The Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) announced that five consortia submitted bids for the construction and design of 1.2 kilometers (km) of section III of the Querétaro-Irapuato train, from km 107+000 to km 108+200 .

This project also includes stations located in Apaseo El Grande, Celaya, Cortázar, Salamanca and Irapuato , as well as the rectification of the track area of ​​the existing passenger station in Irapuato and the reconfiguration of the freight yard until the effective operation of both.

According to the bidding documents, the consortium made up of Impulsora de Desarrollo Integral , Jaguar Ingenieros y Constructores , Proacon México, Construcciones Aldesem, Aldesa Construcciones , Coalvi, Aldesa Construcciones Polska, China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation submitted the highest proposal, with five billion 331 million 449 thousand 916.80 pesos .

Meanwhile, Gami Ingeniería e Instalaciones , Azvi and Construcciones Urales proposed four billion 333 million 039 thousand 587.64 pesos.

Constructora de Proyectos Viales , Obrascon Huarte Lain and Caabsa submitted a proposal for four billion 257 million 351 thousand 054.91 pesos.

For their part, La Peninsular Compañía Constructora , Construcciones y Maquinaria SEF , Alcance Total , Proveedora de Materiales del Norte and Constructora Milos had an offer of three billion 707 million 728 thousand 516.27 pesos.

Meanwhile, the lowest proposal was from Comsa  Infraestructuras , Comsa, Regiomontana de Construcción y Servicios, and Vise with three billion 411 million 823 thousand 240.22 pesos.

ARTF specified that the decision regarding the bidding process is scheduled for January 12th . The deadline for completing the work will be 871 calendar days.

The agency has a budget allocation for this project of 2,410,624,309.87 pesos for 2026.

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El cargo Bids submitted for third section of the Querétaro-Irapuato train apareció primero en T21.

ICA Constructora  won, once again, the construction and design of 30.75 kilometers (km) of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo train , segment 15 “B”, Monterrey Metropolitan Area.

According to the  Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) , the consortium headed by said company submitted a bid of 11 billion 150 million 858 thousand 547.75 pesos, the lowest among those registered for this competition.

Based on data from the bidding process, the agency stated that this group’s proposal met most of the legal, technical, and economic requirements, and was therefore solvent.

“The start date for the work will be from January 16, 2026, with an execution period of 1,020 calendar days,” ARTF indicated.

It is worth remembering that ICA Constructora, along with Constructora de Infraestructura, Construcciones y Trituraciones, Constructora El Cajón, Compañía Hidroeléctrica La Yesca, Desarrolladora de Infraestructura Puerto Escondido, Controladora de Operaciones de Infraestructura and ICA Edificio Satélite, will have the construction and design of 100.05 km of this train in segments 16 and 17 Unión San Javier–Arroyo El Sauz .

Lechería-AIFA train, ready for Q1 2026

Meanwhile, the Mexican government announced that the expansion of the Suburban Train from Lechería to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) will begin operating in the first quarter of 2026 (1Q26) .

“We made the first trip, and the following months will be dedicated to the testing phase. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) , along with military engineers, committed to having it ready for use in the first quarter of 2026. We want people to be able to board in Buenavista by Easter, reach the AIFA (Felipe Ángeles International Airport), and catch their flights to different parts of the country or abroad. We also want all the residents of the State of Mexico in this area to be able to enjoy this beautiful train, which provides vital mobility to the entire Metropolitan Area of ​​the Valley of Mexico,” explained Claudia Sheinbaum, Mayor of Mexico City.

He explained that only three pedestrian bridges need to be built and that the automatic signaling system is currently undergoing testing. He added that the train’s name will be put to a vote .

Andrés Lajous, head of ARTF, recalled that this branch line has a length of 23.7 km, with six stations and a terminal, will have 10 coupleable trains and the journey from Buenavista to AIFA will be around 43 minutes , with an interval of 15 minutes between one train and another at each station.

The operating hours will be from 5:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. —in standardization of the service to AIFA with the current service provided from Buenavista to Cuautitlán— with a payment system using the Integrated Mobility Card of Mexico City, and will have 10 trains for this route: seven will be in constant operation, two in reserve and one in permanent maintenance to guarantee the service.

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El cargo ICA wins another section of the Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo train apareció primero en T21.

The Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) launched the tender for the construction and design of 8.854 kilometers (km) of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo passenger train , segment 15 “A1”, Monterrey Metropolitan Area.

According to the document, the work will be carried out in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, in order to connect the Monterrey Metropolitan Area with Nuevo Laredo.

The allocation for this project in 2026 amounts to 1,970,206,327.62 pesos . The agency specified that the estimated start date for the work will be March 9 of next year, with an execution period of 998 calendar days.

In addition, as part of the process, a visit to the construction site will take place on December 22nd, and a clarification meeting will be held the following day.

ARTF explained that the proposals will be submitted and opened on February 6 , and the decision of the competition will be announced on the same day.

It is worth remembering that the decision is also pending, which will be announced this Friday, December 19, for the construction and design of 30.75 km of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo train, segment 15 “B”, Monterrey Metropolitan Area.

In this bidding process, the consortium led by ICA Constructora submitted a bid of 11 billion 150 million 858 thousand 547.75 pesos, the lowest , while  Proyectos y Estudios Ferroviarios had the highest proposal , with 15 billion 271 million 970 thousand 859.57 pesos. 

It is worth remembering that ICA Constructora, along with Constructora de Infraestructura, Construcciones y Trituraciones, Constructora El Cajón, Compañía Hidroeléctrica La Yesca, Desarrolladora de Infraestructura Puerto Escondido, Controladora de Operaciones de Infraestructura and ICA Edificio Satélite, will have the construction and design of 100.05 km of this train in  segments 16 and 17 Unión San Javier–Arroyo El Sauz .

Meanwhile, for  Operadora CICSA  (subsidiary of  Grupo Carso ) and  FCC Construcción , it awarded the construction and design of 111 km in  segments 13 and 14, Saltillo–Santa Catarina .

Gami Ingeniería e Instalaciones ,  Construcciones Urales , Recal Estructuras and  Azvi will have the construction and design of 136.28 km in  segments 18, 19 and 20, Arroyo El Sauz–Nuevo Laredo .

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El cargo ARTF launches tender for new segment of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo train apareció primero en T21.

Alstom won the bid to build 47  passenger trains that will be used on the Mexico-Queretaro, Queretaro-Irapuato and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo routes .

According to the ruling published by the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) , the French company won with a proposal of 20 billion 171 million 045 thousand 505.47 pesos .

This offer was 17.2% lower than the one presented by CAF Mexico , which offered 24 billion 366 million 068 thousand 149.81 pesos.

Meanwhile,  CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive , in a joint venture with Mexico Railway Transportation Equipment, registered a proposal of 23,911,769,552.72 pesos, 15.6% lower than that of the French-owned railway company.

“The proposal from bidder CRRC Zhuzhou is not considered a sound technical proposal, as it does not reach the minimum score to be evaluated economically,” ARTF stated.

Similarly, the agency pointed out that although all three companies complied with the national content requirement , Alstom “provided more arguments and evidence and, unlike the other competitors, even disclosed the medium and formula used to calculate its percentage compared to CRRC and CAF.” The French company proposed 72.4 percent.

The trains must be equipped with ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System), and will include commissioning, maintenance and workshop equipment.

Of the total fleet,  14 trains will be short-route  for the San Juan del Río–Celaya and Celaya–Irapuato sections, with the longest planned route length being 107 kilometers (km).

Meanwhile,  33 units will be long-distance trains for routes such as Buenavista–Irapuato and Buenavista–Querétaro Centro, among others. All trains will be diesel-electric self-propelled units (DMUs).

The capacity will be approximately 700 passengers (with a minimum of 315 seated users and the rest standing) for short-distance trains, and a minimum of 265 seated passengers for long-distance trains, depending on the car configuration established.

It is worth remembering that Alstom, in consortium with Bombardier Transportation Mexico, Gami Ingeniería e Instalaciones and Construcciones Urales , won the bid for the construction of the 42 trains of the Maya Train, with an offer of 36 billion 563 million 731 thousand 221 pesos and a 72.5% degree of national integration.

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El cargo Alstom wins tender to build 47 passenger trains apareció primero en T21.

The Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) reported that Alstom , CAF Mexico and CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive submitted bids for the sale of 47 passenger trains for the Mexico-Queretaro, Queretaro-Irapuato and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo sections.

