USMCA Corridor Might Change its Route

Mexico may alter the USMCA Corridor route after Texas increased border crossing security. Meanwhile, Mexico City’s local government announces intentions to sue DNV after receiving what it sees as an unsatisfactory Line 12 report, one year after the fatal incident. Furthermore, AIFA will receive 36 new flights after a near-miss at AICM. In other news, the Mexican Real Estate industry shows little recovery in 2022, according to BBVA.  

Ready for more? Here is the Week in Infrastructure!

Mexican Government May Alter USMCA Corridor’s Route

Mexican diplomats met with Alejandro Mayorkas, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, to talk about a railway that would connect Mexico’s Pacific Ocean ports with the San Jeronimo-Santa Teresa border crossing in New Mexico, 36km from El Paso, Texas, the original destination for the hub. The decision was made after Texas Governor Greg Abbot implemented stricter inspections of cargo trucks coming from Mexico in an effort to pressure Mexican authorities to stop migrants from crossing the border.

Mexico City May Sue DNV Following Line 12 Root Cause Report

A year after the disastrous overpass collapse in Line 12 of Mexico City’s Metro System, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced the city may start legal proceedings against Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the company responsible for the root cause analysis of the tragedy. Sheinbaum said that the third analysis made by the Norwegian company, which has not yet been made public, is both biased and incorrect since DNV did not follow the methodology it set out itself. She also disagrees with the two previous analyses that reported that the collapse was caused by a deficient design and lacking maintenance.

IFALPA Warns Pilots for Possible Accidents at AICM

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) warned pilots of potential incidents airplanes that could occur while arriving at Mexico City International Airport (AICM). The occurrences are associated with the redesign of the airspace in the Valley of Mexico.

AIFA to Receive 36 New Flights

During the past week, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) prepared to issue a decree to reduce the hourly operations at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) by 30 percent, with the aim of allocating the excess flights to AIFA and Toluca Airport. This weekend, passengers condemned what would have been a tragic accident involving two Volaris airplanes. In the already notorious video circulating on social media, one Volaris airplane was about to land on the same runway where another plane from the same company was about to take off. As a result of both events, President López Obrador announced AIFA will receive 36 new flights from Aeromexico starting this August. The transition comes despite airline resistance to use the new airport facility at Santa Lucía.

Ricardo Torres Appointed as Head of SENEAM

After trouble in the airspace surrounding Mexico City’s International Airport (AICM) caused Victor Hernández Sandoval to resign, the Ministry of Infrastructure Communications and Transportation (SICT) appointed Ricardo Torres as the new Head of the Mexican Air Traffic Control Services (SENEAM). The announcement comes a day after Hernández resigned on the back of an incident occurred this weekend, in which a Volaris airplane received authorization to land on a runway that was occupied by another Volaris plane that was about to take off.

CONCAMIN Calls for The Participation Of Private Companies Public Projects

During CONCAMIN's 2022 Business Meeting, CONCAMIN President José Antonio Abugaber Andonie urged the federal government to include private companies in flagship infrastructure projects to encourage investment and spur on economic reactivation. Recently, infrastructure works have been placed in the hands of the Mexican military, displacing the private construction sector.

BBVA’s Mexico Real Estate Outlook 1H2022 Show Promising Recovery

BBVA published its Mexico Real Estate Outlook for 1H2022. Its insights show that at the end of 2021, the real estate sector grew at a faster pace than the overall economy. Confronting a strong increase in material costs, the construction industry is expected to grow further, driven by civil works. The mortgage market continues to advance, although at a more moderate. Meanwhile, second home demand boosts the housing sector in the middle and residential segments.

XB Fulfillment to Build US$60-million Industrial Park in Reynosa

US third-party logistics (3PL) company XB Fulfillment will invest US$60 million to open an industrial park in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, to grow its e-commerce operations, said the state government. With 721,305 ft2, XB Fulfillment’s industrial park will become the largest facilities of a company in the history of Reynosa. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Economic Development and Employment of Tamaulipas.