The curtain rises
Claudia Sheinbaum not only cut the ribbon for the Felipe Ángeles Train. He set up a scenario where the Fourth Transformation dresses up as a popular hero. From the AIFA-Clara Krause Terminal station, the president released her most chanted phrase: “Mission accomplished.” But is it really?
“We govern for the people. Mission accomplished, people of Mexico.”
It sounds epic, I know. But behind the speech there are numbers that tell another story. 41 kilometers of track, 57 thousand estimated daily passengers, and a promotional rate of 45 pesos from any station to the airport. It sounds good, but the real challenge will be keeping it accessible when the grace month ends.
The distribution of roles
Andrés Lajous, the brain behind mobility, detailed the cold data: six new stations, connection with Metro, Metrobús and even Ecobici. But the interesting thing here is who wins from this. Forgotten communities like Tultitlán or Nextlalpan finally have a first class ticket. Governor Delfina Gómez thanked him almost with tears: “it will allow many forgotten towns to have access to decent public transportation.”
Clara Brugada, from CDMX, celebrated that Buenavista is consolidated as the capital’s railway station. And Julio Menchaca, from Hidalgo, put in his wedge: “The Second Floor of the Fourth Transformation travels by train.” Everyone wants to get on the same bandwagon.
The speech trap
Sheinbaum insists this is part of the rescue of passenger trains. But let’s not get carried away by the lights. The work generated more than 20 thousand jobs during construction—according to Iván Hernández Uribe—but now comes the difficult part: operating with efficiency and transparency. The military guarantees that, says the military engineer. I hope it’s true.
The initial frequency is every 30 minutes; They promise to lower it to 12 when the other six trains arrive. Meanwhile, users will have to be patient if they want to reach AIFA in less than an hour.
What’s next?
This train is not just transportation—it is a political symbol in an election year. Sheinbaum is betting that people remember the comfortable and cheap trip before the broken promises of the past. But as my wife—who teaches high school—says, “sometimes simple is right.” If it works and maintains fair prices, maybe this time it will be mission accomplished.
For now, the curtain falls with a “Long live Mexico!” that resonated among the attendees. We’ll see if the echo reaches the polls.
