A new train line to Pachuca and the savings that the elimination of seven watchdog agencies will generate were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Monday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s latest mañanera.
Construction of AIFA-Pachuca train to begin in 2025
Sheinbaum told reporters that construction of a passenger train line between the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in México state and Pachuca, the capital of the state of Hidalgo, will commence in April.
She estimated that the project will be finished in late 2026.
Sheinbaum “ceremonially” inaugurated construction of the new railroad in October, but the actual physical building of it hasn’t started. Military engineers are currently “developing” the project, she said Monday.
Sheinbaum noted that the new train line will complete the planned railroad between the Buenavista station in Mexico City and Pachuca via AIFA.
The Buenavista-AIFA link is expected to open sometime next year.
The Felipe Ángeles International Airport, built by the government after former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador canceled the Peña Nieto administration’s partially-completed new Mexico City airport project, opened in March 2022.
Sheinbaum: Elimination of watchdog agencies to generate savings of over 20 billion pesos
Sheinbaum said that the elimination of seven autonomous government agencies — as approved by the Congress last month — will generate savings of 20 billion pesos (almost US $1 billion) per year.
She said that her government is proposing that the money be used for a range of purposes. Some will go to education and another portion will go to increasing the salaries of the lowest-paid soldiers, Sheinbaum said.
Pending approval by the lower house of Congress, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature and the Agriculture Ministry will also receive additional funds, she said.
Sheinabum also said that the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Ministry will assume the responsibilities of transparency agency INAI in January.
Still no date for meeting with Trump’s team
Toward the end of the press conference, after she responded to Donald Trump’s suggestion that Mexico should become a state of the United States due to a trade imbalance between the two countries, Sheinbaum ruled out the possibility that she would personally meet with the U.S. president-elect before he takes office on Jan 20.
However, she said that Mexican officials are still seeking to meet with members of Trump’s team before the upcoming inauguration in Washington. Sheinbaum didn’t mention any proposed date for the meeting.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
