Mexico to start building US$2bn AIFA-Pachuca rail link in March

Construction of the passenger train connecting Felipe Ángeles international airport (AIFA) in Mexico state and the city of Pachuca in Hidalgo state will begin in the second half of March.

At the end of January, the infrastructure, communications and transportation ministry (SICT) reported that work on this section and on the Mexico City-Querétaro line would begin in April.

At President Claudia Sheinbaum's daily press conference on Thursday, the head of rail transport regulator ARTF, Andrés Lajous, said that the pre-investment studies have already been completed, the environmental study is underway and assemblies regarding social engagement and rights of way are being held.

According to official estimates, the 64km AIFA-Pachuca line will require 44.7bn pesos (US$2.41bn). Operations are planned to start in 2027.

The authorities said train stations will also be built in the localities of Tizayuca, Temascalapa, Tepojaco and Huitzila, and are currently being planned based on demand studies.

Lajous also announced that construction of the Mexico City-Querétaro route will begin in April, as planned, while Querétaro-Irapuato and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo are scheduled to begin in July.

A bidding process for the latter section will be launched in late April or early May, he said, without providing further details.

Work on the expansion of the Lechería-AIFA suburban train, which began during the Andrés Manuel López Obrador administration, is 80% complete and is being carried out jointly with defense ministry Sedena, Lajous said.

The line will allow passengers to travel between Buenavista station in Mexico City and AIFA in 39 minutes. Trains will run at a maximum speed of 120km/h and the route includes three viaducts, according to SICT.

This system includes 23km of electrified double track, six stations, a 12km shunting yard, eight pedestrian and nine vehicular bridges. Initially, the system will operate with 10 trains.

The Sheinbaum administration, which ends in 2030, plans to build more than 3,000km of passenger tracks. This plan includes four sections in the first phase: AIFA-Pachuca, Mexico-Querétaro, Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo and Querétaro-Irapuato.

Additionally, the Lechería-AIFA line is about to be finished.