Rail transport in Mexico

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Map of the Railway System in Mexico 130503 Mapa Ferroviario.pdf
Map of the Railway System in Mexico
Former Train Station, Aguascalientes, Mexico Complejo Ferrocarrilero Tres Centurias.JPG
Former Train Station, Aguascalientes, Mexico

Mexico has a freight railway system owned by the national government and operated by various entities under concessions (charters) granted by the national government. The railway system provides freight and passenger service throughout the country (the majority of the service is freight-oriented), connecting major industrial centers with ports and with rail connections at the United States border. Passenger rail services were limited to a number of tourist trains between 1997, when Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México suspended service, and 2008, when Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana de México inaugurated Mexico's first commuter rail service between Mexico City and the State of Mexico. This is not including the Mexico City Metro, which started service in 1969.

Contents

History

Construction

Map of first Mexican rail line between Veracruz and Mexico City HistoricalRailMapMexico.jpg
Map of first Mexican rail line between Veracruz and Mexico City
Mexican Central Railway train at station, Mexico Mexican Central Railway train.jpg
Mexican Central Railway train at station, Mexico
Rebel soldiers moving by rail during the Mexican Revolution MexicoRevolutionRail.jpg
Rebel soldiers moving by rail during the Mexican Revolution

Mexico's rail history began in 1837, with the granting of a concession for a railroad to be built between Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico City. However, no railroad was built under that concession.

In 1857, Don Antonio Escandón secured the right to build a line from the port of Veracruz to Mexico City and on to the Pacific Ocean. Revolution and political instability stifled progress on the financing or construction of the line until 1864, when, under the regime of Emperor Maximilian, the Imperial Mexican Railway Company began construction of the line. Political upheaval continued to stifle progress, and the initial segment from Veracruz to Mexico City was inaugurated nine years later on January 1, 1873 by President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada.

President Lerdo and his successor Porfirio Díaz encouraged further rail development through generous concessions that included government subsidies for construction.

Impacts of the Diaz Administration

At the beginning of his first term Díaz inherited 398 miles (640.5 km) of railroads consisting almost exclusively of the British-owned Mexican Railway. [1] By the end of his second term in 1910, Mexico boasted 15,360 miles (24,720 km) of in-service track, mostly built by American, British and French investors. [2]

From a small start, the railway network expanded significantly, linking many parts of the country previously isolated. The Interoceanic Railway linked Mexico City to the port of Veracruz; the Monterrey and Mexican Railroad linked that northern city with the Gulf Coast port of Tampico; the Southern Pacific of Mexico linked west coast cities from Guaymas to Mazatlan; the Sonora Railway linked Nogales to the port of Guaymas; and the Mexican Central Railroad went north to the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas. [3] The British invested £7.4 million in railways during the decade of the 1880s, jumping to £53.4 million in 1910s. The decade-total of new investment in mining went from £1.3 million in 1880s to £11.6 million in 1910s. Investments in land and other properties rose from near zero in 1880s to £19.7 million in 1910s. The totals reached £135 million, almost as much as the United States. [4]

In the late nineteenth century, railroads were becoming symbols of centralized power, political and monetary, in Mexico. The institution of rail systems in the country required new regulations and legislation for residents and railroad development. [5] There was great debate surrounding the early railroads in Mexico, regarding how much they were truly improving the country. Scholars view the rail systems as simultaneously encouraging rapid economic growth and commercial relationships while displacing the population and creating widespread poverty within the sectors that were run by the rail systems. Porfirio Díaz had developed his country but at the expense of his people. Much of the criticism levied toward Díaz regarded his rapid modernization in a country still rebuilding from its internal conflicts. [5]

Growing nationalistic fervor in Mexico led the Díaz administration to bring the bulk of the nation's railroads under national control through a plan drafted by his Minister of Finance, José Yves Limantour. The plan, implemented in 1909, created a new government corporation, Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM), which would exercise control of the main trunk rail lines through a majority of share ownership.

