Mexico City Metro: AFD Renews Ties With 50 Years of History

Fifty years on from when the Mexico City metro network was first established, Mexico City and the Mexican government are eager to restore it to its former glory. Built by an RATP subsidiary and inaugurated in September 1969, the opening of line 1 had placed Mexico City at the forefront of modernity as only the second city in the world to be equipped with a metro system running on rubber tires. Today, with 11 lines and over 200 km of tracks, the network is in need of extensive renovation work. 

Agence Française de Développement is supporting this large-scale operation and, during the summer of 2019, commissioned the French company Systra to act in an advisory capacity for STC, the city's metro operator. The purpose was to assess the conditions required prior to launching the renovation of line 1, which is to be the pilot section of the entire upgrade project.

This diagnosis highlighted the complexity of the project that is due to be completed in 2024. Open to international companies, the contract for the line 1 upgrade work is valued at 26 billion pesos (€1.24 billion), and includes track, signaling and power supply system renovation, as well as the purchase of 30 new trains.

Ultimately, the metro network upgrade will considerably improve passenger safety and comfort as well as make it possible to increase the frequency of trains. For AFD, this project is an opportunity to promote French engineering expertise and is part of a global reflection with municipal and government authorities on issues regarding mobility. The aim is to promote both intermodality and clean mobility, such as cycling or electromobility in the Mexican capital, which is extremely dense and subject to pollution peaks.