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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“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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The Mexican Railway Association (AMF) announced on Friday that Vianey De la Mora García was its new general director, as Iker de Luisa, who held that position for almost 12 years, will take on other professional challenges.

“Vianey has extensive experience acquired during a long railway career in the public and private sectors. Her technical knowledge and proven ability are what we need in the sector. It is time for women,” said Francisco Fabila, president of the organization.

During the AMF’s first meeting of the year, Fabila said that De la Mora García has the capacity to face the sector’s upcoming challenges.

Vianey de la Mora has extensive experience in infrastructure, as well as in the railway sector in both the public and private spheres. She was General Director of Railway Regulation at the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) , Project Manager at Cal y Mayor y Asociados , as well as Project Control Engineer at Grupo México, and has also worked for companies such as Siemens and Autónomo. She becomes the first woman to assume this position.

She is an architect from the Intercontinental University and has a Master’s Degree in Projects from the Technological University of Mexico.

“For 20 years, the AMF has been an important pillar for the Mexican railway sector. This has been driven by the tireless efforts of those who preceded me, of all members and of all collaborators who dedicate their talent and passion to make it possible,” said the new director.

De la Mora said that this will be a new stage in the history of the AMF, “a disruptive moment and, yes, it is time for women.”

Francisco Fabila thanked Iker de Luisa, who will take on professional challenges in Europe . However, he assured that by joining the AMF they will be a fundamental piece in the history of the North American railway sector in the last two decades.

“It is necessary to recognize that in the railway sector, the image, promotion and how we are seen abroad, there is a before and after the lobbying work of almost 12 years by Iker de Luisa,” he said.

De Luisa expressed her gratitude and explained that during her almost 12 years as head of the AMF she carried out various tasks such as media relations, government and legislative relations, among other issues.

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