The Mexican government, through the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), announced that the bidding process for section A of the Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo train was published on December 5, and that section B, both located in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, is currently underway.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo highlighted the progress in the construction of the northern trains and emphasized that the revitalization of passenger rail services under the Fourth Transformation (a current administration) allows the Mexican state to generate development in the country.
“When the trains were privatized, passenger rail service was abandoned, and many communities that depended on the train were left behind. We believe that we must continue building trains in the country and that the state should have a railway company. Private companies can also operate them, but the state must have trains that enable development,” she stressed at the morning press conference, “Las Mañaneras del Pueblo” (The People’s Morning Briefings).
Regarding the Gulf of Mexico Train: Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, the head of the ARTF (Railway Transportation Regulatory Agency), Andrés Lajous Loaeza, announced that the bidding process for section A, which is 18.1 kilometers (km) long, will be published tomorrow, December 5. Meanwhile, section B, 30.7 km long, is currently out for tender; both branches are located in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area. Additionally, the stations that will run from Derramadero to García in the Coahuila region are also in the public bidding process.
He explained that the Environmental Impact Statement for the entire Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo section has already been completed, and work is underway to clear the right-of-way in areas with communal lands (ejidos). He specified that the detailed engineering for section I, from Saltillo to Santa Catarina, is 8.18 percent complete; section IV, from San Javier to Arroyo El Sauz, is 51.06 percent complete; and section V, from Arroyo El Sauz to Nuevo Laredo, is 18.17 percent complete.
Regarding the Querétaro-Irapuato section, he explained that detailed engineering work is underway on section I, from the Querétaro Industrial Zone to Apaseo el Grande, which is 65.15 percent complete, and section II, from the Apaseo el Grande Industrial Zone to Irapuato, which is 6.08 percent complete. Furthermore, the embankment structure is already in place, and preparations are being made for the construction of a railway bridge. He announced that bidding processes are ongoing for auxiliary buildings and the maintenance base.
He highlighted that, in addition, the contract for 47 passenger trains, which will have 65 percent national content, was awarded on December 3rd. These trains will serve the Mexico City-Querétaro-Irapuato route. He detailed that the trains will meet the demand of more than 100,000 people daily, will be 100 meters long, can be coupled together, have a capacity of 700 passengers with at least 315 ergonomic seats, and will be universally accessible.
He explained that, in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense, the next stages of train construction include beginning work on the Querétaro-San Luis Potosí and San Luis Potosí-Saltillo sections of the Gulf of Mexico Railway. Work is also beginning on the Irapuato-Guadalajara section, and progress is being made on pre-construction stages with demand studies, social and urban impact studies, and economic analyses of the Mazatlán-Los Mochis section.
The commander of the “Felipe Ángeles” Engineering Group, Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez, indicated that the Mexico City-Pachuca train project has five active construction fronts for heavy infrastructure, as well as fronts for catenary energization and engineering studies, generating more than 9,000 jobs. Regarding the Mexico City-Querétaro project, there are 14 active work fronts, 12 for heavy construction and two for engineering studies, generating more than 11,000 jobs.
He also announced the commencement of basic engineering studies for the 1,409-kilometer Irapuato-Guadalajara, Querétaro-San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí-Saltillo, and Mazatlán-Los Mochis rail lines.
Source: OEM
