The wide-ranging category of equipment and services for transportation infrastructure is a best prospect industry sector for Mexico. This section includes an overview of several key dimensions of the sector and relevant trade data.
Overview
Mexico’s USD 1.3 trillion economy makes it the second-largest economy in Latin America and the 15th-largest in the world. This makes its infrastructure plans an important consideration for any U.S. engineering or construction supply firm.
The following table provides the most recent statistics for transportation infrastructure equipment and services in Mexico:
Table 1: Mexico Transportation Infrastructure Equipment and Services Market Overview
(Figures in USD Billions)
|
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Total Local Production |
6.15 |
5.80 |
5.72 |
6.3 |
6.38 |
|
Total Exports |
4.23 |
5.21 |
3.17 |
4.25 |
6.66 |
|
Total Imports |
3.92 |
3.17 |
2.14 |
3.06 |
4.27 |
|
Imports from the U.S. |
0.92 |
0.62 |
0.46 |
0.51 |
0.84 |
|
Total Market Size* |
5.847 |
3.765 |
4.69 |
5.11 |
3.99 |
|
Exchange Rates |
19.227 |
19.26 |
20.00 |
20.28 |
20.12 |
*Total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports
Sources: National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI), National Survey of Construction Companies (ENEC), Banxico (Cubo Comercio Exterior)
Infrastructure has been a priority for the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador since taking office in December 2018. The announcement of the Construction and Modernization Program (CMP) 2018-2024 included four priority projects worth over USD 20 billion:
- A re-envisioned airport system for the greater Mexico City metropolitan area and surrounding states
- Development of a multi-modal cargo corridor across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
- A passenger and cargo “Maya Train” on the Yucatán Peninsula
- The construction of a new refinery in Dos Bocas, Tabasco
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the Mexican economy contract by 8.5 percent in 2020, growing only five percent in 2021. The Government of Mexico (GOM) nonetheless remained committed to move ahead with priority infrastructure projects, not only to increase the quality, scope, and coverage of national infrastructure, but to trigger economic activity and generate employment. In October 2020, the first round of an Economic Reactivation Agreement was announced, featuring 39 projects worth an estimated USD 13.8 billion in sectors such as roads and highways, energy (hydrocarbons), railways, ports, water, and the environment. Less than two months later (on November 30) a second round of 29 projects worth USD 10.5 billion was launched. An important feature in all these projects is that at least 50 percent of the financing for these projects to move forward must come from the private sector. The extent to which these projects have moved forward remains unclear.
It should be noted that the government’s plan to develop transportation infrastructure places a major emphasis on the states of southern Mexico, particularly Tabasco (the President’s home state), Chiapas, and the Yucatán Peninsula states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán. Three of the four strategic infrastructure projects mentioned above (Dos Bocas Refinery, Tren Maya, and Trans-Isthmus Corridor) are all in that region. Furthermore, an additional set of 36 projects worth USD 3.5 billion was also presented in February 2021 by the Mexican Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN) and the members of Pacto Oaxaca, a collaboration agreement signed between nine states of south-southeast Mexico and local business leaders to bolster regional development, enhance prosperity, and curb migration. The projects include initiatives in the water, airports, highways, railways, maritime, ports, energy, industrial parks, and real estate subsectors. As is the case with the other two rounds of infrastructure projects, the degree of progress that these projects have had since then is unclear.
