Mexico: AMLO Inaugurates “El Insurgente”, The First Stage Of The Controversial Mexico-Toluca Train

The Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, inaugurated this Friday the first section of the Mexico City-Toluca Interurban Train , baptized "El Insurgente", a work that has been under construction for nine years and with cost overruns that have raised its price to 97,000 million pesos (more than 5.6 billion dollars).

"Today we are already inaugurating this 20 kilometer stretch, four stations, we have 38 kilometers left to reach Mexico City because it is 58 kilometers," said the president at a public event in the State of Mexico, the most populated in the country and neighbor of the capital.

With the cutting of the ribbon, “El Insurgente” will begin its first operations on a 20-kilometer route through four stations: Zinacantepec, Pino Suárez, Tecnológico and Lerma.

The figures of "El Insurgente"

The investment in this first tranche was more than 35,000 million pesos (about 2,040 million dollars) and aims to benefit half a million Mexicans with its initial stage, mostly residents of the State of Mexico.

The work will have a final cost estimated by the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Transportation (SICT) of the Government of 97,000 million pesos (more than 5,600 million dollars).

Of this amount, 62,000 million pesos (3,600 million dollars) will be used for its second stage, which will complete the connection with Mexico City.

With the conclusion of the second stage, it is intended to benefit more than 5 million Mexicans along a route of almost 60 kilometers.

The president emphasized that his Government could not leave unfinished works, even those of previous administrations, since it represents "leaving the people's money wasted."

“An unfinished work means leaving budget money, which is the people's money, wasted, and you cannot act irresponsibly. It is not because it was another government. No. The Government represents all the people, that is why it was decided to continue this work,” he said.

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He recognized the extra cost , since initially it was a work of almost 39,000 million pesos (about 2,274 million dollars).

The head of the SCIT, Jorge Nuño, said that “El Insurgente” is “a train with cutting-edge technology and environmentally friendly that offers a comfortable and safe journey.”

The general director of the National Bank of Public Works and Services, Jorge Mendoza, commented that in its first stage it will have four trains, with a waiting frequency of 15 minutes at each station and service every day of the year at 6:00 a.m. hours until 11:00 p.m.

He explained that the route from end to end will take 20 minutes in total, at an average speed of 60 kilometers per hour (km/h), while the trains have a potential of up to 160 km/h.

The maximum speed that “El Insurgente” will reach in its first stage will be 80 km/h and will cost 15 pesos (almost a dollar) starting next October and until June 2024, but in September it will be free.