The construction of the Suburban Train branch to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) has faced significant challenges in reaching its original deadline of June 2023. According to Max Noria, director of Marketing for Suburban Railways, the right-of-way has been the primary issue, with only 80% of it cleared as of September. As a result, the project is now expected to be ready for testing in the last quarter of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s term, potentially allowing for operation to begin in the third quarter of next year.
The new deadline means that there will be an extension to the previously mentioned date for the train’s operation. The project covers 23 kilometers, with eight kilometers located in the Santa Lucía air base polygon and 15 kilometers in Tultitlán and Tultepec municipalities. In these final kilometers, Suburban Railways is currently carrying out civil engineering work to equip the branch line with catenary, electrical substation, and signaling systems. Meanwhile, the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation is responsible for acquiring trains and other infrastructure necessary for the project’s completion.
Despite these setbacks, progress on the project remains steady, with over 77 machines and more than 2 thousand workers working day and night to fulfill President López Obrador’s promise not to leave any works unfinished by his administration’s end.