The Mexican Railway Transport Regulatory Agency ARTF announced that critical progress has been made in the construction of the core section of the Saltillo Nuevo Laredo passenger railway project in the Monterey metropolitan area.

Firstly, a 30.75 kilometer section (Section 15 "B") has completed the bidding process, and a consortium led by ICA Constructora, a leading local civil engineering contractor in Mexico, has won the bid to design and construct the section. The winning bid amount is about 600 million US dollars, and the contract period is 1020 days. It is planned to officially start construction in January next year. It is worth noting that several international contractors, including China Railway International, have expressed interest before, but in the end, they were all won by local and international consortia such as Spain.

Subsequently, just last month, ARTF quickly initiated the construction bidding for the next 8.85-kilometer line (Section 15 "A") adjacent to it. The reference budget for this section is approximately $108 million, and the contractor is required to complete it within 33 months with strict advance payment conditions. The bidding deadline is February 6th.

The 'key horizontal' of regional railway revitalization

The Saltillo Nuevo Laredo line, which is being constructed in sections, is one of the three core projects of the first phase of Mexico's national railway expansion plan. This passenger railway, with a total length of approximately 393.9 kilometers, aims to connect the inland industrial city of Monterey with the important gateway of the US Mexico border, Nuevo Laredo, with a designed speed of 160 to 200 kilometers per hour. After the completion of the project, it will significantly promote the connection between multiple important cities along the route, such as Delamadro and the center of Monterey, and activate the regional economy.

Monterey is an industrial and economic hub in Mexico, and one of the main host cities for the 2026 World Cup. Recently, the "MM-25" light rail train developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. for the Monterey Light Rail Line 1 has been put into operation, aiming to provide transportation support for the World Cup. The intercity passenger railway under construction will be connected with light rail and other lines within the city to jointly build a more efficient and large-scale modern regional transportation network. Its strategic significance has gone beyond simple transportation improvement and has become an important project to enhance the country's comprehensive transportation capacity and showcase its modern image.

According to Mexican media reports, the governor of Nuevo Le ó n has highly praised the upgrade of the local rail transit system, calling it an important step towards modernizing the transportation system. The head of the railway regulatory agency also stated that activating railway passenger transport is a key national strategy aimed at restoring the core role of railways in socio-economic development. Keywords: international news and information, engineering construction, railway

At present, in addition to civil engineering, the procurement of 47 diesel multiple units supporting the project is also being evaluated simultaneously, with global giants such as Alstom and CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive&Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. participating. With the intensive implementation of various tenders from civil engineering to equipment, Mexico's ambitious railway revitalization blueprint is accelerating from the planning drawings into reality.Editor/Cheng Liting