MEXICO: The El Insurgente passenger train service that links Zinacantepec and Toluca to Lerma was extended by a further 29 km to Santa Fe on the western edge of Mexico City on August 31.
The 57 km double-track electrified railway was planned to link an interchange with the Mexico City metro network at Observatorio and run west to Zinacantepec in the Toluca Valley metropolitan area, serving five intermediate stations. The first 18 km section between Lerma and Zinacantepec opened in September 2023.
The line is branded Tren Interurbano or El Insurgente in honour of Mexican public figure Miguel Hidalgo. The double-track line is electrified at 25 kV AC and is equipped with ETCS Level 2. The maximum operating speed is 80 km/h. El Insurgente is designed to handle 235 000 passengers a day.
The route crosses the Monte de las Cruces through an 80 m high viaduct and a 10 km tunnel. A further 17 km of viaducts have been built in order to overcome the hilly terrain, with gradients as steep as 6% on the section between Toluca and Mexico City.
El Insurgente was initially planned to be inaugurated in 2017 at a cost of 38bn pesos, but technical and financial difficulties led to opening being repeatedly delayed and costs to rise to nearly 100bn pesos.
Construction was carried out by a consortium led by CAF and including Thales, Isolux- Corsán and AZVI.
Operation
El Insurgente is operated by a state-owned consortium of the National Infrastructure Fund Trust and the National Bank of Public Works & Services. Trains run every 10 min and the journey time between Zinacantepec and Santa Fe is 39 min.
CAF supplied 30 five-car electric multiple-units for the line from its Civia platform, built at the manufacturer’s Beasain plant in Spain. A batch of 10 trainsets has been transferred to work the Tren Suburbano line which is under construction between the Felipe Ángeles International Airport and Lecheria, northeast of the capital. This line is scheduled to open later this year.
The opening of the extension of El Insurgente into the capital city has been marked by a series of discounted fare offers to drive patronage; one way journeys are priced from 60 pesos.
The final phase of the project is the 8·7 km from Santa Fe to Observatorio, where passengers will be able to change to metro Line 1. This is due to open in December this year, serving one intermediate station at Vasco de Quiroga and featuring a landmark cable-stayed viaduct.
