Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that the country’s national passenger train project has achieved 66% progress in right-of-way clearance, thanks to coordinated work between federal agencies and the support of communities, ejidos, and municipalities along the proposed routes.
During her daily press briefing, Sheinbaum expressed gratitude to residents who have cooperated with the project, emphasizing that land acquisitions are handled directly through transparent agreements with local authorities and community assemblies. “I want to thank the people for their incredible support. We’ve made great progress with respect and transparency—no intermediaries, just direct dialogue and fair payments,” she stated.
According to reports from the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transport (SICT) and the Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development (Sedatu), a total of 1,607 properties have been cleared. Specific corridor progress includes 93% for the AIFA–Pachuca route, 70% for Mexico City–Querétaro, 85% for Querétaro–Irapuato, and 71% for Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo.
Edna Elena Vega Rangel, head of Sedatu, clarified that 66% of the project will use existing rail corridors. She highlighted inter-agency cooperation with the SICT, the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF), the Ministry of the Interior, and INDAABIN. Meanwhile, ARTF director Andrés Lajous confirmed that all rail segments for the Querétaro–Irapuato and Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo lines have been put out to tender, and a call for bids for 47 new trainsets was published on October 21.
General Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez, commander of the “Felipe Ángeles” Engineers Corps, reported 10% construction progress on the Mexico City–Pachuca section and 4.8% on the Mexico City–Querétaro route, generating over 16,000 direct jobs. He also noted progress on engineering studies and terminal works for the Maya Train’s cargo infrastructure, with seven active work fronts nationwide.
