Army to help finish AIFA-Mexico City rail link

Affected by severe delays, the expansion of the suburban train branch between Mexico City and Felipe Ángeles international airport (AIFA) in Mexico state will be finished with the help of defense ministry Sedena. 

Daniel Sibaja, the head of Mexico’s state mobility department, was quoted as saying by local media that the army will step in to expedite construction, but he did not provide details.

Construction started in 2022 and has faced obstacles from the beginning. Problems included funding and rights-of-way issues. Last year, social problems emerged, as residents of Tultepec municipality demanded complementary road and highway connections to avoid traffic jams in their community.

Operations of the entire line were expected to start in 2Q23. Concessionaire CAF should have provided 15 billion pesos (US$776 million) of the 25bn-peso initial capex and the federal government the rest, but no update has been published.

Sibaja, a member of ruling Morena party, said the federal government ordered the army to support the infrastructure, communications, and transport ministry (SICT) in completing the project. 

He added that construction is mostly finished and tests with trains have taken place. 

In June, the project was 73% complete, according to the sixth state of the nation report of the previous Andrés Manuel López Obrador administration.

The project comprises the construction of rail lines and six stations, starting at the main branch’s Lechería station, to facilitate travel between Mexico City and the airport, a flagship project of the former government. 

When completed, the 42km line will take 40 minutes to transport passengers between Buenavista and the airport.