LAST MONTH the Mexican government awarded concessions for the operation of two more short lines, bringing the proportion of the former FNM network in the private sector to 99%.
The 1545 km Chiapas and Mayab networks in the southeast will be taken over by Ferrocarriles de Chiapas-Mayab, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming. The only other bidder was the mining firm Grupo México, which with UP holds a 50-year concession for the Pacific North Railway.
Grupo Mexico was successful in the other tender, winning the Nacozari railway in northwestern Sonora state. The only bid to operate the Tijuana - Tecate line, from Iron Horse de Mexico, was rejected because it failed to meet the minimum price set by the government.