Mexico Prioritizes High-Demand Rail Projects to Boost Growth

Mexico’s government has launched key rail projects across high-demand corridors to boost regional growth and economic activity under its new six-year national railway development plan. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Andrés Lajous, head of the Federal Agency for Railway Transport (ARTF), explained that the AIFA–Pachuca, Mexico–Querétaro, Querétaro–Irapuato, and Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo rail projects were selected based on projected demand and independent feasibility.

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The infrastructure ministry (SICT) confirmed that these initial routes represent the first phase of a larger plan to connect Mexico City with major northern trade hubs, including Nuevo Laredo and Nogales.

Total investment in the first four lines will exceed $4.2 billion. The Mexico–Querétaro section alone is projected to cost $7.6 billion and serve around 5.6 million passengers annually, according to government figures.

While construction has begun on the Mexico–Pachuca and Mexico–Querétaro lines, tendering for the Querétaro–Irapuato and Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo routes will start in June, with contracts awarded by late July.

SICT expects to complete the Mexico–Pachuca line by early 2027, and the Mexico–Querétaro route will likely open later that year. The remaining two lines are scheduled to begin operation in 2028.

High-demand rail projects to connect economic hubs

Officials believe the Querétaro–Irapuato project will strengthen the Bajío region’s position as a growing metropolitan area with strong industrial output and population growth.

In the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo corridor, rising industrialization in Derramadero has led to severe traffic congestion, with as many as 18,000 daily commuters in the area.

$58 Billion Vision for National Railway Network

ARTF reports that demand and infrastructure gaps justify urgent investments in the country’s most industrialized regions, including Saltillo, Monterrey, and Nuevo Laredo.

Unveiled in January, the full Plan Mexico strategy includes $58 billion in funding to construct 5,645 km of railway across 24 of Mexico’s 32 states within five years.

Source, photo: www.bnamericas.com

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