An incredible new train line is set to connect two massive countries over 680 miles.
The project is set to transform travel in the area and make it safer for passengers.
The new train line will provide a direct rail link between Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, and border cities in Texas and Arizona.
The project is led by Mexico’s incoming president Claudia Sheinbaum and will create a 680-mile passenger railway at an estimated cost of £17 billion ($22 billion).
Construction is expected to start in April 2025.
The rail line will connect Mexico City with Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas, and Nogales in Arizona. A shorter route will also link Mexico City to Pachuca.
Sheinbaum said the trains will run on electric power and reach speeds of up to 100 mph.
Nogales mayor Jorge Maldonado said that the train will boost the local economy by attracting more tourists and visitors.
He added: “The more tourists we have, the better our economy gets in Nogales,”
He also said that the train would offer a safer option for those who prefer not to travel by car or bus.
Maldonado also shared memories of the old train route between Nogales and Mexico City, which ran until the 1970s.
“My dad loved it,” he said. “He would relax on the train, get a good night’s sleep in a cabin, and wake up at his destination.”
The railway will be one of Mexico’s largest infrastructure projects, building on the work of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Obrador’s administration invested £24 billion ($30 billion) into the Maya Train, a tourist railway on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Sheinbaum’s project aims to double the amount of passenger rail built under Obrador.
While there is optimism about the benefits of the railway, concerns remain about costs.
Previous rail projects in Mexico have faced budget overruns and delays.
However, Sheinbaum plans to use a combination of army engineers and private contractors to keep construction on track.
Once complete, the train line is expected to transform cross-border travel, making it easier for US residents to access cities across Mexico.