Table 2: Government’s plan to develop Transportation Infrastructure Construction and Modernization Program
|
Construction and Modernization Program |
Economic Reactivation Agreement |
Economic Recovery Infrastructure Projects |
Pacto Oaxaca Strategic Agenda for South-Southeast Mexico |
Economic Recovery Infrastructure Projects |
|
2018-2024 |
(First Round) |
(Second Round) |
|
(Third Round) |
|
Announced August 2018 |
Announced October 5, 2020 |
Announced November 30, 2020 |
Announced March 2021 |
Expected 2nd semester 2022 |
|
20+ Bn USD Investment |
13.8 Bn USD Investment* |
10.5 Bn USD Investment* |
3.5 Bn USD Investment |
TBD |
|
13 Infrastructure Projects: |
39 Projects: -27 Roads and Highways -5 Energy (Hydrocarbons) -3 Railways -2 Ports -1 Environment -1 Water |
29 Projects : -16 Roads and Highways -7 Energy (Electricity) -2 Energy (Hydrocarbons) -2 Water -1 Logistics -1 Ports |
36 Projects: |
TBD |
|
Includes: Maya Train, Trans-Isthmus Corridor, Dos Bocas Refinery and new airport system for greater Mexico City metropolitan area |
Includes: Mexico-Queretaro Train, Expansion/modernization of Progreso Port, Light Train Garcia-Monterrey Airport |
Includes: TMEC/USMCA Corridor |
Includes: Salina Cruz-Tapachula Gas Pipeline, Rail branch connecting Seybaplaya (Campeche) with Tren Maya |
TBD |
|
Primarily public funds |
*At least 50% financing from private sector |
*At least 50% financing from private sector |
In collaboration with private sector |
TBD |
The scope and timelines of all these initiatives are ambitious. Many of these projects will require major investment or financing from the private sector to be accomplished.
However, with the upcoming federal elections in 2024, the GOM is focusing its energy on completing its strategic infrastructure projects before the end of the administration. Therefore, we do not expect to see new federal infrastructure projects being announced until a new government takes office in late 2024.
For more details on several of these projects, please also see the sections of this guide on Construction, Energy, Oil and Gas and Environmental Technologies.
Leading Sub-Sectors
Below is an overview of leading transportation infrastructure sub-sectors in airports, ports, rail, and roads.
Airports
As highlighted in the Aerospace portion of this guide, several airport expansion projects are underway. Some began before the current administration took office. Others are under the supervision of the Mexican Secretariat of Defense (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional or SEDENA) and private airport concessions. The country’s current network consists of 77 airports. Sixty-five of them are international.
Mexico City Airports
Mexico City does not have enough runways and terminal capacity to support aviation demand for a metropolitan region of more than 23 million residents. In 2020, Mexico City International Airport (AICM) served 21.9 million passengers (domestic and international), while in 2022 it had 42 million, displaying a recovery in passenger traffic- since the pandemic. However, in 2019, AICM supported 50.3 million passengers. The airport managed 387,889 commercial and general aviation flights in 2021, and in 2022 operations reached 387,450, showing an annual growth of 18 percent. AICM achieved a record number of daily operations on December 14, 2018, with a total of 1,279 flight operations.
President López Obrador canceled the construction of a New International Airport for Mexico City (NAIM) in Texcoco, just east of the current airport. He then instructed his team to pursue a three-fold strategy to develop an “Airport System for the Valley of Mexico” based on a paper produced by an engineer named José María Riobóo Martín. This paper was the basis for a new airport plan called the Metropolitan Airport System (Sistema Aeroportuario Metropolitano or SAM) that the GOM announced in November 2019. The system includes the construction of the new international Felipe Angeles International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles or AIFA) together with Toluca International Airport and the current AICM in Mexico City.
Early on, the López Obrador administration created the Mexico City Airport Group (Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de Mexico or GACM), a majority-owned state company to manage the SAM airport project under a concession from the government. However, this strategy shifted in April 2022 when the administration created the state-owned enterprise Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, which would operate both AIFA and Tren Maya. Furthermore, in June 2023, it announced that control of both AICM and GACM, as well as other minor airports, would be passed to a new airport group called Casiopea that will be managed by the Mexican Navy (SEMAR). Toluca International Airport will continue to be under the control of Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA), a government agency.
