Querétaro-Irapuato train line now 25% complete

The 102-kilometer Querétaro-Irapuato train line is 25% complete one year into its construction, according to the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transportation (ATTRAPI). The US $5.3 billion project, which broke ground in September 2025, is being developed in Mexico’s Bajío region, which hosts global manufacturing, agribusiness and technology companies. Once complete, the route is expected to benefit up to 2 million people. The Querétaro-Irapuato train line will eventually connect with the Mexico City-Querétaro train line, which is currently between 32% and 35% complete. (Presidencia) On Saturday, President Claudia Sheinbaum inspected construction of the new train line, which is part of a federal plan to lay 2,500 km (reduced from 3,000) of tracks for passenger and freight services by 2030, at an estimated cost of 700 billion pesos (almost US $37.2 billion). “The construction of trains is driving employment and economic development in the country,” Sheinbaum said on Saturday. “So, congratulations to those who are with us today, to the companies that are building, to the workers, to the governor of Querétaro, who has been a great help and to the governor of Guanajuato,” she added. “We belong to different political parties, but that has nothing to do with it when we work together for the good of Mexico.” The train line will have five stations once complete: Apaseo el Grande, Celaya, Cortazar/Villagrán, Salamanca and Irapuato. As part of the project, 10 viaducts, a box tunnel and 13 roads are being built, creating an expected 3,365 direct and 5,700 indirect jobs throughout construction. The multinational transportation company Alstom is manufacturing the trains in Hidalgo, each one measuring 100 meters long and capable of being coupled together if required, according to the head of ATTRAPI’s construction unit, Efraín Deschamps Gutiérrez de Velasco. Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González and Guanajuato Governor Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo, both of the opposition National Action Party (PAN), thanked the president for spearheading the railroad, which is expected to enhance connectivity between Mexico City and the Bajío region, generate employment opportunities and spur economic development. The Querétaro-Irapuato train line will eventually connect with the Mexico City-Querétaro train line, which is currently between 32% and 35% complete, Sheinbaum said during an official tour of the work site on Monday. With reports from El Universal and Debate