Section 1 of Toluca’s Interurban Train is Complete

Construction for section 1 of the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train has been completed. The 36-kilometer runs from Zinacantepec, in the State of Mexico to the tunnel at the end of Lerma, which represents the entrance to Mexico City, according to the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT).

Seven years after its construction, the installation of the catenary elements such as poles and gantries to supply power to the train has been finished. The system was also installed to allow communication between the Control Center and people in charge of the corresponding station. The purpose of this system is to provide information, safety and guidance to passengers during their utilization of the train facilities.

In addition, SCT informed that tests and verifications are being carried out on the electromechanical equipment that will supply the electric power to feed the Interurban Train. On Viaduct 2 the concrete casting of the plinths that support the track continues, and on Viaduct 4 the civil works have been completed. Nevertheless, work is being done on the reconditioning of the reinforcing steel that will be the basis for the reinforcement of the plinths that support the track. SCT also reported that on Section 3, 17 kilometers that includes the Santa Fe and Vasco de Quiroga stations and the Observatorio terminal in Mexico City progress stands at 52.9 percent.

The concept behind this project is to provide a fast and comfortable means of transportation that aims to serve over 230,000 passengers a day. It will have a total length of 57.7km and six stations: two terminals and four intermediate stations. The original plan was to inaugurate the project in 2018, but administration changes and other setbacks delayed it. Mexico City’s Major Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed her administration’s interest in finishing the project. Furthermore, the former Minister of Communications and Transportation, Javier Jiménez Espriú, stated that the Mexico City-Toluca intercity passenger train will be ready to enter commercial operations from Zinacantepec to Observatorio by the end of 2022, one year after the Zinacantepec-Santa Fe section is completed, as reported by MBN.