Mexico City (AP) – Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced that Mexico’s ambitious passenger rail construction program will not only continue but will also expand under the administration of President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum. According to López Obrador, Sheinbaum plans to construct three passenger train lines connecting the capital to various cities along the U.S. border. This new initiative will involve the construction of approximately 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers) of passenger rail, double the amount that López Obrador has already built. Sheinbaum has further emphasized that these trains will be electric and capable of reaching speeds of up to 100 mph (160 kph). It is worth noting that most of Mexico’s existing freight trains operate on diesel.
Sheinbaum has announced her plans to construct a passenger line from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo, a border city across from Laredo, Texas. This railway would cover a distance of approximately 680 miles (1,100 kilometers) and cost around $22 billion. However, it is worth noting that the costs of previous railway projects in Mexico have exceeded initial estimates.
In addition to the Mexico City-Nuevo Laredo line, Sheinbaum also intends to develop a train line connecting Mexico City to Guadalajara, estimated to cost an additional $3 billion. Furthermore, if time permits during her six-year term, this rail line could be extended to other border cities like Nogales, which is across from Nogales, Arizona, or other border cities further west.
To implement this plan, Sheinbaum intends to involve army engineers who will oversee private contractors in constructing passenger lines along the existing rights-of-way currently utilized by private concessionary operators for freight transportation.
This could involve relocating the current rail lines to accommodate the new tracks, which may result in disruptions to current freight service if the existing lines need to be moved.
Previously, López Obrador had requested that freight line operators also provide passenger service, but it seems that this plan has been abandoned.
López Obrador also acknowledged the potential significant costs of enclosing the anticipated high-speed rail lines with walls or fences, as well as the expenses associated with reclaiming rights-of-way that have been occupied by squatters.
The current private concessionary rail operators either had no immediate comment on the plans or did not respond to requests for comment.
López Obrador announced that the upcoming project will be almost twice the size of his previous railway initiatives. These initiatives include the $30 billion Maya tourist train in the Yucatan Peninsula, a railway connecting the Pacific and Gulf coasts through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and a commuter railway linking Mexico City and Toluca.
However, the high cost of these railways has resulted in a budget deficit of nearly 6% of GDP for López Obrador’s administration. Moreover, experts doubt the practicality of these trains, considering that most travelers in the country currently rely on cars, buses, or airlines to cover long distances.
One major issue is that López Obrador’s and Sheinbaum’s rail lines seem to have been planned without proper consideration of demand. There is a “build it and they will come” approach, without sufficient effort to determine if there is enough demand for passenger service to remote border cities.
Passenger rail infrastructure in U.S. border cities is insufficient to accommodate potential Mexican rail lines.
Both López Obrador and Sheinbaum are members of the Morena party, and Sheinbaum was elected with the promise to continue or expand López Obrador’s policies.
The current president has expressed regret over Mexico’s decision to privatize the poorly managed national railways in the 1990s, which resulted in the discontinuation of unprofitable passenger services.
However, he also views the construction of rail lines as a means to generate employment opportunities and stimulate domestic growth.
López Obrador stated, “What does this mean? Jobs, lots of jobs.”