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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum inspected construction of the Mexico-Querétaro passenger rail project, which federal authorities said has reached 8% completion as part of a broader effort to restore intercity passenger train service in the country.
Speaking during a supervision tour in San Juan del Río, Sheinbaum said the project is advancing as planned and will continue into next year. Federal officials estimate the rail line will serve up to 10 million passengers annually once it is fully operational.
The Mexico-Querétaro line will span 226 kilometers (140 miles) and is designed to reduce travel times between major urban centers in central Mexico. According to the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency, the trip from Mexico City to Querétaro is expected to take about two hours. Travel time from Mexico City to San Juan del Río is projected at 1 hour and 20 minutes, while the segment from San Juan del Río to downtown Querétaro is expected to take about 43 minutes.
The project has been divided into 12 construction segments to allow multiple sections to be built simultaneously. San Juan del Río represents the first of four segments located within the state of Querétaro, with those four sections totaling approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles). Authorities said this approach is intended to accelerate construction while minimizing disruptions.
Gustavo Vallejo Suárez, commander of the Felipe Ángeles Engineers Corps, said the project includes the construction of tunnels to avoid interfering with traffic on the heavily traveled Mexico-Querétaro highway, one of the country’s main transportation corridors.
Sheinbaum acknowledged the participation of the military engineering unit, the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, and state governments in the State of Mexico and Querétaro. Officials said the project has not faced major social opposition and that negotiations for land acquisition and rights of way have been carried out through dialogue, with compensation paid at what authorities described as fair market value.
Andrés Lajous Loaeza, director general of the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency, said the rail line is expected to improve regional mobility and provide a faster alternative to highway travel between the capital and the Bajío region.
Querétaro Gov. Mauricio Kuri said the project is expected to have a significant impact on the state’s economic development and long-term connectivity.
Federal authorities did not provide a completion date but said construction would continue through 2026.