As part of the activities surrounding her Second Government Report, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo visited Guadalajara, where she announced that, starting in 2027, construction will begin on a passenger train line connecting the Jalisco capital with Mexico City.
During the event held in Tlajomulco, the president reported that the federal government is already working on the bidding process for the Irapuato-León and León-Guadalajara sections, with the goal of beginning construction next year.
She explained that the route is being developed gradually. The first sections are Mexico City-Querétaro and Querétaro-Irapuato, followed by León and eventually Guadalajara.
“One very important project that you are going to like: the Mexico City-Guadalajara train. We are already working on Mexico City-Querétaro, Querétaro-Irapuato… and we are now going to bid out Irapuato-León and León-Guadalajara, so that construction of the train can begin next year and we can bring back that beautiful means of transportation that promotes regional development.”
The Government of Jalisco has proposed different alternatives for the train’s route through the state, although the federal government will be responsible for establishing the final route. The municipalities under consideration include Lagos de Moreno, San Juan de los Lagos, Jalostotitlán, Valle de Guadalupe, Tequila, Tepatitlán, Acatic, Zapotlanejo, Tonalá, Guadalajara, and Zapopan.
San Diego de Alejandría, Arandas, San Ignacio Cerro Gordo, Juanacatlán, El Salto, and San Pedro Tlaquepaque have also been considered.
The government of Pablo Lemus committed to collaborating in securing the rights of way once the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation determines the final route through the state and the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
With the project, Guadalajara and Mexico City will once again have a passenger railway route after nearly 30 years. The previous service was known as El Tapatío, an express train that connected the two cities in an approximately 12-hour journey.
Construction of the Mexico City-Querétaro section had reached 19% progress as of June. The Querétaro-Irapuato section was reported to be 12% complete at the beginning of September, with 108 kilometers under construction.
In July, the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transportation reported that the technical studies, basic engineering, and demand analyses for Irapuato-León and León-Guadalajara had been completed. The corridors will have exclusive passenger tracks and allow maximum speeds of between 160 and 200 kilometers per hour.
In addition to the train, Sheinbaum mentioned the expansion and modernization of the Lagos de Moreno bypass, the Amado Nervo Bridge between Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas, the modernization of the Port of Puerto Vallarta, and treatment plants to address pollution in the Lerma-Santiago Basin.
She also highlighted an ISSSTE Regional High-Specialty Hospital in Tlajomulco, additional high schools, and a combined-cycle power plant for Jalisco, a project that will still have to undergo a bidding process.
Source: informador
