Mexico City to Acquire Six Trains for Light Rail

Mexico City’s Mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, reported that between 2019 and 2022, over US$4 million were invested in mobility projects, including for Metrobus, Trolleybus, Light Rail, Cableway and cycling infrastructure. She also announced that this week, the government will start the acquisition of six trains for the Light Rail Line that goes from Tasqueña to Xochimilco.

“Investing in an integrated mobility plan means investing in arteries, in the city’s veins. But overall, it means investing in those who have less, to offer them quality transportation and inviting those who use private transportation to use the public system,” said Sheinbaum. 

Currently, the Light Rail line has 24 trains, of which just 12 are operational. The new acquisition will therefore represent an increase of 50 percent in transportation capacity. 

The purchase will be made under a Restricted Invitation process, which is to be discussed on the Tianguis Digital platform. The units must meet various technical requirements regarding design, manufacturing, supply, tests and operation. 

According to the technical specifications, the units to be acquired must be new, with a useful life of 30 years under normal operational conditions. They must have two wagons with a driver’s cab at both ends of the train to allow for bi-directional travelling, as well as a monitoring network with USB ports in each of the wagons to detect possible failures in real-time. 

“If there is any kind of failure, maintenance personnel, from one of the cabs, will be able to consult data during operation in real-time or during corresponding tests. Furthermore, they will be able to carry out tests and consult the results through fixed processing equipment or a laptop connected to the network,” the document stated.

Martin López, Director, Service of Electric Transportation, said that it is expected that new units will be ready to operate by 2023, which will satisfy the demand of over 100,000 commuters.

Andrés Lajous, Minister of Mobility of Mexico City, highlighted the unification of the transportation networks as one of the most important achievements of the administration. He also mentioned that thanks to the investment, existing infrastructure was upgraded, and the city acquired new transportation units with modern technology and good accessibility for all users. 

In Jul. 2021, the 13.5km Light Rail System was revamped with an estimated investment of US$37.5 million. According to the authorities, the travel time from Xochimilco to Tasqueña was reduced from 55 to 33 minutes.