Mexico's Tran-Peninsular Train Pushed Back to at Least 2015 The Yucatan Times
go to original February 24, 2013

The construction of the Trans-peninsular Train Punta Venado–Yucatan will not begin until 2015. The project feasibility studies submitted by the previous state administration have to be redone by nearly 70 percent.

The Secretary of Economic Development (SEFOE) David Alpizar Carrillo confirmed that the project has been supported by the Federal Government, but the studies have to be updated for them to allow the fast train to work 24 hours a day.

The Secretary of Communications and Transportation (SCT) published in the Official Journal of the Federation the Coordination Action Agreement made with the government of Yucatan to develop the “speedtrain” that will connect Yucatan with Quintana Roo.

The Official Journal states that the train will travel between 160 to 180 kilometers per hour in a journey that is approximately 277 kilometers. It also says that the train will stop in Izamal, Chichen Itza and Valladolid before entering the state of Quintana Roo, but also could stop in other populations where infrastructure would need it, as well as the development of services associated to train stations.

“The plans state that during the day, it would be a passenger train and carry cargo during the night. We have to put the necessary infrastructure for passenger service, and the frequency will depend on how fast the train runs, because the same railway will be used to go back and forth”, Alpizar Carrillo explained that all this new ruling is the reason why the previous feasibility study needs to be upgrade in 70 percent.

“These new studies will take all 2013 to be compiled; we will have the result by the second half of 2014. We cannot start building right after this, because we will not have the budgeted resources, we need to wait until beginning of 2015 when the Trans-peninsular Train project may be included in the federal budget”.

Alpizar Carrillo also explained that once the budget is approved, the SCT need to do a bidding process to grant the concession for the development and works, while the state of Yucatan will need to conduct the designs, construction and financing of road and urban aspects to improve the operations of the train project.

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