusively for use by passenger services, and will be constructed alongside Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) existing Mexico City – Querétaro – Saltillo – Monterrey – Nuevo Laredo freight line.

The new line will have 2.5km-long passing loops every 20km, plus crossings to allow CPKC freight trains to access freight sidings and terminals. There will be three new stations at Nuevo Laredo, Anáhuac, and Lampazos de Naranjo. The line will have 52 railway bridges and 42 level crossings and is expected to open in 2028.

The new Gulf of Mexico line will have other five sections:

• Derramadero – Ramos Arizpe (54.1km)
• Ramos Arizpe – Santa Catarina (63.3km)
• Monterrey – Joyas Anáhuac (19.4 km)
• Joyas Anáhuac – Unión San Javier (23.8km), and
• Unión San Javier – Arroyo El Sauz (23.8km).

The new railway will have maximum speeds of between 160 and 200km/h to achieve a journey time of just under 2 hours from Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo and 3h 30min from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo.

The Gulf of Mexico Train project represents the first phase of Mexico’s National Railway Plan to reintroduce long-distance passenger services on more than 3400km of main lines across the country. The other project included in the first phase is the 107.8km Querétaro – Irapuato line.