President Claudia Sheinbaum officially launched the construction of the train line to Pachuca over the weekend, marking a significant step in expanding Mexico’s rail network.
The project, which officials expect to be completed in one year and seven months, will help connect Mexico City with the central state of Hidalgo, which they say will benefit 1.2 million residents and create approximately 40,000 direct jobs and twice as many indirect ones.
Officials said the train will run at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph), reducing travel time from Mexico City to Pachuca, the capital of Hidalgo, by about 25% to one hour and 10 minutes.
From the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in México state, the journey to Pachuca will take just 38 minutes.
The AIFA-Pachuca section will feature 57 kilometers of double electrified track in support of a system that won’t pollute along the route.
Construction by the Mexican Army, with support from other government agencies, is under way as of Saturday and will involve 10 simultaneous work fronts to meet the project timeline.
“Today marks the beginning of the construction of the Mexico-Pachuca train,” Sheinbaum proclaimed in her Saturday speech. Six months ago, Sheinbaum also was in Hidalgo to inaugurate the line, but this time the focus was specifically on the section from AIFA to Pachuca.
In her speech, the president also lauded her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for reviving passenger rail lines in Mexico.
One of those lines, from Mexico City to AIFA, is already well under construction and will open in July, Sheinbaum said last month. The airport, which opened three years ago, is about 35 kilometers north of Mexico City. The CDMX-AIFA journey will take about 40 minutes by train, significantly less than the time it takes to get there by car.
The new line will terminate in Pachuca, which has a population of about 314,000 in the city and 665,000 in the greater metropolitan area. The region is known for its rich mining history and has an interesting connection to Great Britain, specifically Cornwall, that dates back to 1824.
During the latest ceremony, held in the community of Jaguey de Téllez in Zempoala, Hidalgo, Sheinbaum emphasized her administration’s goal to build nearly 3,000 kilometers of railways before the end of her term on Sept. 30, 2030.
These include a Mexico City–Querétaro line, a Querétaro-Irapuato line and a Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo line that includes Monterrey. She also mentioned a line that will go to Guadalajara, Mazatlán and cities along the Pacific Coast, eventually linking Mexico City to Nogales, Sonora, on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Other new train lines in Mexico include the Maya Train in the south, the Interoceanic Train across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Mexico City-to-Toluca line.
All of them are part of an effort to enhance connectivity and reduce carbon emissions through public transportation, Sheinbaum noted.
The Mexico City–Pachuca train will connect with other public transportation systems, including the Mexico City Metro and the Buenavista-Cuautitlán Suburban Train, a CDMX railway that complements the Metro.
The project involves the construction of 12.3 kilometers of elevated viaducts, 45 kilometers of embankments, 12 bridges, 56 drainage works and 14 overpasses for vehicles, said Gustavo Vallejo Suárez, commander of the Felipe Ángeles engineering group. Replacement of Pemex, CFE and Conagua infrastructure will also be built.
The exact number of stations on the AIFA-Pachuca line has not been finalized. Stops will for sure include Tepojaco and Jaltocán in Hidalgo, with a handful of other cities said to be under consideration.
Hidalgo Gov. Julio Menchaca Salazar welcomed the project, noting it will have a significant economic impact on his state.
The federal government reportedly has allocated 44 billion pesos (US $2.2 billion) for the Mexico City-Pachuca line, part of a larger 157 billion peso (US $7.8 billion) investment in railway projects through 2025.
With reports from Aristegui Noticias, El Sol de México and Quadratín