Felipe Angeles International Airport. The first element of the plan was for SEDENA and its General Directorate of Engineers to build two commercial runways, one military runway, a commercial passenger terminal, and a control tower at the Santa Lucia military airport located in the municipality of Zumpango, State of Mexico. The Santa Lucia airport is located around 45 kilometers north of AICM. Brigadier General Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez, Director of SEDENA-AIFA Engineers Grouping, presented plans for the Santa Lucia Base to reach 190,000 takeoff and landing operations per year in conjunction with the other two airports (Toluca and AICM). SEDENA started construction AIFA in 2019. Recent research has indicated that the total construction cost of USD 4.2 billion exceeded the USD 3.75 billion budgeted by the federal government.
On March 21, 2022, President Lopez Obrador inaugurated AIFA. Currently, AIFA has one fuel terminal, 30 gates (with expansion potential to 60 gates), a control tower, and a parking structure for 4,000 vehicles. As of 2023, seven airlines are using the airport: Aeromexico, Arajet (Dominican Republic), Copa Airlines (Panama), Coviansa (Venezuela), Magnicharters, Volaris, and Viva Aerobus. Some of them have readjusted flight itineraries as demand has been low. Accessibility and an effective aerial space plan are among AIFA’s challenges. Many of SENEAM’s air traffic controllers require more training and additional resources to avoid potential safety incidents. The AIFA airport has a performance-based navigation (PBN) system and three runways (original plus two) with an initial capacity of 20 million passengers. It can expand to 80 million passengers and eventually up to 120 million. SEDENA and the State of Mexico authorities are planning an intermodal transportation passenger station, which will include new lines of Mexibus and an extension of the Inter-urban train system from lecheria station to AIFA. To increase accessiblity to AFIA, the government built an extension from the highway “Circuito Exterior Mexiquense” Lecheria-AIFA, improved connections from the Pachuca-Mexico City highway, and completed other medium-size roads around the airport zone. The administration envisions a dedicated 46-kilometer ground interconnection to AICM that would require 35 minutes of transit time to make flight connection.
Key technical agencies involved in AIFA’s construction were: Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes or SICT), the air traffic control team (SENEAM), which is also responsible of the airport aerial space re-design based on a study prepared by the firm Navblue (Airbus), the Mexican equivalent to the FAA called AFAC (formerly DGAC), and the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público or SHCP). On October 15, 2021, the government created a private entity —Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Angeles, S.A. de C.V. — as a majority state-owned company under the state-run airport group Olmeca-Maya-Mexico with a concession to exploit AIFA for 50 years. SEDENA was AIFA’s builder/designer and the operating concessioned entity.
AICM Terminal 3 and Other Improvements. Early in the administration, the Secretary of SICT directed GACM to construct a third Terminal Building (T3) at AICM on land currently used for the presidential hangar. However, in April 2022, SICT announced that the project was cancelled and instead SICT would make remodeling works at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. AICM’s salty, sinking soil conditions cause damage throughout the airport area. Among the planned AICM renovations, the airport aims to improve runway drainage systems and electricity network, rehabilitate runway B, remodel sewage services, upgrade takeoff and landing navigation systems, and perform engineering improvements to address subsidence under the T2 building. However, it is unclear if these renovations will occur prior to the 2024 federal elections.
Toluca International Airport. The Toluca International Airport (AIT) plans to expand its services, but how this develops remains unclear. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has opposed the expansion of Toluca services due to the economics of operating this smaller, high-altitude airport. The government did investment to improve ground connectivity with the Mexico-Toluca’s highway and the Chamapa-La Venta connecting road in the State of Mexico.
The airspace for the Valley of Mexico, which encompasses AICM, Toluca, and AIFA, was modernized in March 2021 to increase flight capacity for the SAM. Although there have been legal challenges to the new system, SICT and SENEAM continue with the new system.
Due to the extremely fluid nature of these projects, the U.S. Commercial Service in Mexico strongly advises potential U.S. suppliers to contact us for updated information and assistance with bidding.
