President Proposes Constitutional Amendment for Passenger Trains

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed a constitutional amendment to Article 28 of the Mexican Constitution to recognize passenger rail transport as a priority area for national development. The initiative aims to revive passenger rail services to enhance social welfare, create employment opportunities, improve mobility, and alleviate road congestion.

"We are reclaiming passenger trains. By the end of my term, we will have over 3,000km of railway tracks with modern passenger trains. The goal is to continue restoring the passenger train system, and one reform initiative is to use the existing 18,000km of tracks to reconnect the entire country with passenger trains," states López Obrador.

The proposed decree seeks to revitalize passenger railway transportation and make it more accessible to the public, while protecting national interests. The reform highlights the establishment of robust regulatory frameworks that would create a level playing field, fostering competition with private enterprises. The ultimate goal is to stimulate innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and elevate the overall quality of railway services.

López Obrador’s proposal explicitly states that passenger and cargo railways would be considered priority areas for national development. It introduces the concept of assignments, highlighting that the Mexican government is reclaiming the right to use railway tracks for passenger transportation services. The federal government would be granted the authority to assign tasks to public enterprises or grant concessions to private entities. Private entities holding concessions for freight railway transportation can obtain concessions for passenger railway transportation, with a clear preference for the latter as relevant legislation dictates.

This proposal aims to strengthen the decree issued on Nov. 20 by López Obrador to promote passenger services using existing freight rail tracks. This decree focuses on the modernization of 17,484km of railway infrastructure, as reported by MBN. In the initial stage, the government invited railway concessionaires, such as CPKC, Ferromex, Ferrosur, and Ferrovalle, to present proposals for passenger services. 

During a morning press conference, Jorge Nuño, Minister of Infrastructure, Communication, and Transportation (SICT), announced that the initiative included in the package of 20 constitutional reforms sent to the Chamber of Deputies on Feb. 5 restores and promotes passenger train services, addressing the growing mobility needs of the population. It ensures a safe, efficient, sustainable, and competitive means of transportation. He also stated that the proposal is consistent with the current legal framework and the conditions established in existing concessions.

The transformation of passenger railway transportation in Mexico involves elevating the provision of public passenger railway transportation services to constitutional status, respecting the rights and obligations outlined in the concession titles. The state will analyze financing alternatives for passenger train projects, ensuring their coexistence with freight services. The proposal aims to address mobility challenges by reducing travel times, especially for long-distance passengers, who constitute 30% of road transportation users.

According to Nuño, passenger trains are a comprehensive solution to mobility issues, representing a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to travel long distances. Nuño highlights that 10.5 million people in Mexico spend two to four hours per day commuting by road, a problem that could be alleviated by passenger trains. 

Nuño also disclosed that major rail concessionaires, including Grupo México and CPKC, have expressed interest in providing passenger services. Proposed routes consider the coexistence between passenger and freight services. Grupo México has expressed interest in routes such as Mexico-Queretaro-Leon-Aguascalientes, Manzanillo-Colima-Guadalajara-Irapuato, Mexico-Queretaro-Guadalajara-Tepic-Mazatlan-Nogales, and Aguascalientes-Chihuahua-Ciudad Juarez. The company is conducting feasibility studies that will be concluded by July. Grupo México has also shown interest in the Mexico-Veracruz-Coatzacoalcos route and the Interurban Train AIFA-Pachuca. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) through Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM) has expressed interest in the Mexico-Queretaro route, with feasibility studies to be delivered in May, and in the Queretaro-San Luis Potosi-Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo route, with studies expected in August.