The completion of the Suburban Train branch to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) has encountered an obstacle in its progress towards being opened in the third quarter of 2024. This is the final stretch of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration, who has promised not to leave any work unfinished.

In a recent interview, Max Noria, director of Marketing of Suburban Railways, revealed that the right of way has been the main issue and as of September, the authority reported that they were 80 percent clear of it. However, the exact number of sections that remain to be released in the 15 kilometers where the company works is unknown. Nevertheless, it is expected that the project will be ready for testing sometime in the last quarter of this administration’s term, allowing for potential operation to begin in the third quarter of next year.

The new deadline implies an extension of the previously mentioned June 2023 date for the train to be in operation. The construction of this branch from Lechería station to AIFA covers 23 kilometers, with eight located on Santa Lucía air base polygon and 15 in Tultitlán and Tultepec municipalities. In this section, Suburban Railways are carrying out civil engineering work to equip branch line with catenary, electrical substation and signaling systems while Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation is responsible for acquiring trains and other infrastructure.

As per September report, project was 46 percent complete with day-night work by 77 machines and over two thousand workers underway with an effort to fulfill President López Obrador’s promise not to leave any work unfinished.