This passenger train has its station in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Mexico City: Polanco.
The railway lines of Mexico City are not only used by industrial or cargo trains, there is also an executive passenger train in Polanco. Here we tell you what it is about.
This train, which is one of the few that is still in operation in our country, runs from Polanco, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Mexico City, to Teotihuacán.
What is the Train that passes through Polanco?
The Mexica is an executive passenger railway that is operated by Kansas City Southern de México. This train, which has 15 wagons and a capacity for 890 passengers, runs through the tracks that cross the Mexican capital.
The railway runs the Polanco-Teotihuacán tourist route and began operating in 2018. This tourism project has its terminal in Pabellón Polanco and, from there, connects with the Teotihuacán archaeological zone, in the State of Mexico.
It is important to note that “El Mexica” makes this tour in an approximate period of one hour and 45 minutes. However, the train does not operate daily and is open to the public.
This is because the railway is private. To travel aboard its wagons, an invitation from the operating company is required.
Despite this situation, this train that passes through Polanco is one of the few passenger trains that operate in Mexico. Added to this are the Chihuahua-Pacific Railway, better known as “El Chepe”; the Suburban Train; and, soon, the Mayan Train.
History of trains in Mexico
The arrival of the railways in Mexico meant the arrival of modern transportation, sophisticated technology, and the entry of an agricultural and socially disintegrated country into the arena of international trade and competition.
This story began in the mid-19th century, in the year 1837, when President Anastasio Bustamante granted the first railway concession. It would not be until 1873 that the first railway route connecting the capital of the country with the Port of Veracruz was inaugurated.
Later in the government of Porfirio Díaz, the railway network was expanded, while new stations were built. This work was carried out by American, French and English companies.
During this period the railroad became one of the most important means of transportation in Mexico. In the year 1910 there were already more than 20 thousand kilometers of tracks, which were traveled by trains daily.
Then came the Mexican Revolution, in which the railway network suffered great deterioration. However, the railways continued to operate from then until the end of the 20th century.
It was during this time that the Mexican government, headed by President Ernesto Zedillo, sold the Mexican railways to foreign companies.
Source: Mexico Desconocido