According to the tender documents, Alstom Ferroviaria México submitted a proposal of 20 billion 171 million 045 thousand 505.47 pesos, while CAF México offered 24 billion 366 million 068 thousand 149.81 pesos.

For its part, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, in a joint venture with Mexico Railway Transportation Equipment, registered a bid for 23 billion 911 million 769 thousand 552.72 pesos.

The amount of each proposal includes various actions, such as the supply, testing and commissioning of 14 trains equipped with ERTMS 2 (European Rail Traffic Management System), which will be used on short routes, as well as for the 33 long-distance trains.

It also includes the executive project, model, shipments, freight , implementation of 4% of the fleet’s value for repairs and everything necessary for its proper functioning.

In addition to equipment for inspection areas, maintenance workshops, comprehensive fleet maintenance for five years, among others.

ARTF specified that after the evaluation of the proposals, the winner of this competition will be announced on December 11 .

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El cargo These companies are showing interest in bidding for 47 passenger trains apareció primero en T21.

Three consortia and one company submitted proposals for the construction and design of 30.75 kilometers (km) of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo train , segment 15 “b”, Monterrey metropolitan area.

According to the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) , the consortium headed by ICA Constructora submitted a bid of 11 billion 150 million 858 thousand 547.75 pesos, the lowest , while Proyectos y Estudios Ferroviarios had the highest proposal , with 15 billion 271 million 970 thousand 859.57 pesos.

Following the corresponding analysis, the ARTF indicated that the decision regarding this competition will be announced on December 19th.

The agency specified that it has  an allocation of 351 million 284 thousand 265.16 pesos for this project this year .

He explained that the work will be carried out in the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, in order to connect the Monterrey Metropolitan Area with Nuevo Laredo.

The ARTF set the start of the work for January 16, 2026 , with an execution period of 1,020 calendar days.

It is worth remembering that ICA Constructora, along with Constructora de Infraestructura, Construcciones y Trituraciones, Constructora El Cajón, Compañía Hidroeléctrica La Yesca, Desarrolladora de Infraestructura Puerto Escondido, Controladora de Operaciones de Infraestructura and ICA Edificio Satélite, will have the construction and design of 100.05 km of this train in  segments 16 and 17 Unión San Javier–Arroyo El Sauz .

Meanwhile, for Operadora CICSA  (subsidiary of  Grupo Carso ) and FCC Construcción , it awarded the construction and design of 111 km in  segments 13 and 14, Saltillo–Santa Catarina .

Gami Ingeniería e Instalaciones , Construcciones Urales , Recal Estructuras and Azvi will have the construction and design of 136.28 km in segments 18, 19 and 20, Arroyo El Sauz–Nuevo Laredo .

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El cargo Bids submitted for 30.75 km of the Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo train apareció primero en T21.

With the aim of preventing any type of accident or injury  during the construction of passenger trains and the risk involved with the operation of freight trains, the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) is preparing a decree to establish the guidelines that construction companies and concessionaires must follow as minimum safety measures.

Currently there is no regulatory framework that establishes such actions, mainly for the personnel of construction companies, who are left exposed, noted the ARTF, which indicated that the execution time of the projects themselves may be extended.

“The lack of regulation not only endangers lives, but also causes delays, disruptions, and cascading effects within transportation activities. Today we face a double problem: insufficient protection and training for those involved in the construction of our infrastructure, as well as the impact on the efficient operation of railway projects,” the organization stated.

According to the document Guidelines for safety in passenger train works coexisting with freight trains , it will be possible to implement and operate the minimum safety measures for the people involved in each of the construction processes, generating tangible and immediate benefits not only for them, but also for the operation and functioning of these tracks.

ARTF specified that the regulatory proposal will generate costs, by establishing training and specific requirements that construction companies must meet, which range from 28,000 to 45,000 pesos per person as established in working meetings by concessionaires such as Ferromex , and training entities such as Calidad Mexicana en Desarrollo Ferroviario .

Furthermore, it is estimated that approximately 10 to 15 people per company would be affected, with costs ranging from 45,000 to 2,700,000 pesos . Meanwhile, the costs of hospitalization for minor injuries, including surgery and rehabilitation sessions, would amount to 98,558 pesos. Similarly, the costs associated with the worker’s death could be at least 1,666,650 pesos.

