Construction of Mexico City–Queretaro Rail Advances

President Claudia Sheinbaum visited the construction site of the Mexico City–Queretaro passenger train this weekend, reporting that the project has reached roughly 8% progress and reaffirming that her administration will deliver the long-awaited route as part of Mexico’s broader push to restore passenger rail service.

Federal officials say that the line is planned as a 226km double-track passenger corridor, with design speeds of 160km/hr to 200km/hr and a travel time of about two hours between Mexico City and Queretaro. The project is expected to serve about 10 million passengers per year, positioning it as one of the flagship mobility investments of Sheinbaum’s administration. Sheinbaum says the current federal team is “going very well” and will keep accelerating work in 2026.

According to Andrés Lajous, Director, ARTF, the route’s projected trip times include one hour and 20 minutes between Mexico City and San Juan del Rio, and 43 minutes from San Juan del Rio to Queretaro’s historic center.

Mexico’s military engineering corps, the “Felipe Ángeles” Engineers Group, is leading the execution. Gustavo Vallejo, Commander, Felipe Ángeles Engineers Corps, says construction has been divided into 12 segments to run simultaneously; San Juan del Rio is the first of four segments in Queretaro, totaling about 80km within the state. Vallejo adds that the plan includes tunnels and other crossings designed to avoid disrupting traffic along the heavily used Mexico City–Queretaro highway, one of the country’s key road corridors. 

Sheinbaum and participating agencies highlight an approach based on community dialogue and compensation “at fair prices” for right-of-way and land acquisition.  

Officials described a station program aimed at integrating the line into existing urban transport systems. The route’s station plan cited during the supervision includes stops such as Huehuetoca, Tula, San Juan del Rio, Queretaro Central, El Marques, and La Corregidora, with stations designed to include public-service areas, parking, and transit-transfer zones, using local materials like brick and stone to control costs.  

In Mexico City, the line is expected to link with the Buenavista–Cuautitlan Suburban Rail and connect into major public transport networks (including Metro, Metrobús, and Ecobici), while in Queretaro it is planned to tie into Qrobús and local transport.

In September, Sheinbaum said the line is expected to be completed in 2027, adding that Queretaro would regain its role as a national passenger-rail hub as routes extend onward toward San Luis Potosi and Nuevo Laredo on the US border.