Infrastructure
The new Mexico City–Querétaro–Irapuato train: the logic and the money
The federal government is building 340 km of new double-track passenger railway from Mexico City to Irapuato for about MXN 191 billion, and plans another 303 km to Guadalajara for MXN 127.5 billion. What changed since 2014, and what to check before relying on the numbers.
Origination and structuring of USD 5–50 million infrastructure projects across the Bajío.
Let's discuss your projectBajío Ventures · September 2026 · Rails of the Bajío, 3 of 6
The federal government is building 340 km of new double-track passenger railway from Mexico City to Irapuato for about MXN 191 billion, and plans another 303 km to Guadalajara for MXN 127.5 billion. As of 23 September 2026, Mexico City–Querétaro was at 31% and Querétaro–Irapuato at 22% (PorEsto). This is the first time since 1997 that the corridor will carry scheduled passengers.
The logic, 2026 edition
The route is almost the 1884 route. What changed is the reason for it:
- Commuter-scale demand. The corridor is now a chain of metro areas — Valle de México, Querétaro, Celaya, Irapuato–Salamanca, León — with daily business travel between plants, suppliers and offices. Querétaro–Irapuato alone is projected at about 33,000 passengers per day (PorEsto).
- A congested highway. Freight and passengers share one road; rail takes passengers off it. Celaya–Irapuato is quoted at 30 minutes by train versus about an hour by road (Publimetro).
- One labour market. Nearshoring plants in the Bajío compete for the same engineers and technicians. A two-hour Mexico City–Querétaro trip (Construyendo) widens the talent pool at both ends.
- Federal budget, not concessions. The Querétaro–Irapuato money comes from the federal budget (Publimetro); the 2026 budget assigned over MXN 142 billion to the rail programme (Expansión Obras). That is the difference from 2006 and 2014.
- Shared track with freight. Mexico City–Querétaro was designed as a hybrid diesel-electric line carrying both passengers (160 km/h) and freight (85 km/h) (T21).
The money, segment by segment (as of 23–28 September 2026)
| Segment | Length | Investment (MXN bn) | MXN m per km | Physical progress | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City–Querétaro | 232 km | 143.4 | ~617 | 31% | Under construction since April 2025; operation possible in H2 2027 (ADN40) |
| Querétaro–Irapuato | 108.2 km | 47.7 | ~441 | 22.26% | Right of way 98% released (PorEsto, AM) |
| Irapuato–Guadalajara | 303 km | 127.5 | ~421 | Studies | Construction start announced for late October 2026 (La Silla Rota, Milenio) |
| Querétaro–San Luis Potosí | 274 km | 61.5 | ~224 | Pre-construction | Start announced for 2026 (Expansión Obras) |
| Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo | 396 km | ~140 | ~354 | ~10% | Under construction, 13 stations |
| AIFA–Pachuca | 58 km | 44 | ~759 | 45% | First phase possibly 2027 |
National context: about 2,400 km of rail and roughly MXN 750 billion planned for the 2024–2030 term, with 787 km under construction (PorEsto). Cost per km is our own division of the reported totals.
Mexico City–Querétaro stations: Buenavista, Huehuetoca, Tula, San Juan del Río, El Marqués and Corregidora. Guanajuato’s stations are covered in the next part.
What to check before relying on these numbers
- Querétaro–Irapuato has two price tags. Officials quote MXN 47.7 billion; the federal Proyectos México portfolio lists an estimated investment of MXN 125.0 billion for the same 108.2 km (Proyectos México). The gap likely reflects rolling stock, systems and maintenance bases, but this is not confirmed.
- Cost has already moved. Mexico City–Querétaro rose 92% between announcement and environmental filing, to MXN 144.1 billion (T21).
- Pending procurement. Trains, signalling and control systems are still to be purchased (PorEsto). These are the usual source of schedule slips.
For investors: the civil works are real and funded. The open risks are systems procurement, the Querétaro–Irapuato cost baseline and the opening date.
In this series: 1. The Mexican Central Railway · 2. A century without passenger trains · 3. The new Mexico City–Querétaro–Irapuato train · 4. Guanajuato’s stake · 5. First trains (coming soon) · 6. Beyond Irapuato (coming soon)
Bajío Ventures is a Mexican energy infrastructure investment group based in Guanajuato. We originate and structure USD 5–50 million projects across the Bajío corridor.
Sources: PorEsto — Federal government to invest MXN 750 bn in trains (23 Sep 2026) · Publimetro — Querétaro-Irapuato at 22% · AM — 22% progress reported · Proyectos México — 0961 Querétaro–Irapuato train · ADN40 — Mexico City-Querétaro at 30.38% · Construyendo — Mexico City-Querétaro · T21 — Mexico City-Querétaro will cost more · Expansión Obras — The rail megaproject · La Silla Rota — Irapuato-Guadalajara to cost MXN 127,486 m · Milenio — Irapuato-Guadalajara starts late October
Origination and structuring of USD 5–50 million infrastructure projects across the Bajío.
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