Mexico-Queretaro Passenger Train Targets Late-2027 Completion

Mexico's federal government is advancing construction of the Mexico City-Queretaro passenger train, targeting completion by September 2027 with service expected to begin in 2H27, as part of Plan México's broader rail revival. The 226km double-track corridor, projected at roughly US$7.05 billion, will link Mexico City with Queretaro, San Luis Potosí and Nuevo Laredo, while parallel highway expansions along the San Juan del Río-Queretaro corridor reinforce regional connectivity. The project affects federal infrastructure planning, construction contractors, transport regulators and communities along the route, reflecting Mexico's push to restore passenger rail and diversify mobility investment.

Construction of the Mexico City-Queretaro passenger train remains on track for completion in the 2H27, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed during a recent visit to Queretaro, aligning with the federal government's previously reported technical target of Sept. 30, 2027. The project forms part of a broader federal effort to revive passenger rail service and knit the center of the country together with outlying regions, and it is advancing alongside a parallel push to widen highway capacity in the same corridor.

Sheinbaum framed the project in historical terms during her visit, noting that Queretaro was once a genuine railway hub before privatization led to the network's decline, and that the current administration is now working to bring passenger rail back. She said residents could expect to travel between Queretaro and Mexico City by train, avoiding the region's notoriously congested highway, sometime in 2027 and possibly with a partial or full segment finished within the year.

The ambition fits into a pattern the government has repeated across several corridors. Mexico City's rail link to Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) began operating before Easter this year, giving officials an early operational win to point to while the more complex Mexico City-Queretaro line continues under construction, alongside the Queretaro-Irapuato, Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo and AIFA-Pachuca lines.

Route, Speed and Scale

The Mexico City-Queretaro line is designed as a dedicated double-track passenger corridor spanning roughly 226km, separate from the freight lines that will continue to share parts of the historic right-of-way.

 Trains are expected to run at design speeds between 160km and 200km per hour, cutting the trip to around two hours. Stations are planned for Buenavista in Mexico City, Huehuetoca, Tula, San Juan del Río and Queretaro, with additional works planned in the Queretaro metropolitan area to integrate the new line with existing road infrastructure.

In Mexico City, the route is designed to connect with the Suburban Train, Metro, Metrobús and Ecobici, while in Queretaro it will link to the local Qrobús network, a multimodal integration strategy the government has emphasized across its other rail projects, including a planned Queretaro station offering ticket counters, a waiting area, federal service counters and parking for roughly 100 vehicles.

Cost estimates for the project have run as high as MX$144 billion ( US$7.05 billion), based on SICT's own project outline, a figure officials have cited as one of the largest single commitments within Plan México's broader passenger-rail package, which envisions 5,647km  of rail across 24 states and an estimated 3.6 million jobs nationwide.

Progress Reports Have Varied

Public progress figures for the line have fluctuated depending on when and how they were reported. Officials cited physical progress of between 15% and 16% as of May 2026, rising to roughly 20% by June, according to figures shared by the presidency. Other government updates from earlier in the year cited progress closer to 8% to 10%, alongside reports of more than 14,000 direct jobs generated on the project. Regardless of which figure is most current, the construction footprint is substantial: as of February, authorities reported 14 active work fronts along the Mexico City-Queretaro segment, with viaducts, embankment sections, drainage works and vehicle bridges all underway.

Securing land for the corridor has itself been a significant undertaking. The federal government has reported securing nearly 24.9 million square meters of right-of-way across the Mexico City-Queretaro, Queretaro-Irapuato, Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo and AIFA-Pachuca lines combined, covering 1,905 properties in 54 municipalities across eight states, with formal engagement carried out with 123 ejidos and communities and consultations held with 12 Indigenous communities. Forty-four families living along the corridor have been relocated as part of that process, an investment the government pegged at MX$28 million.

Highways Advance in Parallel

Beyond the rail line itself, the federal government also reported progress on widening the San Juan del Río-Querétaro highway, part of a broader package of road projects in the state. 

That work sits alongside other planned road investments in the region, including the Route 57D Arco Norte-San Juan del Río project, one of several highway works the government says began in 2026. In March, federal authorities indicated they were preparing to bid out additional projects, among them the San Juan del Río-Querétaro stretch and the Libramiento Noreste de Querétaro , under Construction, Maintenance, Rehabilitation and Operation (CMRO) contract schemes designed to bring private capital into highway maintenance and expansion.