Mexico: President Rolls Out Plans to Restore Passenger Trains

By Larry Habegger and Laurie Weed | Permalink |

No Comments | February 6th, 2013 | Trackback

As early as 2014, travelers could be rolling across the Yucatan Peninsula by train, bypassing traffic-clogged, hazardous highways in air-conditioned comfort. As part of his Dec. 1 inaugural address, President Peña Nieto announced an ambitious, multibillion-dollar plan to rejuvenate and modernize the country’s rail system, including new passenger lines that would cater to tourists, and a high-speed train that would link the capital to the burgeoning industrial city of Queretaro. Although cargo trains are still a vital part of Mexico’s trade network, much of the historic rail system has fallen into disrepair. Whether the government can muster enough funding and support to restore it remains to be seen.