Nationalization

Ferrocarril Nacional de México, incorporated in Colorado in 1880 as Mexican National Railway, was built on narrow-gauge railroad tracks under the instruction of General William Jackson Palmer of the Denver and Rio Gange Railway. The main line from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo was constructed using the 3-ft narrow gauge tracks. [6] From Saltillo, Coahuila to Concepción del Oro, Zacatecas, the FCNM built narrow-gauge tracks in 1903 to service mining operations. [7] A likely reason for this, aside from General Palmer’s preference for the narrow gauge in use of mining, is that narrow gauge is more cost efficient. [8] In 1901, however, the tracks began conversion to standard gauge. [6]

The rail system deteriorated greatly from neglect during the period of the Mexican Revolution. Following the Revolution, the entirety of the Mexican rail system was nationalized between 1929 and 1937.

During the 1950s, the Yucatan Peninsula experienced successful development as it integrated into the national network. [9] In Oaxaca, on June 26, 1958, union workers from the Sindicato de Trabajadores Ferrocarrileros de la República Mexicana (STFRM), led by railroad worker and union activist Demetrio Vallejo, began a series of strikes seeking higher wages. When their demands remained unmet, a system-wide strike was called on January 18, 1959. The strike escalated on the afternoon of January 25th when Ferrocarriles Nacionales (the National Railway) officially began their strike action. By 10 a.m. the following day, an agreement had been reached that included medical care for workers' families, higher wages, and an allocation of 30 million pesos for the construction of affordable rental housing for the workers. [10]

In 1987 the government merged its five regional railroads into FNM. During the later period of national ownership, FNM suffered significant financial difficulties, running an operating deficit of $552 million (37 percent of its operating budget) in 1991. Competition from trucking and shipping decreased railroad's share of the total freight market to about 9 percent, or about half of rail's share a decade earlier.

Privatization

Map of Ferrocarril Mexicano system Ferromex-map.png
Map of Ferrocarril Mexicano system

In 1995, the Mexican government announced that the FNM would be privatized and divided into four main systems. As part of the restructuring for privatization, FNM suspended passenger rail service in 1997.

Bust of Jose Rendon Peniche who worked in the construction and then had charge the general direction of the first railway Yucatan, route Merida-Progreso Busto de Jose Rendon Peniche, Merida, Yucatan (01).JPG
Bust of Jose Rendón Peniche who worked in the construction and then had charge the general direction of the first railway Yucatan, route Mérida-Progreso

In 1996, Kansas City Southern (KCS), in a joint venture with Transportacion Maritima Mexicana (TMM), bought the Northeast Railroad concession that linked Mexico City, Monterrey, the Pacific port at Lázaro Cárdenas and the border crossing at Laredo. The company was initially called Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), but was renamed Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM) in 2005 when KCS bought out TMM's interests. KCS's systems in the United States and Mexico jointly form end-to-end rail system linking the heartlands of Mexico and the United States.

The Northwest Railroad concession, connecting Mexico City and Guadalajara with the Pacific port of Manzanillo and various crossings along the United States border was sold to a joint venture between Grupo México and Union Pacific Railroad in 1998 during the presidency of Dr. Ernesto Zedillo (which later occupied the position of Director of the Board of Union Pacific). The company operates as Ferrocarril Mexicano or Ferromex. Ferromex's freight volumes have increased; it hauled a record 22,365 million tonne-km in the first 6 months of 2010. Also, Ferrosur, the railroad serving Mexico City and cities/ports southeast of Mexico City, hauled their own record 3,565 million tonne-kilometers. [11]

There were two southern concessions, merged in 2000 to form Ferrosur. Ferrosur operates the line between Mexico City and the Gulf of Mexico port of Veracruz. In 2005, Ferrosur was bought by Ferromex's parent company. KCSM challenged the acquisition and the merger failed to receive regulatory approval. However, in March 2011, a tribunal ruled in Grupo México's favor, and the merger was permitted. [12]

The three major Mexican railroads jointly own Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de México (Ferrovalle) which operates railroads and terminals in and around Mexico City.

