The long-awaited interurban train linking Toluca, the capital of México state, with western Mexico City is now fully operational.
The railway’s final section connecting the Mexico City neighborhood of Santa Fe with the Observatorio transportation hub was inaugurated by President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday.
#Video | El Tren Interurbano ‘El Insurgente’ finalmente fue inaugurado este 2 de febrero, después de casi 12 años de trabajo en la obra. Este fue el primer recorrido desde la última estación que faltaba por abrir.
📹: @yul_bonilla / @LaRazon_mx #TrenInterurbano #Inaguración… pic.twitter.com/FE30PJiaWE
— La Razón de México (@LaRazon_mx) February 2, 2026
Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Vasco de Quiroga station midway between the Santa Fe and Observatorio stations, Sheinbaum lauded the 141 billion-peso investment (US $8.1 billion).
“It is not only a train that travels from Toluca to Mexico City, but it is also a completely different vision of recovering public space and integrating working-class neighborhoods into a world-class transportation system,” she said.
Sheinbaum explained that the project included preserving one of the few remaining springs in the capital by using a cable-stayed bridge, as well as the transformation of a government-owned property in a section of the Chapultepec Forest from a military arms factory into a cultural center and national film archive.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said that not only does the new train line help establish a continuous public transportation route from Chalco in southeastern Mexico City to Toluca, it also breaks down historical barriers between the west and east of the metropolitan area.
A trip from Toluca to Observatorio — where commuters can transfer to Line 1 of the Mexico City Metro system — can now be made in roughly 45 minutes for 90 pesos (US $5).
“Every minute recovered from lost mobility time is a minute returned to people’s lives,” Brugada said. “It is more than an infrastructure project; it is a tool for territorial justice.”
The completed line features seven stations: Zinacantepec (about 10 kilometers west of Toluca), downtown Toluca, Metepec, Lerma, Santa Fe, Vasco de Quiroga and Observatorio — with 48.4 kilometers of elevated viaduct, 4.9 kilometers of viaduct and 4.9 kilometers of twin tunnels.
The 58-kilometer-long rail line known as El Insurgente was announced in 2013 and construction began late the following year with completion projected for 2018. Cost overruns and other complications prompted the government to cancel the engineering contract in 2022 and hire a new construction firm. The final price tag of the project was more than four times the initial US $1.67 billion estimate.
With reports from Obras por Expansión, Infobae, Debate and El Universal
