ICA Wins ARTF Tender for Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo Rail Segment

Mexico’s Regulatory Agency for Railway Transport (ARTF) has formally awarded ICA Constructora the contract to build and design 30.75km of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo passenger rail project in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, under Segment 15 “B.” 

In the official award ruling for tender LO-09-D00-009D00999-I-61-2025, ARTF determined Grupo III (ICA-led) as the winning bidder after applying the points-and-percentages evaluation method. ARTF awarded the contract for a total of MX$12.94 billion (US$711.00 million) (including VAT). The ICA-led proposal submitted at bid opening was MX$11.15 billion (US$612.9 million) (excluding VAT). 

The award ruling also indicates the contract number ARTF/086-OP/2025 and sets the contract signing through Compras MX for Jan. 5, 2026.  

Other Bids Received

During the proposal submission and opening event, ARTF recorded four bids (all amounts excluding VAT):  

• Grupo III (ICA Constructora-led): MX$11.15 billion (US$612.9 million)  

• Grupo II (Gami + partners): MX$11.60 billion (US$637.6 million)

• Grupo I (CPV México + Caabsa + OHLA): MX$13.19 billion (US$724.8 million) 

• Proyectos y Estudios Ferroviarios: MX$15.27 billion (US$839.2 million)  

Grupo III (ICA-led) achieved the highest overall score, combining technical and economic evaluation. Grupo III was declared “solvente” and reached 96.36 total points, ahead of Grupo II, which also met the technical minimum and was declared solvent but scored lower overall. The tender documents establish a 20% advance payment framework tied to each fiscal-year allocation.  

ARTF also set an estimated work start date of Jan. 16, 2026, with an execution period of 1,020 calendar days. The tender package also reflects a 2025 budget allocation of MX$351 million (US$19.29 million) (VAT included) for this project package, with subsequent-year payments subject to budget availability.  

Project Context: the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo Corridor

According to Mexico’s official project sheet on Proyectos México, the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo passenger rail project spans 395.77km, with an estimated investment of MX$138.1 billion (US$7.46 billion). ARTF’s broader procurement roadmap for the corridor includes multiple packages and station tenders, with additional procedures listed alongside already-awarded segments.

ARTF planned the Monterrey-area procurement in sections, including Section A (18.1km) and Section B (30.7km) within the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, placing ICA’s 30.75km win squarely within the corridor’s near-term construction rollout, MBN reports. 

ARTF also posted a separate tender for another Monterrey-area package (Segment 15 “A1”, 8.854km) with a reference budget of MX$1.97 billion (US$108.30 million) and a defined bid calendar.  

President Claudia Sheinbaum frames the revival of passenger rail as central to Mexico’s national development strategy. She argues that the privatization of railways decades ago contributed to the abandonment of passenger service and weakened communities that depended on it, making the case that the State must rebuild and operate passenger rail infrastructure, while still enabling private participation where appropriate.

ICA’s Momentum: ARTF Also Awarded the Ixtapaluca Trolleybus Corridor

ICA won another ARTF award earlier this month. The agency granted an ICA-led consortium the contract for the Ixtapaluca Trolleybus corridor in the State of Mexico for MX$1.72 million (US$94.6 million), part of the federal strategy to expand high-capacity electric public transport in the eastern Valley of Mexico metro area, MBN reports.