MEXICO: Mexico City’s rubber-tyred metro Line 1 has fully reopened following a comprehensive modernisation project undertaken by China’s CRRC.
Line 1, or the Pink Line, opened in stages in 1969-84 and now runs 19 km from Pantitlán in the east to Observatorio in the west with 20 stations. It carries 243 million passengers/year, and the modernisation project was launched to address overcrowding, slow operating speeds and uneven headways.
The phased upgrade was completed with a reopening ceremony on November 16.
System+ model
It was the first overseas project to use CRRC’s System+ model, encompassing financing, new rolling stock and a comprehensive modernisation of the railway and electromechanical systems.
The 32·2bn pesos PPP concession contract awarded in December 2020 included four years for the refurbishment works, to be followed by 15 years of operation. The first section of the line between Pantitlán – Salto del Agua was completed in October 2024.
The main contractor was CRRC’s Mexican subsidiary MexiRRC. Comsa was awarded a €80m contract to undertake track and electrical system renewals. Siemens Mobility equipped the line with CBTC.
CRRC Zhuzhou has supplied 29 tailor-made Type NN-22 trainsets, 27 of which were assembled locally at a plant at Colón near Querétaro with the support of Mexican companies to meet a requirement for 65% local content. The nine-car sets are 150 m long with a crush-loaded capacity of 2 200 passengers including 300 seated and 1 900 standing, and are designed to operate at a maximum speed of 80 km/h.
CRRC is now targeting more widespread use of the System+ model in the South American market, where since 2022 it has signed contracts including the Medellín 80 Avenue Light Rail project in Colombia, the Rio Metro Line 3 project in Brazil and the Guadalajara Light Rail Line 4 project in Mexico.
- Learn more: subscribers can read an in-depth article on urban projects in Mexico City from the November 2024 issue of Railway Gazette International.
