Mexican rail comeback

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railiner said:
Until I read the story, I'd never heard of this "transcontinental" route. The one operated across Panama seems to do okay...

http://www.panarail.com/en/passenger/index.html
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I have traveled on that.

Meanwhile there appears to be a major growth in passenger service in Mexico. 7 routes have been designated for development of an 8,000 km network.

Three of those routes terminate at the US border at Nuevo Laredo, Nogales and Ciudad Juarez. Opens up possibilities for Amtrak to connect to them somehow at some point I suppose.

Anyway, here is the article from The Railway Gazette (might require registration and/or subscription):

Mexican government seeks to revive passenger services on seven routes

For those that cannot access the article, in summary, the seven proposed routes are:

1. Mexico City to Veracruz and Coatzacoalcos on the east coast. (CPKC)

2. North-south Mexico City – Querétaro – Leon – Aguascalientes route. (CPKC)

3. Irapuato to Manzanillo on the west coast via Guadalajara and Colima. (Ferromex, the guys who own FECR)

4. Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo in the northeast, via San Luis Potosi and Monterrey. (CPKC)

5. Mexico City to Nogales on the border with the USA, running along the west coast via Querétaro, Guadalajara, Tepic and Mazatlan. (Ferromex)

6. Aguascalientes via Chihuahua to Ciudad Juarez (Ferromex)

7. Felipe Ángeles international airport and Pachuca. This service would be created as part of a new concession and would form a suburban rail corridor between Pachuca and Mexico City.
 
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jis said:
I have traveled on that.

Meanwhile there appears to be a major growth in passenger service in Mexico. 7 routes have been designated for development of an 8,000 km network.

Three of those routes terminate at the US border at Nuevo Laredo, Nogales and Ciudad Juarez. Opens up possibilities for Amtrak to connect to them somehow at some point I suppose.

Anyway, here is the article from The Railway Gazette (might require registration and/or subscription:

Mexican government seeks to revive passenger services on seven routes

For those that cannot access the article, in summary, the seven proposed routes are:

1. Mexico City to Veracruz and Coatzacoalcos on the east coast. (CPKC)

2. North-south Mexico City – Querétaro – Leon – Aguascalientes route. (CPKC)

3. Irapuato to Manzanillo on the west coast via Guadalajara and Colima. (Ferromex, the guys who own FECR)

4. Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo in the northeast, via San Luis Potosi and Monterrey. (CPKC)

5. Mexico City to Nogales on the border with the USA, running along the west coast via Querétaro, Guadalajara, Tepic and Mazatlan. (Ferromex)

6. Aguascalientes via Chihuahua to Ciudad Juarez (Ferromex)

7. Felipe Ángeles international airport and Pachuca. This service would be created as part of a new concession and would form a suburban rail corridor between Pachuca and Mexico City.
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Wasn't number 4 the route of the Aztec Eagle at one time? Which had a thru Pullman from New York over the PRR and MP?
 
After retirement my father spent a couple winter months each year in Morelia where there was an active expatriate community. We visited by rail on the Aztec Eagle in ‘67 from San Antonio (MP 10-6) and El Costeno in ‘72 from Nogales.

I remember walking through the open section sleeper to the heavyweight diner. Talk about a time warp! Then on an overnight train from Mexico City to Morelia (with an ex PRR 10-6).

The ‘67 trip was my first introduction to Mexican food. Little did I know I would marry an Arizona girl a couple years later and it became a favorite.
 
Bob Dylan said:
Answered, thanks AmtrakMaineiac!👍( NdeM worked closely with MoPac RR as railiner said)
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There were some changes in this through the years. At one point the through sleeper originated in San Antonio instead of St. Louis. It was back to St. Louis, though, for the last big travel event on that route, the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

1968 NdeM go to Mexico 002.jpg

1968 NdeM Eagle tt 003.jpg
 
Metra Electric Rider said:
I'm somehow not surprised that Mexico is spending money on rail - it's seen as being a modern nation to have good rail service (and cheaper than highways too). I mean, if Costa Rica is rebuilding their rail then Mexico sure won't want to be left behind!
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It helps Mexico of course that their rail network is still largely intact (thanks to freight) and that the system is predominantly standard gauge.

The mish-mash of different gauges in countries like Brazil and to a lesser extent Argentina make revival of an attractive and competitive passenger rail system much more challenging. Nobody likes to be asked to change trains in the middle of the night because 150 years ago somebody decided to adopt a different gauge on a whim. The same problem is of course also crippling the same rail systems in reaching their full potential as freight carriers. Australia did a good job here, pushing for a contiguous standard gauge system. Thanks to Chinese investment, even Africa is slowly moving in this direction.
 
Yo solo hablo un pocito Español, but it was interesting watching the 2 videos nonetheless. The Tren Maya looked to be well patronized, although you might expect that for the first trip.

The projected new lines by 2030 looks ambitious (in the US we would be lucky to have the studies and EIS done by then). I hope they succeed.
 
AmtrakMaineiac said:
The projected new lines by 2030 looks ambitious (in the US we would be lucky to have the studies and EIS done by then). I hope they succeed.
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Mexico has a long history of proposing passenger rail projects (including high speed lines) that end up being quietly forgotten about. So a certain amount of skepticism is not misplaced.

But the ball is definitely rolling in the right direction. If only one or two of these projects does get built and then performs well, this might create appetite and momentum for more.
 
AmtrakMaineiac said:
Yo solo hablo un pocito Español, but it was interesting watching the 2 videos nonetheless. The Tren Maya looked to be well patronized, although you might expect that for the first trip.

The projected new lines by 2030 looks ambitious (in the US we would be lucky to have the studies and EIS done by then). I hope they succeed.
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WorldwideRailfan covered it briefly, and there are some comments:
 
cirdan said:
Mexico has a long history of proposing passenger rail projects (including high speed lines) that end up being quietly forgotten about. So a certain amount of skepticism is not misplaced....
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Why am I reminded that one of my favorite novels by one of my favorite authors (hence my forum name) concerns a fictitious Mexican railroad created solely to milk its gullible investors? I heartily recommend Trollope's masterpiece, The Way We Live Now, his longest novel yet an astonishingly easy read. Though its theme is corruption (in financial markets, publishing markets, and marriage markets), it's also very funny. The board meeting is especially hilarious and recognizable to any of us who have tried (and failed) to do our due diligence as members of nonprofit or corporate boards.

The Way We Live Now - Wikipedia
 

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