Other Airports
The Mexican airport network transported 107 million passengers in 2022, up from 80.3 million passengers in 2021 and 48.3 million passengers in 2020. From 2013-2018, the number of passengers transported grew by 58.2 percent overall, with an annual average growth of 9.6 percent. 2017 to 2021 represented the highest growth rates over the past 25 years. This growth reflects both passenger demand and the increase in carriers serving Mexico.
Five large regional airport groups manage Mexico’s airports: GACM, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMA), Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), Grupo Aeroportuarios del Sureste (ASUR), and Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA). Detailed descriptions of these airport groups are in the Aerospace section of this guide. Due to the pandemic, each had a series of modernization projects put on hold in 2020, while other airport projects advanced slowly.
One of the most relevant changes in the Mexican airport network has been the active participation of SEDENA as a leading builder and management entity. SEDENA now manages the new AIFA, the future airport in Tulum, and the Chetumal Airport, which were part of the ASA network before being transferred to the state-owned enterprise Olmeca-Maya-Mexica. At the end of 2020, President López Obrador announced that SEDENA would manage these three airports and that the revenue would be dedicated to improving pensions of armed forces retired officers.
SEDENA’s General Directorate of Engineers oversees the construction of the Tulum airport at the Felipe Carrillo Puerto municipality in Quintana Roo. Environmental studies for the project started in 2021, and the planned completion date for the airport is December 2023, with operations beginning in May 2024.
Estimates show that in May 2024, five million passengers will use the new Tulum Airport. It will have a total cost of USD 49.2 million and an operational life of 31 years. SEDENA announced that Tulum airport will resist up to Category 5 hurricanes. It will have a runway of 3.5 kilometers in length and commercial, cargo, and general aviation functions. The new Tulum airport will connect with the Maya Train (sections 5, 6 and 7), and SEDENA will create a new company to manage the concession. As part of this plan for the Maya Riviera, the airports of Chetumal and Palenque (part of ASA’s network) will have expansion works and be transferred to SEDENA’s state-owned enterprise Olmeca-Maya-Mexica once the Tulum airport is completed.
Ports
There are 102 ports along Mexico’s 7,145-mile coastline and 16 out-of-port terminals. Of these, there are 16 international commercial cargo and passenger ports in the federal system whose planning, development, and use is managed by National Port System Administrations (ASIPONAS), formerly known as Integral Port Administrations, or APIs. In July 2020, President López Obrador announced that SEMAR would take over the management and customs facilities at Mexican federal ports. Consequently, ASIPONAS reports to SEMAR’s General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM). On the Gulf Coast, these ports include Altamira, Tampico, Tuxpan, Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, Dos Bocas, and Progreso. On the Pacific Coast, they are Ensenada, Guaymas, Topolobampo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Salina Cruz, and Puerto Chiapas (also known as Puerto Madero).
Mexico’s ports experienced a wave of growth during the prior administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto. In 2012, port cargo volumes were 260 million tons. By 2018 SCT’s Ports and Merchant Marine Administration reported that this had increased to 317 million tons. While these figures decreased significantly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (267 million tons), volumes have steadily increased, with 286 million tons of cargo moved at Mexican ports in 2021 and over 287 million tons in 2022. In July 2020, SCT announced its Sectoral Communications and Transportation Program 2020-2024, derived from the National Development Plan for 2019-2024 (Plan Nacional de Desarrollo or PND) put forward by President López Obrador. Among its priority objectives, the program calls for consolidating the port network to bolster regional development, establishing industrial nodes and production centers around the ports, and improving connectivity to strengthen the regional market. There is also an interest to explore short sea shipping routes to use existing port infrastructure capacity to its fullest. These objectives are now being taken forward by SEMAR.
Shipyards. In June 2019, the Federal Ports Coordinator announced plans to modernize Mexican shipyards to improve the country’s ship construction and maintenance capacity. Out of 17 existing shipyards in Mexico (12 private, four owned by the Navy, and one owned by Pemex) only four —Ensenada, Mazatlán, Veracruz, and Tampico— are regularly utilized. In 2021, a USD 150 million investment by Italian company Fincantieri to build a new shipyard in Puerto Progreso, Yucatan, was announced as part of a larger project to expand and modernize the port.
