SICT and the European Union sign a letter of intent for an efficient, sustainable and inclusive Mexican railway system

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

• t aims to position the Mexican Railway System as a leading inter and multimodal mode of transport in the country.
• They seek to take advantage of the installed railway capacity by reactivating disused tracks  
• They are analyzing increasing connectivity with the population and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

The Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport ( SICT ), through the General Directorate of Railway and Multimodal Development (DGDFM) and the European Union (EU), through the General Directorate of International Associations (INTPA), signed a letter of intent, in order to contribute to the generation of a long-term public policy for the development of the Mexican Railway System, so that it is an efficient and sustainable transport alternative.

The SICT seeks to position the Mexican Railway System as a leading inter- and multimodal mode of transport in the country, for cargo, passengers and mixed transport; to orient it towards the public good through its optimization, improvement, development, exploitation and maintenance.

The letter of intent is part of the EU's overall Global Gateway strategy to boost the green, digital and inclusive transition. The Global Gateway Investment Agenda will facilitate investments for sustainable projects in priority sectors in Mexico, such as sustainable, inclusive, safe and smart transport.

Funded by the EU, the Action Plan for the modernization of the Mexican Railway Sector is composed of two elements:

1. Strategy for Sociocultural, Ecological and Economic Development Oriented to Railway Transport in Mexico (EDSEEOTFM)
2. Pre-investment studies for pilot projects, including the Naucalpan-Buenavista Electric Light Rail .

Based on this, the methodology, criteria and structure will be determined to achieve sociocultural, ecological and economic benefits by increasing connectivity with the population and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, by taking advantage of the installed railway capacity through the reactivation of disused tracks and/or increasing the capacity of underused tracks.

The above arises from the need to address planning, quality, operation and regulatory issues, as well as to promote the sustainable, environmental and economic development of the Mexican Railway System.

The resulting strategies will be a systematic and methodological precursor to environmentally friendly and safe passenger transport railway projects. Therefore, logistics studies will be carried out for the modal shift from land freight to passenger transport, as well as its social and environmental impact.

A strategy for the Mexican Railway Sector will also be developed for the short, medium and long term, including a simulation of the optimization and expansion of the track capacity of the entire railway network.

The letter of intent was signed by Eng. Manuel Gómez Parra , Director General of Railway and Multimodal Development of SICT, and Ms. Myriam Ferrán, Deputy Director General of International Associations of the European Commission.

Mexico and the EU reaffirm their intention to continue deepening their collaboration towards sustainable and inclusive mobility and the use of low-carbon transport networks, promoting the attraction of investments for the benefit of the population.

--o0o--