The train that promises to connect (and is not a meme)
It seems that the CDMX-AIFA train, that project that we have all memed about but no one believed we would see work, is about to take the big hit. In an announcement that sounded more like a final season spoiler than a press release, president Claudia Sheinbaum dropped the bomb: the civil and electromechanical works of this icon of national infrastructure ends this year. Yes, you read correctly, in this 2025 that is already running out. What follows is the testing period, that awkward moment where we hope everything works and doesn’t become a static tourist attraction.
But like any good spin-off, there is a second part. While the main section lands (pun intended) at the AIFA, they are already building the extension to Pachuca. And here comes the data that makes us suspicious: the reported progress is 9.3%. A figure so specific that it could only come out of a project meeting. Basically, they’re in the “we’re getting started, promise” phase.
The engineers who move it (literally)
On the tour of the work, Sheinbaum brought out his best card: he praised the military engineers of the Felipe Ángeles Group. He gave them flowers for their “experience, good work, planning and engineering skills.” In other words, the construction dream team. For his part, General Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez confirmed that they have a presence in the five construction fronts and that they are advancing with the raising of roads and the construction of boxes. Their report was so smooth that we can almost visualize the project moving smoothly… or so they want us to believe.
The head of the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency, Andrés Lajous Loaeza, painted the future panorama for us: connecting CDMX with the AIFA and offering direct trips to Pachuca. The estimated demand is 107 thousand passengers, benefiting 15 thousand families in the metropolitan area of Pachuca. Transfer times promise to be one hour and 15 minutes from Buenavista to Pachuca. Sounds good, but we’re still in “I’ll believe it when I see it” mode on.
FONDEN: the drama of the neoliberal past
And because it couldn’t be a morning without a bit of drama from the past, the Government decided to uncover the dirty laundry of the Natural Disaster Fund (FONDEN). The Secretary of Anti-Corruption and Good Government, Raquel Buenrostro Sánchezcorruption in its execution. Come on, the perfect trio for an administrative disaster.
The icing on the cake: the process to exercise the resources took 42 business days (almost two months in real time) and the state governments had to put up 50% for the federation to release the other 50%. In 2018, an election year in case you forget, 59,606 million pesos were allocated in an atypical way. A coincidence, without a doubt.
Presidential cameos and their favorite disasters
The historical review was a true season of I’m in charge here:
In the era of Vicente Fox, the ASF presented observations for around 182 million pesos (mdp) and overpriced purchases of up to 375% in medicines were reported. Because nothing says “humanitarian aid” like a triple profit margin.
With Felipe Calderón, in the Veracruz floods, the state government did not exercise or return 531.7 million pesos. In Tabasco, the then governor Andrés Granier used 215.5 million pesos from FONDEN to cover the state financial deficit a week before leaving office. The ASF detected triangulation of resources to pay for unrelated expenses, such as telephony, vouchers and cleaning. Basically, he used the disaster fund as his personal spending account. Spoiler: in 2013 he was arrested for embezzlement and tax evasion.
And in the chapter of Enrique Peña Nieto, with hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel, SEDATU contracted 445.4 million pesos when only 120.6 million pesos were authorized. In the 2017 earthquakes, of between 168 and 172 thousand homes affected, only 35% were inspected and there were irregular payments of 90 million pesos. A true festival of inefficiency.
The moral? According to the current government, they eliminated FONDEN to deliver support directly to the population, acting quickly. A compelling narrative, although the audience (us) will always be waiting for the next plot twist.
Do you think this train will be as efficient as they promise or another project that will remain in limbo? Share this note and tell us what you think. And don’t miss our next analysis on the mega-projects that are transforming (or trying to transform) the country.
