Mexico City, June 26 – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced today that the passenger train lines connecting Mexico City with Querétaro and Mexico City with Pachuca are projected to be inaugurated in 2027. This declaration was made during a press conference where Sheinbaum highlighted the advanced progress of these and other railway projects across the country.
Significant Progress in Land Acquisition and Construction
According to the President, 28,452,804 square meters of right-of-way have already been secured for these projects. “As you can see, we are very advanced; work is progressing very well on the Mexico City-Querétaro, Mexico City-Pachuca, Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo, and Querétaro-Irapuato lines,” Sheinbaum stated. She added that the remaining sections, from Mexico City to Guadalajara and from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo, will be tendered this year or constructed by the Ministry of Defense.
The President emphasized the goal of inaugurating the Querétaro and Pachuca trains next year, in 2027. She also noted that the Maya Cargo Train is more than 50 percent complete, with most of it expected to be finished this year and additional facilities in 2027.
Total Investment and Existing Projects
The total investment for all train projects amounts to 750 billion pesos. Sheinbaum also recalled the inauguration of the Santa Fe-Observatorio section of the El Insurgente Train and the acquisition of shares to make the Mexico City-Lechería train public. The Lechería-AIFA line is already operational.
Land Management and Community Engagement
Edna Elena Vega Rangel, Secretary of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development, reported that of the 28,452,804 square meters of right-of-way acquired, 72% corresponds to historical right-of-way, 14% to social property, and 14% to private property. For the latter two categories, 268 social meetings have been held to address concerns and issues within communities. Work has been established with 128 ejidos and communities, 95 assemblies have been conducted with over 4,500 attendees, and 987 plots of land have been acquired.
Construction Details and Manufacturing
Andrés Lajous Loaeza, head of the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transport (ATTRAPI), provided construction details. For the Querétaro-Irapuato and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo lines, work continues on clearing, earthworks, drainage, and viaduct construction. In Monterrey, open-pit and mixed soundings are being conducted, induced works identified, 30,000 tons of steel fabricated, and structural designs for a 9-kilometer viaduct are underway.
Manufacturing of sleepers has begun, with 330,000 for Querétaro-Irapuato, 430,000 for Saltillo-Monterrey, and 490,000 for Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo. Environmental and archaeological work also continues.
Licitations and New Train Units
Lajous highlighted that phase 2 of the tenders for the sections from Mexico City to Saltillo and San Luis Potosí-Saltillo has commenced. These will be staggered for better coordination in design and construction oversight. Six stations, three auxiliary buildings, and maintenance bases are being tendered. The first AIFA-Pachuca train has been manufactured and is expected to arrive in Mexico on July 25, with the construction of the first unit for the northern trains starting this month.
For the metropolitan area of Querétaro, three lower vehicular passages, four upper ones, 11 pedestrian overpasses, three interventions at intersections near the tracks, four new vehicular lanes, and a new road are planned.
Workforce and Engineering Progress
General Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez, Commander of the Felipe Ángeles Engineers Group, stated that 33,072 personnel are involved in the railway works, including 6,380 women, supported by 7,000 units of heavy machinery and rolling stock vehicles.
To date, approximately 800 kilometers of basic engineering have been developed for the first four sections of the initial construction phase: Mexico City-Pachuca, Mexico City-Querétaro, Querétaro-Irapuato, and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo. Basic engineering is also being developed for 1,326 km of the Irapuato-Guadalajara, Querétaro-San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí-Saltillo, and Mazatlán-Los Mochis sections.
Specific Project Updates
- Mexico City-Pachuca Train: 37.06 percent complete, comprising 121 km of new railway lines, 10 km of viaducts, and 47 km of track on embankments, with 10 work fronts.
- Mexico City-Querétaro Train: 19.22 percent complete, covering 232.42 km with 14 work fronts.
- Maya Train Cargo Infrastructure: 54.05 percent complete, with four intermodal cargo complexes under construction in Palenque (Chiapas), Mérida and Progreso (Yucatán), and Cancún (Quintana Roo). A multimodal complex in Chetumal and five operational yards in intermediate cities are planned for 2027.
Néstor Núñez López, head of the Institutional Linkage and Heritage Unit of SICT, noted progress on stations and auxiliary buildings. Additionally, 26 social attention tables have been held to address specific requests, and 36 technical explanation tables have provided clarity on how the trains will integrate into the environment.
