Mexico orders railroads to prioritize passenger train services over freight operations - two lines to reach Texas border cities
UPDATED November 26, 2023 - TRA Newswire -
Mexico’s government issued a federal mandate this week forcing private railway companies operating in the country to offer passenger service over their normal daily freight runs.
Two of the passenger lines proposed would run to Texas border towns. One from Mexico City to Ciudad Juarez / El Paso and the other from Mexico City-Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo / Laredo.
According to FreightWaves.com, published in the Mexican government’s official gazette, Monday’s decree gives the country’s two main private concessionary rail operators — Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Ferromex — until Jan. 15 to present proposals for offering the passenger service themselves. If the two rail operators decline, the government will put Mexico’s army or navy in charge of lines designated for passenger services.
Mexico’s freight railway system is owned by the federal government and operated by CPKC and Ferromex under concessions from authorities.
“We made this decision because train travel will be more economical, comfortable and less polluting, since the tracks can be electrified,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a news conference Monday. “It is safer public transportation and the mobility of the population from the main cities of Mexico to the northern border will increase.”
Read more: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/mexico-orders-railroads-to-prioritize-passenger-train-services-over-freight-operations
UPDATE:
Railway companies plan to accept AMLO proposal for Grupo Milenio passenger trains - includes two lines to reach Texas border cities
November 26, 2023 - nationworldnews.com -
Railway companies that are currently concentrating on freight transport will accept the Federal Government’s invitation so that they are the ones who put forward a proposal to promote passenger train transport in Mexico, said Oscar del Cueto, president of the Mexican Railway Federation (AMF).
In a conference he explained that in this way companies in the industry will present an implementation strategy regarding the seven routes proposed in the decree issued earlier this week.
Photo credit: nationworldnews.com