CPKC Mexico City - Querétaro Passenger Train (CDMX-QRO)

Commuter Train Proposed: MexicoNewsDaily.com

Canadian Pacific Kansas City to study feasibility of CDMX-QRO train

The railway company Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) has signed an agreement with the Mexican government to study the feasibility of a Mexico City-Querétaro passenger train.
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“There is already a rail concession for the line. [Kansas City Southern de México] will use the same line for the passenger trains, so this will help a lot. There is a lot of traffic [on the highway], and frequent accidents,” the president added.
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“In this study, the details on costs, needs, scope and risks [will] determine [if there is a possible] coexistence between freight and passenger trains,” said Kansas City Southern de México Chairman Oscar del Cueto.
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Consultores de tiempo de comida

It appears the edit clock ran out of time, so to continue with a new post.

Queretaro-CDMX is 216 highway klicks, or 135 miles. This would appear more the start of a "Mextrak" initiative than a commuter route.

Perhaps the goal of the interest group behind this initiative is knowing the Franchise which is held by KCS-M (CPKC) expires somewhere around 2030, and if a "Mextrak" can be made a provision for its renewal, best take a comparative "baby step first" rather than attempting to recreate the entire 1970 NdeM System Timetable I have in my collection.

It appears at least per the file photo in the article that this is the same rail line which had been electrified several decades ago and for which a fleet of GE E60 locomotives had been built. The electrification was decommissioned many years ago and the E60s went on to various second careers elsewhere (including but not limited to the scrapper's torch), but is there enough remaining infrastructure to easily re-electrify the route, and is it the intent for the new passenger service to use it?

Quite a turnaround. Wasn't "no passenger service" one of the conditions that American freight railroads demanded before operating in Mexico? That and the wires coming down, as mentioned above.

If anything ends up electrified, it'd probably be on a separate track from the freight line. Double-stacks and wires seem a bit dicey, especially at 25,000V. Has anyone tested whether that could even be done?

spRocket wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 1:53 pm Quite a turnaround. Wasn't "no passenger service" one of the conditions that American freight railroads demanded before operating in Mexico? That and the wires coming down, as mentioned above.

If anything ends up electrified, it'd probably be on a separate track from the freight line. Double-stacks and wires seem a bit dicey, especially at 25,000V. Has anyone tested whether that could even be done?

I thought the same thing, That no passenger service was demanded by KSC. I imagine a lot of the poles could still be reused, and I know they do double stacks with wires in the EU.

Again Mr. Scratchy, no passenger trains was a condition both KCS and UP set forth for investing in the Mexican roads.

Despite being some of the most spectacular scenery I have observed during my train riding days, no passenger trains meant just that.

Towards "the end" during '75 when I was last down there, the Monterey-CDMX "El Regionmantano" was a well patronized all-Sleeper train; so was CDMX-Guadlajara El Tapatio.

And the fares? Sleeper less than Coach back then up here. Food on board? Edible; and never got sick.

So who knows where any possible Mextrak initiative will go. However, you can be sure CPKC, can do nicely without. But if it jeopardizes continuation of their franchise, you just might see a Mextrak.

The initative to restore Mexican intercity rail passenger service has been moving forth almost as long as KCS and UP made their investments and, in the process, declaring "don't even THINK of a Mextrak".

Open:

http://www.banderasnews.com/1302/nb-mex ... nagain.htm

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/trav ... -in-mexico

Paywalled (but maybe some wizard around here can crack it):

https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/amlo ... il-network

Looks as if NdeM (KCS-M; CPKC) is back in the passenger train business again- or at least handling passengers:

New York Times

Presume NdeM, as to my knowledge, FCM (Ferromex) does not go into the State of Mexico.