Railroad Passenger Service in Mexico

[RudyRockvilleMD]

My wife and I visited Mexico in 1964, and we traveled by train. Then, intercity pasenger service was widely available in Mexico, and traveling in first class by train was cheap. How much, if any, intercity passenger service is left in Mexico today since the Mexican railroads were privatized? Some examples of the type of intercity passenger trains I am familiar with include the Aztec Eagle,
Mexico City - Nuevo Laredo or the El Regiomontano Mexico City -Monterrey. The latter train was sometimes called the Mexican 20th Century Limited since some of its equipment was in use on the 20th Century Limited.

[joseph2]

On another forum I saw a news item that said the UP and KCS are managing Mexico's railroads and they want to discontinue most passenger trains.

[Anonymous]

With scant exception there are no longer passenger trains in Mexico. All were discontinued by FNM. There are tourist trains in Copper Canyon (the Chepe) train, and a few little-known exceptions, but otherwise passenger service was completely gone before privatization.

Union Pacific and KCS are not managing Mexico's railroads. This is detailed in the cover story in the November 2003 issue. KCS does have a significant role in TFM as one of its owners, but not day-to-day direct control. UP has a minority ownership in Ferromex and exerts no day-to-day control. Ferrosur is Mexican-owned.

[jsanchez]

I am surprised some of the American companies haven't tried experimenting with passenger service in some corridors, most people still do not have cars and many places the roads aren't so great, and buses terrible, with the lower wages and flexible work rules passenger service could be profitable. The KCS passenger service in the Panama canal zone is profitable, the locals like it because it is better than anything else available and reasonbly quick and safer than the buses. I think if TFM would try a similar sevice in Mexico it would be a huge hit. It was a mistake to eliminate all passenger service in Mexico, the public still needed it. On a positive note there is a large commuter network planed for the Mexico city area, they have some of the worst traffic congestion and pollution in the world. Some of the routes will be pretty long connecting out lying cities. If the passenger service is to return it would be a case of the government having concern for the average citizen, something that unfortunately is the exception not the rule in Mexico.