“Between 2016 and September 2025, 1,199 accidents resulting in death or injury were reported. It is estimated that 16 of these involved railway personnel—with an estimated monthly salary—and the cost amounts to 1,576,928 pesos for injuries and 26,666,400 pesos for deaths. Therefore, the benefits outweigh the costs generated from the implementation of these guidelines,” he explained.

However, ARTF stressed that the objective is to preserve and guarantee the safety of the railway service, as well as the construction of passenger trains through the personnel who operate or assist in compliance.

“By establishing the technical and administrative bases that guarantee its purpose, the functions that the security personnel must fulfill in passenger train works coexisting with freight trains will be set, as well as the process that must be followed to train and designate individuals as Security Coordination Personnel, and the basic security measures that are mandatory for the company or person responsible for the construction and all personnel participating in the works,” he specified.

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El cargo Safety measures are being prepared to prevent accidents at passenger train construction sites apareció primero en T21.

The Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) announced that reports of railway robberies decreased by 12.5% ​​from January to June 2025 , compared to the same period last year.

According to information published by the agency, in the first six months of the year, 2,005 reports of theft were registered , compared to 2,293 cases in the same period of 2024.

The ARTF specified that the group of industrial products represented 74.2% of the total theft reports, followed by agricultural products, with 23.2% of the reported incidents.

Regarding product or cargo theft, the most affected subgroups during the period were:

• Other industrial products, with 18.56% of the total incidents.
• Grains, seeds and their derivatives, with 16.85 percent.
• Consumer goods, with 16.37 percent.

Overall, the agency noted, these three subgroups accounted for 51.78% of all theft incidents .

“Within the subgroup of other industrial products, accessories accounted for 58.53% of the reports. In the case of grains, seeds and their derivatives, the product with the highest incidence of theft was corn, with a 53.76% share within the subgroup, and for the subgroup of consumer goods, the most affected product was batteries, with 41.6%,” he explained.

The ARTF reported that Coahuila, Aguascalientes, Sonora and Sinaloa were the entities with the highest number of actions of this type, with 398, 270, 215 and 200, respectively, in the reference period.

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El cargo Railroad robberies decrease in the first half of 2025 apareció primero en T21.

The railway sector faces various challenges such as the digitization of customs processes, blockades, theft, and training, said Vianey de la Mora, general director of the Mexican Association of Railways (AMF) , who also said that having a “level playing field” with road transport “is a great challenge for us,” due to the lack of equity in regulation .

“As everyone knows, the concessionaire has to maintain its tracks, undergo all the necessary inspections and certifications to keep its cars in good condition, and so everything has to be very carefully controlled. They can’t overload their cars, they have to travel at specific speeds when they reach urban areas. In other words, there is someone very precisely controlling the railroad, but what about trucking? It doesn’t have all that,” he stated during his participation in the Dialogue with Engineers event of the College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM) .

In this regard, he said that the private sector “could provide support,” since the railway is also betting on intermodality, which “is the future of freight and if we don’t understand this today, it will be very complicated. We rely on ports and trucks, but they must be measured in the same way.”

Vianey de la Mora mentioned that currently various customs processes are done manually , similar to road transport, however, for the train it causes delays.

“From the association, we have been primarily supporting freight concessionaires by holding numerous meetings with the Tax Administration  Service  (  SAT)  and the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM)  to explain why they cannot operate under the same regulations as trucking companies. Some trials and scenarios have already been conducted, and progress is being made,” he stated.

Regarding the blockades, he asserted that ” it is historically a problem for the railway ; if it’s not teachers or farmers, it’s anyone, but then there are always blockades on the tracks, because they’ve seen that it’s a formula that can work to get their needs met, and that creates many problems for us in terms of transportation because it impacts, yes, the railway, but also the country’s economy.”

In that regard, the concessionaires, together with the AMF, created a protocol that was delivered to the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) to deal with this type of act.

Regarding training and succession, he explained that there are initiatives to bring students closer to the freight railway , to important logistics centers such as Monterrey or Guadalajara, to carry out this training and even hire them.

