Mexico’s Tamaulipas state looking to launch first BRT tenders in 2024

Mexico's Tamaulipas state is preparing to carry out its first BRT projects, which will require total investments of around 3.6bn pesos (US$206mn).

One will be built in the Tampico-Madero-Altamira metropolitan area in southern Tamaulipas and the other in the Reynosa-Río Bravo northern metropolitan area. 

“The Tampico project would cost 2.3bn pesos and the Reynosa one 1.3bn pesos. They will be funded by the state, the federal government through Banobras, Fonadin and a PPP, in equal proportions,” the state minister for urban development and the environment, Karina Saldívar, told BNamericas.

According to the official, the two projects have been registered as being diesel-fueled and now have an investment portfolio number, but the state is trying to make the Tampico BRT an electromobility initiative.

“We’re trying to make the Tampico one more sustainable, to make it electric. We're carrying out relevant studies and Banobras and Fonadin have to approve them. We understand that they will because they're supporting [electromobility] projects,” she added. 

The minister also said that construction works are expected to begin in 2025 to avoid having to pass the baton on to the next administration.

“We hope that it doesn’t go beyond this government. Our timeline includes having the executive projects ready in 2024, launching the tenders by the end of next year and starting construction in 2025,” she said. 

“These systems are new for us. They would be the first BRT projects in the state, as we currently lack mass transportation systems .... The challenge for us is to complete these projects and have the public accept them,” Saldívar added. 

(Photo source: AFP)