Key Port Projects and Initiative
Ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz. These ports are destined for significant improvements as part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Multimodal Corridor/Trans-Isthmus Corridor. See below for more details on this multimodal project.
Port of Veracruz. In 2019, a USD 1.6 billion project was completed that increased the port’s installed cargo capacity from 24 million tons/year to 66 million tons/year. There are still ongoing works to complement the port’s expansion, including a new USD 120 million semi-specialized terminal to handle general cargo and containers, and a new USD 42 million agribulk specialized terminal. There are also plans for a second expansion phase that would quadruple capacity to reach 95 million tons/year by 2030.
Port of Progreso. A USD 213 million investment for the expansion and modernization of Progreso was confirmed in 2023. This includes port infrastructure works (dredging, construction of a new pier, and specialized terminals) and roadway improvements.
Port of Altamira. A USD 25 million investment was approved in 2023 as part of a larger project to build thirteen breakwaters and conduct dredging works to allow access to New Panamax ships. A recent expansion has also increased installed capacity from 15 million tons to 41 million.
Port of Lázaro Cárdenas. In 2018, Lázaro Cárdenas finished construction of a container and multi-use terminal and completed two projects to increase the installed capacity from 27 million tons to 47 million. In 2023, the federal government approved a USD 20 million budget to conduct a series of refurbishment works, including modernization of access roads, dredging works, and construction of a new dock.
Other Ports. Announced in 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Corridor project includes the construction of a new industrial and container port (SI-PORT) in the town of Dimas, Sinaloa. The port will connect with the city of Durango through 220 miles of railway, serving the central and northeastern United States as part of a trade corridor that will also link to logistics centers in Winnipeg, Canada. The port will have a draft of 18 meters and a two-kilometer extension. This project is to be developed with private funding.
In Manzanillo, private port operator Contecon announced a USD 230 million investment to expand its container terminal facilities and further improve its infrastructure. Nonetheless, as of 2023, there have been no new developments regarding the start date of this project.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec-Trans-Isthmus Interoceanic Multimodal Corridor (CIIT)
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the narrowest portion of Mexico and of North America overall, separating the Pacific Ocean from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Efforts to make it an interoceanic trade route date to the early 19th Century, and a rail line across the Isthmus operated profitably between 1907 and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The López Obrador administration intends to make the Trans-Isthmus route competitive with the Canal, thereby boosting regional economic growth in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz.
The Trans-Isthmus project will create a modernized and upgraded Interoceanic Multimodal Corridor that will provide an alternative to the Panama Canal for northbound and post-Panamax shipping. As part of this project, the GOM is working to modernize the railroad of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec; expand cargo handling and storage capacity at the ports of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca; expand the trans-isthmus highway from two to four lanes; improve the airports in Minatitlán and Ixtepec; establish a fiber optic telecommunications connection and cellular/data connectivity; and construct a gas pipeline for commercial and private use. Alongside the route between both oceans, 10 development poles/industrial parks are being developed to attract private sector investment. Tenders for the development of the first five industrial parks (Coatzacoalcos I, Coatzacoalcos II, Texistepec, San Juan Evangelista, and Salina Cruz) were published on June 20, 2023. These incentives include VAT exemptions over the first four years for transactions taking place within the industrial poles, and income tax exemption for the first three years.
To manage the project (including aspects such as project design, coordination and contracting), the López Obrador administration created an independent federal agency called the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor (Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec or CIIT). To ensure coordination across all aspects of the project, the administration of the federal ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz was moved to CIIT. Subsequently, CIIT moved under SEMAR’s jurisdiction in December 2022.
Rail
Mexico has a freight railway system owned by the federal government and operated by various entities under concessions (charters) granted by the national government. The railway system provides freight and passenger service throughout the country (though most of the services are freight-oriented). The network connects major industrial centers with ports and with rail connections at the U.S. border.
