Mexico City to Receive Millions for Interurban Train Construction

The federal government signed an agreement with Mexico City’s authorities to reallocate over US$47 million, with the aim to facilitate the city’s development of the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train construction project.

The operation was carried out through the federal Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication and Transportation (SICT). Mexico City’s Ministry of Administration and Finance (SAF) will manage the resources and gather project documentation, as well as establish reports regarding accountability and audits.

With the resources, the administration will construct the Santa Fe and Observatorio stations. This includes new constructs for viaducts and other prefabricated concrete structures. According to the document published in the Official Federal Gazete (DOF), the construction of the road and the communication systems of the Metro Observatorio Tunnel branch will continue to move forward with the installation of the railway system and its wiring. 

The local Ministry of Works and Services is to report monthly about the project’s progress. In addition, SAF will require a further report on the use of federal resources, as only up to two percent of the budget can be used for administrative reasons. 

“Federal resources cannot be used for other destinations and will be registered by its use, either as a current or capital expenditure. Reassigned federal resources, once acquired and according to the project’s progress, should be registered toward the state’s accountability,” the document reads.
 

The Interurban Train project aims to connect Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, with the western part of Mexico City. The project is expected to have 30 trains in rotation, each featuring five wagons with the capacity of moving over 230,000 passengers per day. The train is also expected to reduce the travel time by 90 minutes for a round trip. It will feature two terminals and six stations. Three of these are located in Mexico City, at the Santa Fe, Vasco de Quiroga and Observatorio terminals. 

The project started in 2015 during former President Enrique Peña Nieto’s term and was reactivated under the López Obrador administration. The project is expected to be inaugurated by the end of 2023, six years after Peña Nieto’s administration had hoped to finalize its construction.