Second stage of the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train “El Insurgente” begins operations

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

• It will transform the lives of more than 5 million users, says SICT Undersecretary of Infrastructure at the inaugural ceremony led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
• It will strengthen the connectivity of two of the most important entities in the country: Mexico City and the State of Mexico
• Stage I of the El Insurgente Train, one year after its entry into operation, has transported more than 3 million passengers
• Its construction has generated 17 thousand direct jobs and 30 thousand indirect jobs.

 

The Government of Mexico launched the second stage of the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train “El Insurgente”, which will transform the lives of more than 5 million users, by saving travel time of up to 1 hour and 30 minutes, said the Undersecretary of Infrastructure of SICT , Jesús Felipe Verdugo López .

During the inaugural ceremony led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, representing Secretary Jorge Nuño Lara , Verdugo López indicated that this new transportation option is a symbol of the Fourth Transformation and a testament to the commitment to efficient mobility and the progress of our region.

"We are taking a significant step in the connectivity of two of the most important entities in our country: Mexico City and the State of Mexico, territories that have erased their dividing line and have become sister entities," he emphasized.

From now on, with stages 1 and 2 in operation, journeys that previously took hours of our time will be reduced to just 40 minutes, to achieve a better quality of life, he said.

In the presence of the Head of Government of Mexico City, Martí Batres Guadarrama ; the Governor of the State of Mexico, Delfina Gómez Álvarez, and the Secretary of Works and Services, Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina , the Undersecretary of Infrastructure pointed out that this train will transform the lives of more than five million people in the municipalities of Zinacantepec, Toluca, Metepec, Lerma, San Mateo Atenco, Ocoyoacac, and in the municipalities of Cuajimalpa and Álvaro Obregón.

The project had an investment of 100 billion pesos, includes 58 kilometers (km) of double electrified track, a fleet of 20 electric trains with capacity for 718 passengers each, and seven stations, four of them located in the State of Mexico and three in Mexico City, he reported.

It will have the capacity to transport up to 235 thousand passengers a day, significantly improving mobility in our region, using high-tech trains that reduce pollution and offer more comfortable and safer trips, he explained.

To date, its construction has generated 17,000 direct jobs and 30,000 indirect jobs, which demonstrates the positive impact that this work has on the economy and the well-being of the communities, said Verdugo López.

He also recalled that September 15 marked a historic milestone with the inauguration of Stage I of the El Insurgente Train. This 20 km section, one year after its entry into operation, has transported more than 3 million passengers through the stations of Zinacantepec, Toluca, Metepec and Lerma in the State of Mexico.

In this second stage, 29 kilometers will be put into operation, with a travel time of 20 minutes, at 80 km per hour at the start; which will allow for an agile and efficient connection between the State of Mexico and Mexico City, undoubtedly, “a testimony to our ability to build the future without forgetting our roots,” he emphasized.

Achieving this connection was not an easy task; it required the construction of infrastructure that would allow us to meet our goal, added the federal official.

It consists of a 100-meter-wide metal arch viaduct, a five-kilometer double tunnel that crosses the Cerro de las Cruces, two large metal lattices, three mixed viaducts, two vehicular overpasses, 23 km of concrete viaduct, one kilometer of steel viaduct, 48 kilometers of flexible catenary, plus five kilometers of rigid catenary and a traction electrical substation.

There are 10 trains in operation and 10 more ready to enter into service with the third stage, each with capacity for 718 passengers, equipped with air conditioning, video surveillance, and an advanced security system. The tests were successfully completed, guaranteeing safe braking on the slope of the route and the operation of the electromechanical system, which allows it to be put into operation today.

The Undersecretary of Infrastructure reported that, in order to continue the third stage to Observatorio, the SICT is building the Vasco de Quiroga station and a cable-stayed viaduct.

The Vasco de Quiroga station was designed to serve users from the town of Santa Fe and the Universidad de la Salud, with an exclusive area for the circulation of students between classrooms and laboratories. It is also integrated into the Cablebús transportation system in Mexico City.

The civil works at the station are now complete, and the equipment of the technical premises, installation of tracks, catenaries and electromechanical systems have begun.

Additionally, to cross the Santa Fe spring, a curved cable-stayed bridge with a central span of 200 meters is being built. It has two main towers, one 65 meters and the other 75 meters high. For its foundation, 121 piles of 25 meters each were used and 22 thousand cubic meters of concrete plus 3 thousand 600 tons of reinforcing steel will be used. It is currently 70 percent complete and is scheduled to be completed in December of this year.

Jesús Felipe Verdugo López said that “with each kilometer of track that we build and each train that we put into operation, we reaffirm our commitment to building a more connected, united and strong Mexico,” he said.

The event was also attended by the Director General of Railway and Multimodal Development of SICT, Manuel Gómez Parra, and the Director General of BANOBRAS, Jorge Mendoza Sánchez.

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