CAF Mexico is developing, together with the federal government, an extension of the Suburban Train – which also operates – to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), which will tentatively end in December 2023.
The cost of the work is currently around 25,000 million pesos, which includes the investment made by both CAF Mexico and the public sector, and which includes 10 units that would initially be used in the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train, which would eventually be returned when the demand warrants it.
But today CAF Mexico is financially limited for the development of the AIFA branch, as it has only received 1,250 million pesos in credits from a previously announced investment of 11,000 million pesos.
“The credit is in process, we have received some credits from Fonadin with which the works began, which has allowed us to have construction on the branch,” Zurita said.
At the moment, the cost of the Suburban Train ticket to the AIFA has not been defined, but the director announced that, similarly to what happens in other parts of the world, it will be higher than the regular cost of the fare.
In addition, with the start of operations of the AIFA branch, a system will be used that will allow passengers to enter with a QR code, with which it is sought to gradually eliminate the use of cards.
Concludes delivery of trains to the Philippines and goes through New Zealand
The CAF Mexico company concluded the production of 28 trains for Line LRT 1 in Manila, Philippines, manufactured at its plant in Huehuetoca, in the State of Mexico. With this, the Spanish company releases its first production for export, to which a new order from New Zealand will soon be added.
The manufacture of the trains began in August 2019, and was part of a 225 million euro contract with the Department of Transportation of the Republic of the Philippines, for the manufacture and delivery of 30 LRV (fourth generation) type trains, of 106 meters long and with the capacity to reach a speed of up to kilometers per hour.
Of the total order, 28 units were manufactured in Huehuetoca and two were manufactured at CAF’s facilities in Spain.
The train order from New Zealand is part of a €130 million contract signed in January this year to provide 23 trains to the city of Auckland, as well as maintenance until the end of 2025, with the possibility of extending the range. of the agreement for five more trains.
Although initially it had been reported that the trains would be manufactured in Spain, the company will produce the units in Mexico, said Max Zurita, general director of CAF Mexico.
“The idea is to manufacture it here. Spain has seen that (the plant in) Mexico has been developed for quality and timeliness in the delivery times of previous contracts,” he added, without giving further details.
Since the opening of the plant, in 2009, CAF Mexico had carried out assembly work, mainly for units such as those that will be used in the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train. Later it produced 10 trains delivered to the Mexico City Metro, with which it has manufactured 38 trains.
