SICT Allocates US$45.5 Million to Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportations (SICT) allocated MX$950 million (US$45.5 million) to the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train project. In an agreement signed with Mexico City’s government for 2022, the federal agency stated that the resources will be allocated to the construction of the segment between the Santa Fe station and the Observatorio terminal.

Resources will be used to build a double-track railway section on the Mexico-Toluca highway, as well as a station in Santa Fe and a terminal in Observatorio. This section, almost 17 km long, has suffered the worst delays of the Interurban Train project. Due to the project's lack of established railway rights and litigation from neighbors, construction was halted and the route had to be modified several times.

As part of the agreement, resources will have to be reported on monthly, discussing the physical progress of the project and accounting for what has been spent. The agreement between the Mexico City government and SICT will be valid until December 31, 2022.

This is the second consecutive year that the ministry transfers resources to the Interurban Train. In 2021, it allocated MX$900 million (US$43 million) to the project so that it could continue progressing with its construction.

Due to multiple delays and changes, the train’s cost has increased by 173 percent, compared to its original estimation. Currently, the projected cost stands at MX$103 billion (US$4.91 billion), whereas its original cost was projected at MX$38 billion (US$1.81 billion).

The Mexico-Toluca Train project started during the Enrique Peña Nieto administration as one of his key Mexico City infrastructure projects, seeking to connect the western part of Mexico City with the State of Mexico’s capital. President López Obrador committed to completing the complicated construction at the beginning of his term, but so far he has not been able to achieve this goal.

The Interurban Train will span across 57.9 km, featuring seven stations. Thirty trains with five railcars each will operate on the tracks, totaling a capacity to transport 230,000 passengers daily. According to authorities, the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train is expected to begin operations by the end of 2023.