Two consortiums in running for Mexico City US$1.8bn metro modernization

Six companies in two consortiums have moved to the third and final stage of a bidding contest to win the contract budgeted at 39bn pesos (US$1.8bn) to modernize Mexico City’s metro line No. 1, the oldest in the capital. 

Communications and transport ministry SCT released on Wednesday the two offers it received the day before from the consortiums to supply the 18.8km line with 30 new trains and replace its control system and rail infrastructure.

The first consortium is led by Spanish railway supplier CAF, which has provided the metro system with trains before and runs the Mexico City-Mexico state suburban service, along with CAF Investment Projects, Brownfield SPV IV and Mexico’s AEI Infraestructura. 

The second consortium comprises Chinese state-run locomotive supplier CRRC Corporation and manufacturer CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, which supplied 26 trains to the Monterrey metro system in Nuevo León state. The trains are due to arrive in 2021. 

Both consortiums have passed the documentation filter and their technical proposals have been approved by SCT. The government will choose the winning bidder on November 27. 

Bids involve payment plans over 19 years. 

The CAF consortium’s offer totaled 46.6bn pesos, while the CRRC consortium’s was 32.3bn pesos. 

The winning consortium will have up to four years to ensure all 30 trains are operable, seven years to maintain the trains and the line and 15 years to maintain the control system.

There were another seven companies interested in the tender, but SCT said those companies withdrew from the contest after the ministry received 800 questions from participants. 

The companies were Alstom Transport, Alstom Transport Mexico, Promotora de Desarrollo de América Latina, Mitsubishi Electric de México, Bombardier Transportation Mexico, TSO-NEG México and NGE Concesiones. 

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