Revival of passenger service

Rail System in Mexico Mapa derechos de paso v2.pdf
Rail System in Mexico

In 2006, the Secretariat of Communications and Transport of Mexico proposed a high-speed rail link [13] that would have transported passengers from Mexico City to Guadalajara, Jalisco, with stops in the cities of Querétaro, Guanajuato, Leon and Irapuato, along with a branch running from the port city of Manzanillo to Aguascalientes. The train would travel at 300 km/h, [14] and would allow passengers to travel from Mexico City to Guadalajara in just 2 hours [14] at an affordable price (the same trip by road takes 7 hours). The network was foreseen to eventually connect to Monterrey, Chilpancingo, Cuernavaca, Toluca, Puebla, Tijuana, Hermosillo, Cordoba, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Colima, Zacatecas, Torreon, Chihuahua, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Mexicali, Saltillo, and Acapulco by 2015. [13] The whole project was projected to cost 240 billion pesos, or about 25 billion dollars. [13] Despite Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's expressed interest in investing in high-speed rail, [15] no progress was made on the proposal.

President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed a return to services of intercity trains. His administration's proposals included the Toluca–Mexico City commuter rail, which successfully launched construction in 2014 and went into service in 2023. They also included the Tren Maya, which would run throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, and whose construction eventually began in 2020, and a Mexico City-Querétaro high speed rail line.

A consortium of China Railway Construction Corporation, Prodemex, Teya and GHP was awarded the contract to build the Mexico City-Querétaro high speed rail, at a cost of $3.75 billion dollars. However, the contract was cancelled the following year due to a series of corruption scandals. [16] In 2015, Mexico opened a new tender, which was again revoked, leading to the Mexican government paying China Railway Construction Corporation a 1.31 million USD indemnification. [17] The project was revived in July 2023 as an extension of the Cuatitlan commuter rail, when the Mexican government signed an agreement with Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad to study the viability of a passenger rail line from Mexico City to the city of Queretaro. [18]

In September 2018, President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced a US$7.4 billion plan to build a tourist and freight railway on the Yucatán Peninsula. The project, named the Tren Maya, began construction in 2020 and will connect Palenque to Cancún, but remains controversial with environmentalists and indigenous rights activists. [19] [20] The new service debuted in 2023 and marked yet another chapter in the intercity revival.

Railways

Ferrosur train in Veracruz FERROSUR 4400 NORTE.jpg
Ferrosur train in Veracruz
Commuter rail train in Mexico City Buenavista railway station Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico estacion Buenavista.jpg
Commuter rail train in Mexico City Buenavista railway station

The major Class I freight railroads in Mexico include:

Short line railroads include:

Passenger rail lines include:

Mass transit

Urban rail transit systems in Mexico include four light rail or rapid transit systems: The Guadalajara light rail system, the Mexico City Metro, the Xochimilco Light Rail line (in Mexico City) and the Monterrey Metro. In 2017, the Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train opened in Puebla City; [23] service ended in December 2021.

Expansion

In January 2022, the Mexican Secretary of communications and transport approved a 180 Kilometer rail expansion in the Durango-Mazatlan corridor. It has an estimated cost of 1.2 billion dollars to revive and expand the abandoned corridor under a private-public partnership with the company Caxxor Group, as part of the USMCA agreement. [24] [25] [26] [27]

Museums

Calvillo, Aguascalientes Recorrido Wiki Loves Monuments 2015 por Calvillo, Aguascalientes (Dia 4) 11.JPG
Calvillo, Aguascalientes

There are several rail museums in Mexico including the Railway Museum in San Luis Potosi, [28] the Old Railway Station Museum in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes; a former station along the Interoceanic Railway of Mexico in Cuautla, Morelos which serves as a museum; the Museo de las Ferrocarilles en Yucatán is in Mérida, Yucatán; [29] and the National Railway Museum in Puebla, Puebla. [30] The former station in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon is now used as an art museum.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferromex</span> Mexican railway company

Ferromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railway in Mexico with combined mileage of 12,100 kilometres (7,500 mi) and is often classed with North American Class I railroads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tren Suburbano</span> Suburban rail system in Mexico City

The Tren Suburbano is an electric suburban rail system in Mexico City. It is operated by Ferrocarriles Suburbanos with concessioned trains from Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF). It was designed to complement the extensive Mexico City metro system, Latin America's largest and busiest urban rail network.