Mexico is experiencing a freight rail revival after the privatization of the sector in the mid-1990s. Although railroads have played an increasingly larger role in the transportation sector, their participation in Mexican cargo movements remains relatively low. According to SICT and the Secretariat of Economy (Secretaría de Economía or SE), the total volume of goods transported across Mexico are by truck (56%), rail (13%), boat (30.9%), and air (0.1%).
Based on the figures presented by the Railroad Transport Regulatory Agency, in 2022, 128.46 million tons were moved by train in Mexico (an increase of 6.7 percent compared to 2021). Of that volume, 92.43 million tons related to foreign trade of which 67.87 million tons corresponded to imports, while the remaining 24.56 million tons corresponded to exports.
The Mexican railway network includes 26,914 kilometers (16,724 miles) of track, of which 3,183 km are not currently being used; of the rail track that is operating, 17,643 km (74.3 percent) are part of the main concessioned railway, 4,533 km (19.1 percent) are part of the secondary railway, and 1,555 km (6.55 percent) are privately owned. The GOM wants to generate the conditions and incentives necessary to increase the participation of rail in the land transportation market. A broader interest is to develop the railroad industry in Mexico for both cargo and passenger transportation.
Mexico’s rail system is comprised of six private concessionaires and seven public assignees. The private concessionaires are: Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC —formerly Kansas City Southern de Mexico or KCSM), Mexican Railroads (Ferrocarril Mexicano or Ferromex), Ferrosur, Terminal and Railroads of the Valley of Mexico (Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de México or Ferrovalle), Línea Coahuila-Durango (LCD), and Suburban Railroad (Ferrocarril Suburbano). The public assignees are: Gobierno del Estado de Baja California-Administradora de la vía corta Tijuana-Tecate (ADMICARGA), Gobierno del Estado de Puebla (Tren Turístico Puebla-Cholula), Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec (FIT), Gobierno del Estado de Nuevo León, Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco, FONADIN, and FONATUR Tren Maya.
In February 2021, some of the largest concessionaires announced a combined investment of between USD 520 and 530 million for maintenance works of locomotives and infrastructure, as well as growth projects in key regions, particularly in the northern part of Mexico. To expand cargo capacity, rail companies have reinforced the tracks and adopted double stack rail. There are only five countries where double stack is used to improve cargo capacity: Mexico, the United States, Canada, Panama, and Australia.
Mexico’s rail cargo improvements coincide with the expansion of Mexico’s foreign trade. One big driver of trade growth is the automotive industry (currently trains move seven out of 10 cars produced in the country, while a decade ago it was only three out of 10). Expansion of the oil and gas sector is a major emerging driver. Rail is already the main means of transporting fuels, cereals, minerals, and metals. The top three product sectors by volume are industrial (46.73%), agricultural (26.45%), and mineral (9.55%).
A standard freight measure is the metric ton-kilometer (tkm), which measures not only volume, but also the distance the cargo moves. In 2022, Mexican rail lines moved 87 billion tkms, which is less than the 92.4 billion tkms registered in 2021.
Passenger rail, though limited, has had growing interest due to a combination of major projects and smaller tourist or commuter-oriented initiatives.
According to the General Directorate of Rail and Multimodal Development and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), there are currently 15 rail projects in Mexico at different stages of development. Of particular interest are the following projects:
- Modernization of rail line Z (from Medias Aguas to Salina Cruz) as part of the CIIT project on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, with a length of 215 kilometers and intended to connect the Pacific and Gulf coasts. The inauguration of the refurbished rail line is scheduled for fall 2023.
- Refurbishment of rail lines FA (310 km) from Coatzacoalcos to Palenque and K (472 km) from Ixtepec to Ciudad Hidalgo in southeast Mexico.
