China Benefits Most From Mexico City’s Mobility Plans

During Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, Mexico City invests heavily in mobility projects, which include spending on Cablebus, Trolleybus and Metrobus units, as well as a major restoration of Metro System’s Line 1. In these project tenders, Chinese companies stand out as the largest winners. 

Two companies are the largest unit suppliers for Mexico City: Yutong and CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, which together have signed contracts for over US$2 billion. Between 2019 and 2022, Yutong, one of the world leading manufacturers of cutting-edge city buses, supplied 300 units for the trolleybus system and 170 buses for the Passenger Transportation Network (RTP), registering profits of US$150 million. This year, CRR Zhuzhou Locomotive is to participate in the restoration of Metro’s Line 1.

In 2019, Yutong sold 63 trolleybus units for the Zero Emissions Corridor along Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas avenue. In 2020, the company supplied 80 further units for Trolleybus System’s lines 2, 3, 7 and 9, as well as for the backup service for the  Metro’s Line 12 collapse. It also provided 50 units to be used for the elevated Trolleybus that will go from the Santa Marta metro station to the Constitucion de 1927 station. 

In 2022, The Mexico City government announced the acquisition of eight more units for the Chapultepec-Rosario corridor as part of a joint venture between the local government and the private sector to substitute old units. Yutong currently participates in the electrification of Line 3 of the Metrobus. In addition, the Mexico City authorities announced the acquisition of 171 trolleybus units that will arrive in between October and November 2022. 

CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive won a contract for the restoration of Metro’s Line 1 and the purchase of 29 new subway trains for US$1.8 billion. According to Sheinbaum, 65 percent of each unit will be built in China and 35 percent will be manufactured in Queretaro, where the company installed a plant and trained 150 technicians as part of a technology transfer program. The company currently participates in the tender process for the purchase of six new units for the Light Rail system, competing with key train manufacturers like CAF and Alstom. 

China itself has invested a wealth of resources in developing mobility solutions such as a high-speed railway networks, metros and electric buses after it opened its economy for foreign investments in 1978, gaining strong expertise in the infrastructure industry as a result.