<i>Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México</i> Former state-owned railroad in Mexico

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938, a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Ciudad Juárez, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros on the U.S. border. The first trains to Nuevo Laredo from Mexico City began operating in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrosur</span>

The Ferrocarril del Sureste, commonly known by the syllabic abbreviation Ferrosur, is a railway that serves the southeastern regions of Mexico. The company was formed in 1998, following the privatization of Mexico's railways. Ferrosur won the concession to operate the southeastern railway, which includes the line between Mexico City and Mexico's busiest Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean port at Veracruz. Grupo México has owned the company since 2005. There are long-delayed plans to merge it with the company's other railway, Ferromex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interoceanic Railway of Mexico</span>

The Interoceanic Railway of Mexico was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Great Britain in 1888 to complete an unfinished project and compete with the Mexican Railway, it completed a 3 ft narrow gauge main line from Mexico City to Veracruz in 1891. Branches included Mexico City to Puente de Ixtla, Puebla to Cuautla, Atencingo to Tlancualpicán, and a cutoff between Oriental and Santa Clara. Through subsidiary Mexican Eastern Railroad, the Interoceanic acquired a branch from San Marcos to Teziutlán in 1902, and in January 1910 it began operating the Mexican Southern Railway from Puebla to Oaxaca under lease. The Mexican government acquired control of the Interoceanic in 1903, and subsequently sold it to the National Railroad of Mexico in exchange for ownership of that company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tren Interoceánico</span> Railroad owned by the Mexican government

The Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec(Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, S.A. de C.V.), also known as Tren Interoceánico, Line Z, Ferrocarril Transístmico or simply Ferroistmo, is part of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, owned by the Mexican government, that crosses the Isthmus of Tehuantepec between Puerto Mexico, Veracruz, and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. It is leased to Ferrocarril del Sureste FERROSUR.

The Ferrocarril Sonora–Baja California is a former railroad line of Mexico that built the line from Mexicali, Baja California, to Benjamín Hill, Sonora in 1948. It interchanged with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Calexico, California, and with the Ferrocarril del Pacifico in Benjamin Hill, Sonora. Before 1960, The SP-controlled Inter-California railroad provided trackage rights for the SBC from Pascualitos to the International Border. SBC took control of that part after the demise of the Inter-Cal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Peru</span> Overview of rail transport in Peru

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Guatemala</span>

Guatemala has a network of 914 mm narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Costa Rica</span> Railroad transportation system connecting locations in Costa Rica

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Puerto Rico</span> History of rail transport in Puerto Rico

Rail transport in Puerto Rico currently consists of a 10.7-mile (17.2 km) passenger metro system in the island's metropolitan area of San Juan. Its history can be traced back to the mid-19th century with the construction of a limited passenger line in Mayagüez. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Puerto Rico's rail transport system expanded significantly, becoming one of the largest rail systems in the Caribbean at the time thanks to an economic boom in agriculture industries, especially the sugar cane industry. The rail system was expanded to include passenger travel with a direct line from the island's northern capital of San Juan to the western and southern cities and towns, greatly improving travel and communication within the island. However, the entire system was soon overshadowed by the arrival of the automobile, and by the 1950s was completely abandoned. Small remnants of this system still exist in some parts of Puerto Rico, some conserved for tourism purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Central America</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Bartolomé Mitre Railway</span> Argentine railway division

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Manuel Belgrano Railway</span> Argentine state-owned railway company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buenavista railway station (old)</span> Former railway station in Mexico City, Mexico

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tren Interoceánico (network)</span> Government-owned railway system in Mexico

The Interoceanic Train of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is a government-owned railway system in Mexico that has 3 lines. It seeks to become a global logistics network focused on the manufacture and movement of goods between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

References

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  21. "Tren al AIFA estará listo el primer trimestre de 2024". Mexico City government. July 29, 2023.
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Further reading