- Maya Train. This signature project is a 1,500-kilometer (1,000 mile) mixed use (passenger and cargo) rail line that will cross five states in Mexico’s Southeast. It will connect Palenque in Chiapas with a route circling the Yucatán Peninsula and connecting Escárcega and Campeche City in Campeche with the Yucatán cities of Mérida and Valladolid, and onward to the Quintana Roo cities of Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Chetumal, before connecting back across the Peninsula through the region’s largest Mayan archeological site, called Calakmul.
Construction works officially began on June 1, 2020, with the rail line divided into the following segments:
-
- Section 1 —Palenque to Escárcega, 142 miles, awarded to a consortium composed of Mota Engil (Portugal) and China Communications LTD (China).
- Section 2 —Escárcega to Calkini, 146 miles, awarded to CICSA (one of Carlos Slim’s companies) and FCC (Spain).
- Section 3 —Calkini to Izamal, 107 miles, awarded to Construcciones Urales/Grupo Azvi and Gami Ingeniería y Construcciones (part of Grupo Indi).
- Section 4 —Izamal to Cancún, 160 miles, awarded to Mexican contractor Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA).
- Section 5 North —Cancún-Playa del Carmen, 31 miles, assigned to SEDENA.
- Section 5 South —Playa del Carmen to Tulum, 38 miles, awarded to Grupo México/Acciona.
- Section 6 —Tulum to Bacalar, 158 miles, assigned to SEDENA.
- Section 7 —Bacalar to Escárcega, 178 miles, assigned to SEDENA.
Start of passenger train operations is scheduled for December 2023, and the start of cargo operations for September 2024.
- A major effort is underway to finish the 57.7 km standard-gauge interurban line from Toluca to Mexico City. The line will carry 230,000 passengers a day with a 39-minute trip between Zinacantepec and an interchange with Mexico City Metro Line 1 at the Observatorio Metro station.
Rail Projects announced as part of the Economic Recovery Agreement in 2020:
- Initial/feasibility stage: Proposal for a Mexico City-Querétaro mixed-use train, which revisits what was previously planned to be a high-speed rail project for this route. Passenger rail service is planned for this 250 km Mexico City-Querétaro run.
- Under construction: Suburban Rail branch line (23 km) connecting the existing station at Lechería to the AIFA in the State of Mexico.
- To be started: Rail corridor García-Monterrey International Airport. This project consists of repurposing 62 km of rail lines (originally used exclusively for cargo) for a mixed-use (passenger and cargo) operation, connecting the municipality of García with Monterrey International Airport.
Rail Projects announced as part of Pacto Oaxaca:
- Initial/feasibility stage: Passenger train connecting Tapachula with the Puerto Chiapas International Airport would refurbish 40.5 km of rail line that is currently not being used. The project is also evaluating the construction of a new logistics Center at Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas.
- To be started: An 81 km cargo rail line connecting the Chontalpa region (northwest Tabasco) with the port of Dos Bocas (where the new refinery is being built).
- Initial/feasibility stage: The USMCA/TMEC Corridor, which will include the refurbishment of 167 km of rail line and the additional construction of 180km to connect the new port (SI-PORT) in the town of Dimas with the City of Durango.
Roads
Among the priority objectives of the SICT’s Communications and Transportation Sectoral Program 2020-2024 is the construction, modernization, and maintenance of road infrastructure that is accessible, safe, efficient, and sustainable, thereby contributing to Mexico’s regional and intermodal development.
In that context, a large portion of the projects that were announced as part of the 2020 Economic Reactivation Agreement in October (70 percent) and November (55 percent) are road/highway related. Furthermore, 15 projects that were launched by Pacto Oaxaca in early 2021 are also focused on roads. Among the largest initiatives (based on required investment) are the Naucalpan-Ecatepec Highway (State of Mexico), the Monterrey Macrobypass/Autopista Interserrana (Nuevo León), Connectivity Roadworks for the new Felipe Angeles International Airport (Mexico City and State of Mexico), the Zaragoza Elevated Viaduct (Mexico City), and the Tuxpan-Ozuluama section of the Tuxpan-Tampico Highway (Veracruz).
