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According to the Rail and Multimodal Transport Development Office (DGTFM), under the Communications and Transportation Ministry, the Mexican government will invest over MXN 26 million to connect the Santa Lucía airport with a train station.
According to authorities, up to 70,256 passengers could use the train every day. On average, each passenger would pay between MXN 8.50 and MXN 40.50 for the service.
The project known as the “Expansion of Line 1 of the Suburban Train Lechería-Jaltocán-International Felipe Ángeles Airport (AIFA), includes an extension of 23 kilometers, four intermediate stations, an airport terminal, and other transference centers in each station. It will require an investment of MXN 12,479.3 million, and it must be ready by August 2022, when the new airport starts operating.
In addition to the MXN 12,479.3 million, the Mexican government will have to pay MXN 9,012.3 million in maintenance contracts and operation contracts for the next 30 years, as well as MXN 4,588.9 million in other unspecified expenses.
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In total, the federal government will cover 80.81% of the budget, while state or municipal governments will cover 7.45%. The private sector will allocate 11.74% of the budget needed for the project.
The document obtained by EL UNIVERSAL was created by consultancy firm ADHOC Consultores and coordinated by the DGTFM in August. It explains that after analyzing four possible alternatives to transport the passengers from Mexico City to the new airport, they decided a “single-track, electrified rail service for the transport of passengers with the construction of four intermediate stations” was the best option.
The project also calls for at least 10 trains that will cover 65 kilometers per hour.
Potential risks
Authorities estimate an average of 70,256 daily trips, as well as 25,643,355 yearly trips. By 2052, Mexican authorities expect 163,913 passengers will use the service every day, as well as over 62 million passengers per year.
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The study was sent to Communications and Transportation Minister Jorge Arganis Díaz Leal and to the President’s office.
However, the document warns about a series of risks, such as the rejection of public transport drivers, protests, and blockades; therefore, it proposes launching a campaign to promote the project, where authorities mention the benefits the project will have for the population.
Connecting the Santa Lucía Airport
In August 2018, EL UNIVERSAL reported the Mexibus would also connect Santa Lucía and Mexico City airports .
The Mexibus will transport national and international passengers that have to transfer between the new International Santa Lucía Airport (AISL) and the Mexico City International Airport (AICM).
Those who have to move between these two air terminals will make a 45.6-kilometers journey using this mode of transportation.
The journey from Indios Verdes to the Santa Lucía Airport will be of 41.6-kilometers journey in Mexibus.
The route that those who leave or come back to Santa Lucía to the International Air Terminal of Toluca (AIT) will be 98.6 kilometers long – excluding the journey from the subway station “Observatorio” to “Indios Verdes”-: 57 kilometers correspond to the route of the Interurban Train Mexico-Toluca, and the other 41.6 kilometers correspond to the route of the Mexibus from “Indios Verdes.”
According to the project of Connectivity Through the Integration of the Mass Transportation Systems for the Metropolitan Airport System of the Valley of Mexico, of which EL UNIVERSAL has a copy, the communication routes between the air terminals of Toluca, AICM, and Santa Lucía will take place through a mass transportation system like Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or a line of buses that transit in a confined lane.
This kind of unit, 12 meters long on average, are able to transport up to 100 passengers.
For this, the government, through the Railway and Multimodal Transport Office ( DGTFM ) of the Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) proposes three extensions of the existing Mexibus systems: Ojo de Agua -AISL, AICM-Mexipuerto, and Tecámac-AISL.
Likewise, it contemplates the construction of two more lines: Mexibus 1, which would go from Ciudad Azteca to Ojo de Agua, and Mexibus 4, that would go from Indios Verdes to Tecamac.
The passengers coming from or to Toluca that want to use the air terminals of Santa Lucía, the International Toluca Airport, and the AICM will be able to use the Interurban Train Mexico-Toluca and a connection of this service that will be built for their easy access of about 8.7 kilometers.
The SCT highlights in the document that was submitted for consideration by the Investment Unit of the Mexican Ministry of Finance (SHCP), “that currently there are no efficient systems of public transportation between the two destinations and, above all, by including the airport of Toluca in the scheme of the Metropolitan Airport System, synergies from the three airports are required for the integration of public transportation systems.”
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