Mexico City–Querétaro Passenger Train

Under Construction

New ~226 km (140 mi) double-track passenger line from Buenavista in Mexico City to Querétaro, largely alongside existing freight tracks, with stations at Huehuetoca, Tula, San Juan del Río, El Marqués, and La Corregidora. Army engineers are building it; the federal government reported 32% progress in November 2026 and targets opening in 2027.

Alignment Map

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Alignment is approximate.

Alignment

The line starts at Buenavista station in Mexico City, where it connects with the Tren Suburbano, the Metro, and Metrobús, and runs north through the State of Mexico to Huehuetoca, then into Hidalgo to Tula de Allende, next to the existing tracks in the town center. It continues northwest to San Juan del Río in Querétaro, then to Querétaro Central in El Marqués and a final stop, La Corregidora, on the former La Era rail yard near the historic center of Santiago de Querétaro. A November 2026 ATTRAPI station list also includes a stop at Teoloyucan in the State of Mexico. Official lengths range from 223 to 232.42 km of double track; most federal statements use 226 km. By one breakdown, about 7 km of the route is in Mexico City, 71 km in the State of Mexico, 75 km in Hidalgo, and 72 km in Querétaro.

The passenger tracks run mostly parallel to the existing freight line. Planned structures include 77 bridges, 12 tunnels, and 3 viaducts. Trains will be diesel-electric with a top speed of up to 200 km/h, and officials now cite an average speed of about 130 km/h and a trip time of about two hours, compared with 1 hour 40 minutes in the original announcement. The line is the first stage of a planned network north from Querétaro toward Irapuato and Guadalajara, and toward Nuevo Laredo.

The Army’s “Felipe Ángeles” engineering group (Sedena) is building the line in 12 construction sections. ATTRAPI, created in January 2026 under the transport ministry (SICT), leads the federal passenger rail program.

Updates

2026-11 — Works reach 32%; ATTRAPI lists six stations

After a site visit by President Claudia Sheinbaum, the federal government put progress at 32%. ATTRAPI described a 223 km double-track line with six stations from Teoloyucan to La Corregidora, an average speed of 130 km/h, and a trip time of about two hours. Service is still planned for 2027.

2026-09 — Cost put at MX$143.4B; station construction not yet started

The federal government reported 30.38% progress and a cost of MX$143.435B for track, stations, and support facilities, with about 3,900 pieces of heavy equipment on 14 work fronts. Officials said the works could finish in the second half of 2027. SICT’s Querétaro office said construction of the San Juan del Río, El Marqués, and La Corregidora stations would start in early 2027 at the latest.

2026-08 — Station sites and state-by-state lengths published

N+ reported the planned station sites: Huehuetoca near the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense, San Juan del Río on Avenida Tecnológico, El Marqués in the community of Jesús María, and La Corregidora on the former La Era rail yard. It gave the route as 232.42 km of double track, with more than 6 million passengers a year projected.

2026-01 — ATTRAPI replaces the federal rail regulator

The federal government created the Agencia de Trenes y Transporte Público Integrado (ATTRAPI), a decentralized agency under SICT that replaces the Agencia Reguladora de Transporte Ferroviario. It can plan, build, and operate passenger railways. Its first-phase projects include Mexico City–Querétaro (226 km), AIFA–Pachuca (57 km), Querétaro–Irapuato (108 km), and Saltillo–Monterrey–Nuevo Laredo (396 km).

2025-12 — Progress reaches 8%

On a site visit in San Juan del Río on December 20, 2025, officials put overall progress at about 8%. They said the project involves 545 km of new track, including 411 km for passenger service and 65 km of relocated freight track, and projected about 10 million passengers a year.

2025-04 — Construction begins

Sheinbaum formally started construction on April 27, 2025, with a target of opening in 2027. The government described 226 km of double track and a construction period of two and a half years on up to 14 work fronts. It said the line would not be privatized.

2024-10 — Preliminary works launched

On October 13, 2024, Sheinbaum launched preliminary works on a 225 km line, 35 km shorter than the freight route, with a top speed of 160 km/h and a planned trip time of 1 hour 40 minutes. Sedena would build the line, with SICT coordinating and the Querétaro state government helping to acquire right-of-way.

References