Opportunities
The U.S. Commercial Service Mexico is ready to assist you in exploring opportunities in transportation infrastructure in Mexico. Mexico’s upcoming federal elections in 2024 will pose a challenge for the timely initiation or completion of infrastructure projects. However, below are a few highlights.
Logistics
Opportunities abound for specialized logistics service providers or cold chain service providers (those that transport, warehouse, and handle time and temperature-sensitive products). As firms that require these products proliferate throughout Mexico, they require a dependable and efficient supply chain. United States logistics firms that currently offer specialized supply chain services are well-positioned to take advantage of this niche market.
Additionally, most transportation entities are looking for the best technologies to improve their services, increase customer satisfaction, assure cargo security, and promote an efficient transportation system that supports Mexico’s competitiveness in a global economy. These trends have resulted in an important demand for all kinds of equipment and services that can help increase the efficiency of the transportation and logistical sector in Mexico.
Ports
Products and services with the best prospects in the Mexican ports sub-sector include container cranes, heavy materials handling equipment, environmentally friendly waste management systems, security systems, IT services, design and construction services, dredging, and other products and services involved in port operations.
Rail
Domestic production in this sub-sector consists of low-tech equipment (open and closed freight cars and rail track fixtures). It is important to note that all high-capacity cranes, railroad, and lifting equipment are imported. Under the USMCA, most equipment for intermodal transportation manufactured in the United States can be imported duty-free.
Products with the best prospects in the Mexican rail sub-sector include frame, mobile, and rotary cranes; self-propelled cranes on tires; front loaders with a capacity of over seven tons; mobile platforms; diesel electric locomotives; railway maintenance service vehicles; rail and tramway freight cars; automatic unloading wagons; covered and closed cars; steel rails; and assemblies for railway vehicles, containers, chassis, and trailers. Other products that have been identified based on the strategic projects being developed include rail laying and maintenance equipment, aluminothermic and electric welding solutions, and signaling systems.
Roads
Domestic production in this sub-sector consists of low-tech equipment (e.g., front loaders and unsophisticated traffic control systems) and the manufacture of trucks and trailers. Top brands manufactured in Mexico include Cummins, Detroit, Foton, Freightliner, Daimler Buses Mexico, Mack, Navistar, Dina, Scania, Volvo VW Trucks and Buses, Man, Mercedes-Benz, Hino, Isuzu Motors, and Kenworth Mexicana. These are primarily produced for export. Conversely, all high-capacity crane equipment is imported. Under USMCA, most equipment for intermodal transportation manufactured in the United States can be imported duty-free.
Products with the best prospects in the Mexican roads sub-sector include mobile and rotary cranes, self-propelled cranes on tires, front loaders with a capacity of over seven tons, mobile platforms, and traffic control equipment.
Airports
Please see the Aerospace section of this guide for more information.
Resources
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Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) |
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Secretariat of Economy (SE) |
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Association of Mexican Railways (AMF) |
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Rail Transportation Regulatory Agency (ARTF) |
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Inter-American Port Commission, Organization of American States (OAS) |
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National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP) |
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National Cargo Transportation Chamber of Commerce (CANACAR) |
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Events
For aerospace and aviation-related events, please see the Aerospace section of this guide.
There are not a lot of major tradeshows covering road, rail, or seaport infrastructure in Mexico, though there are, at times, various government and industry association conferences on these topics throughout the year.
In the railway sector, the annual ExpoRail conference brings together the main stakeholders in the industry. For more information, please go to: https://exporail.mx/
The U.S. Commercial Service in Mexico also organizes delegations covering various aspects of the sector, including site visits. Please contact us for more information on these opportunities.
Contacts
For more information on the transportation infrastructure equipment and services sector in Mexico, please contact:
Diana León
Commercial Specialist, Transportation Infrastructure and Deal Teams
U.S. Commercial Service —Mexico City
Juan Carlos Ruíz
Commercial Specialist, Construction
U.S. Commercial Service —Mexico City