Apart from new projects, tourist trains like this Ferromex Copper Canyon excursion are all that remain of Mexico’s long-distance passenger network.
With two projects under way and two more due to start by the end of July, Kevin Smith and William C. Vantuono, chief editors of International Railway Journal and Railway Age, respectively, update progress on Mexico’s National Railway Plan, which aims to restore passenger services on more than 3,400 km (approximately 2,100 miles) of main lines across the country. Much of this involves constructing dedicated passenger tracks on freight rail rights-of-way operated by private companies.
Currently, the Mexican government this year is investing $7.15 billion in several passenger projects, as well as in 70 km (43 miles) of freight infrastructure on the Mayan Train network on the Yucatan Peninsula. Additionally, there is a project to expand freight and passenger services on the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), the 303-km (88-mile) line between Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico and Salina Cruz on the Pacific Coast. Work on the latter will focus on a 170-km (105-mile) section, including a branch line to Dos Bocas Refinery.
The National Railway Plan “is part of a national connectivity strategy,” Vianey De la Mora García, Director General of AMF (Asociatión Mexicana de Ferrocariles AC, Mexico’s equivalent to the Association of American Railroads), told Vantuono. The Regulatory Agency for Railway Transport (ARTF), soon to be renamed ATTRAPI (Integrated Trains and Public Transport Agency), “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, 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 [freight rail] 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 freight main line railways in Mexico: the 107.8-km (66.8-mile) Querétaro – Irapuato line (Ferromex) and the 393.9-km (244.2-mile) Saltillo – Nuevo Laredo line (CPKC). Work is expected to begin immediately after construction contracts are awarded at the end of July, Mexico’s SCT (Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport) confirmed. Both projects are included in the National Railway Plan’s first phase.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo outlined these plans in November 2024. Sheinbaum reaffirmed her commitment to “upholding existing freight concessions and private investments.” Her administration said it “emphasizes 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 (AMLO), announced the initiative—which at the time was somewhat more ambitious—in November 2023. Ferromex (26% of which is owned by Union Pacific), CPKC and Ferrosur conducted feasibility studies in response.
Passenger services along Ferromex right-of-way involve three lines:
- Mexico City – Querétaro – Irapuato – León – Aguascalientes – Chihuahua – Ciudad Juárez.
- Manzanillo – Colima – Guadalajara – Irapuato.
- 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 is actively collaborating with the Mexican government to support implementation specifically for the Mexico City – Queretaro and the Saltillo – Nuevo Laredo segments,” the Class I told Vantuono. “CPKC is making steady progress, actively and closely working with Mexican authorities on 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 minimize shared infrastructure usage between passenger and freight services. Where interactions are unavoidable, CPKC has proposed infrastructure solutions and operational adjustments, ensuring that the impacts on freight operations and growth remains minimal.”
CPKC also agreed to support a study to host a regional/commuter passenger train service in Monterrey, which has a light rail system, STCM (Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey). The proposed service is a 75.5-km (46.6-mile) rail corridor on CPKC’s B Line, with 26 stations between the Monterrey Metropolitan Area and the municipality of Pesqueria, to the south. It would connect with STCM.
Passenger services along Ferrosur right-of-way involve two lines:
- Mexico City – Veracruz – Coatzacoalcos.
- Mexico City – AIFA (Felipe Ángeles International Airport) – Pachuca.
Construction on the Mexico City – Querétaro (Ferromex) and AIFA – Pachua (Ferrosur) lines is under way. These lines will be electrified with catenary, as they are extensions to Mexico City’s Tren Suburbano (Suburban Train) and El Insurgente (Interurban Train Mexico-Toluca) electrified commuter rail services. Construction got under way in March on the Mexico City – Pachua project, with initial work focusing on a new 57-km (35.3-mile) double-track electrified branch from AIFA 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 daily passengers. It will offer a 75-minute journey time between Mexico City and Pachua, and 38 minutes between the airport and Pachua, with trains operating at up to 130 kph (80 mph). Stations will be located at Xaltocan II (providing a connection with the Tren Suburbano), Xolox, Tizayuca, Temascalapa, Tepojaco, Empalme de El Rey, Platah, Jagüey de Téllez, and Pachuca
On July 15, ARTF released an Open International Electronic Public Tender for 15 ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System)-equipped electric passenger trainsets, including commissioning, maintenance and workshop equipment, for the Mexico City – Pachuca project. Submission and opening of proposals will take place on Aug. 18, with a contract to be awarded Aug. 29. The train technology will be similar to the CAF rolling stock used by the existing Tren Suburbano. The 100-meter-long trainsets will feature high-platform level boarding and priority seating, maximum speed of 130 kph, operation in 200-meter-long pairs, and at least 315 ergonomic seats with a maximum capacity of 700.
Other than the above electrified lines, rolling stock will consist of diesel-electric locomotive-hauled railcars.
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 segments, and contracts will be awarded for each:
- Querétaro – Apaseo El Grande (30.7 km/19 miles).
- Apaseo El Grande – Cortázar (28.4 km/17.6 miles).
- Cortázar – Irapuato (46.9 km/29.1 miles).
- Irapuato Station (1.8 km/1.1 miles).
The Saltillo – Nuevo Laredo line will have 10 stations: Derramadero, Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, García, Santa Catarina, Monterrey, Escobedo, Bustamante, Anáhuac and Nuevo Laredo. It 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 (54.1 km/33.5 miles)
- Ramos Arizpe – Santa Catarina (63.3 km/39.3 miles)
- Monterrey – Joyas Anáhuac, (19.4 km/12 miles)
- Joyas Anáhuac – Unión San Javier (23.8 km/14.8 miles)
- Unión San Javier – Arroyo El Sauz (99.8 km/61.9 miles).
- Arroyo El Sauz – Nuevo Laredo (133.5 km/82.8 miles).
Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense is responsible for work on the 226-km (140-mile) double-track Mexico City – Querétaro (Ferromex) line. Work began in April. This line will serve six 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 two-hour journey time, with trains operating at up to 200 kph (125 mph). The line will offer interchange with local public transport, including suburban rail services from Buenavista to Cuautitlán as well as Tren Urbano metro and bus services in Mexico City. The line is expected to serve around 1.75 million people and create 80,000 project jobs.
Andrés Lajous Loaeza, head of ATTRAPI, confirmed in May that tenders will be launched later this year for diesel-electric rolling stock and railway systems. Mexico has been steadily introducing a fleet of second-hand British HST diesel trains on passenger lines in recent months. Loaeza also confirmed that the program’s second phase will be launched in 2026. This will include connections to San Luis Potosí, Guadalajara and the Pacific Coast.
