Railways in

Mexico

The Chepe Express on one of the spectacular viaducts of its route

The first railway in Mexico opened in 1850 between Veracruz and El Molino, a distance of 11.5km. It was built to standard (1435mm) gauge, which was also used for most subsequent railway development in the country.

The national network has been privatised is operated by several companies. Passenger services had been for the most part confined to varioud tourist routes but a number of new services began to appear in the 2020s.

In 2020, the Baja California state infrastructure ministry awarded a contract to provide the first 27km of a passenger service from Tijuana, largely following the route of the Baja Railroad. The service could in future be extended to Tecate.

In 2023, the Tren Interoceánico, a new government owned company operating on rehabilitated existing lines, opened between Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos.

In 2023, the new Tren Maya mixed traffic railway opened its new line from Palenque to Cancun via Escárcega and Valladolid. An alternative route from Escárcega to Cancun via Bacalar is expected to open in 2024.

El Insurgente, a 58km passenger commuter railway between Mexico City and Toluca, opened in 2024.

In 2025, construction began on four new passenger railways, totalling around 780km in length: Mexico City to Pachuca, Mexico City to Querétaro, Querétaro to Irapuato, and Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo near the USA border.

There are a number of international connections for freight with the United States of America. A link with Guatemala terminates at Tecún Umán, a short distance on the Guatemalan side of the border.

Passenger and Freight Railways

• Ferrocarril Interoceánico Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz (308km), Coatzacoalcos to Palenque (894 km), and a freight only line from Ixtepec (on the Santa Cruz line) to Ciudad Hidalgo (473km) (Site in Spanish)
• Tren Maya 2 routes from Palenque to Cancún, totalling 1554km (Site in Spanish)

Passenger Railway

• El Insurgente Mexico City to Toluca, about 58km (Site in Spanish)

Freight Railways

• Baja California Railroad from San Ysidro USA (interchange with San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad) via Tijuana to Tecate, about 71km. Possible future reopening of the line from Tecate via Campo to El Centro, CA, USA, a further 113km. There are no direct connections with other Mexican railways.
• CPKC from the Pacific coast at Lázaro Cárdenas, through the central and north eastern parts of the country, including international traffic with the USA
• Green Eagle Railroad proposed railway from Rio Escondido Yard, Piedras Negras, Coahuila (interchange with Ferromex) to Clark’s Park Yard, near Eagle Pass, Texas, USA (interchange with BNSF and Union Pacific) via the proposed Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge. Total length of line about 31 km of which about 29 km is in Mexico
• Ferrocarril Coahuila Durango group of minor lines in north central Mexico (no current, functional website located)
• Ferromex in most parts of the country, including the former Ferrosur network.
• Ferrovalle jointly owned by CPKC and Ferromex, giving access to the area around Mexico City (Site in Spanish)

Tourist Passenger Services

• Chepe Express through the Copper Canyon between Chihuahua and Los Mochis on the lines of Ferromex, about 653km.
• Jose Cuervo Express between Guadalajara and Tequila (about 70km) on the lines of Ferromex, in conjunction with a tour of La Rojeña distillery.
• Tequila Herradura Express between Guadalajara and Amatitán (about 70km) on the lines of Ferromex, in conjunction with a tour of Casa Herradura distillery (No website located at present)

Light Rail, Urban and Commuter Railways

• Mexico City
  • Metro (Site in Spanish)
  • Trams (Site in Spanish)
  • Ferrocarriles Suburbanos commuter railway (Site in Spanish)
• Acapulco
  • Park Royal Beach Acapulco hotel has a private funicular connecting the hotel with the swimming pool near the beach (Website contains no details relating to funicular)
• Guadalajara trams (Site in Spanish)
• Monterrey trams (Site in Spanish)

Train Ferry

• CG Railway train ferry service from Coatzacoalcos (interchanging with Ferrocarril Interoceánico) to Mobile, Alabama, USA