Regarding theft and vandalism, he said they have also provided ARTF with a map of the areas with the highest number of incidents , and this data is then sent to the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. “They are taking certain precautions, and we are collaborating closely with them to help reduce these problems.”

Regarding passenger rail projects, Vianey de la Mora stated that there are also four major challenges: technology, regulation, general coordination, and training .

“Do we have the capacity today to face such a large project? Do we have all the specialists for it? That is the important work of the association, and many companies are preparing to do everything. There are many companies that, since the start of the Maya Train, the railway systems of Line 1 and in Monterrey, have been preparing new generations to train them. They already have them trained, they hire juniors and put them with these great technological gurus,” he said.

In that regard, he specified that planning is important to carry out projects in the sector .

Juan Carlos Miranda Hernández, coordinator of the CICM’s Railway Subcommittee, added that one of the challenges for the sector is to increase its participation in freight transport .

He noted that Mexico ranks 66th in the Logistics Performance Index, and is the 15th largest economy in the world, and indicated that the railway currently accounts for 25 percent of freight transport.

“Without public policies, that 25% could remain stagnant. Surely the contribution of the southeast to the national market can help raise the figure, but more focused actions are needed to achieve this “level playing field” with trucking and to break down the barriers that prevent us from being sufficiently competitive,” he stressed.

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El cargo Blockades, robberies, and a “level playing field” with trucking are among the challenges facing the railroad. apareció primero en T21.

“As everyone knows, the concessionaire has to maintain its tracks, undergo all the necessary inspections and certifications to keep its cars in good condition, and so everything has to be very carefully controlled. They can’t overload their cars, they have to travel at specific speeds when they reach urban areas. In other words, there is someone very precisely controlling the railroad, but what about trucking? It doesn’t have all that,” he stated during his participation in the Dialogue with Engineers event of the College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM) .

In this regard, he said that the private sector “could provide support,” since the railway is also betting on intermodality, which “is the future of freight and if we don’t understand this today, it will be very complicated. We rely on ports and trucks, but they must be measured in the same way.”

Vianey de la Mora mentioned that currently various customs processes are done manually , similar to road transport, however, for the train it causes delays.

“From the association, we have been primarily supporting freight concessionaires by holding numerous meetings with the Tax Administration  Service  (  SAT)  and the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM)  to explain why they cannot operate under the same regulations as trucking companies. Some trials and scenarios have already been conducted, and progress is being made,” he stated.

Regarding the blockades, he asserted that ” it is historically a problem for the railway ; if it’s not teachers or farmers, it’s anyone, but then there are always blockades on the tracks, because they’ve seen that it’s a formula that can work to get their needs met, and that creates many problems for us in terms of transportation because it impacts, yes, the railway, but also the country’s economy.”

Regarding training and succession, he explained that there are initiatives to bring students closer to the freight railway , to important logistics centers such as Monterrey or Guadalajara, to carry out this training and even hire them.

Regarding theft and vandalism, he said they have also provided ARTF with a map of the areas with the highest number of incidents , and this data is then sent to the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. “They are taking certain precautions, and we are collaborating closely with them to help reduce these problems.”

Regarding passenger rail projects, Vianey de la Mora stated that there are also four major challenges: technology, regulation, general coordination, and training .

“Do we have the capacity today to face such a large project? Do we have all the specialists for it? That is the important work of the association, and many companies are preparing to do everything. There are many companies that, since the start of the Maya Train, the railway systems of Line 1 and in Monterrey, have been preparing new generations to train them. They already have them trained, they hire juniors and put them with these great technological gurus,” he said.

In that regard, he specified that planning is important to carry out projects in the sector .

Juan Carlos Miranda Hernández, coordinator of the CICM’s Railway Subcommittee, added that one of the challenges for the sector is to increase its participation in freight transport .

He noted that Mexico ranks 66th in the Logistics Performance Index, and is the 15th largest economy in the world, and indicated that the railway currently accounts for 25 percent of freight transport.

“Without public policies, that 25% could remain stagnant. Surely the contribution of the southeast to the national market can help raise the figure, but more focused actions are needed to achieve this “level playing field” with trucking and to break down the barriers that prevent us from being sufficiently competitive,” he stressed.

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El cargo Blockades, robberies, and a “level playing field” with trucking are among the challenges facing the railroad. apareció primero en T21.