A report delivered to El Financiero reveals that military personnel have obtained information that would allow them to operate a train between Buenavista and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA). Initially, this train was projected as an extension of the Suburban Train service to Cuautitlán. The resignation of Ferrocarriles Suburbanos from the concession of the Lechería-AIFA section has paved the way for the army to take charge of the new railway project.
In October 2024, AIFA staff traveled to Madrid to witness tests of the Maya Train systems, thereby gaining knowledge about the railway technology to be used in the AIFA-Lechería Suburban Train. The deputy director of related services at AIFA, Armando Vilchis Ramos, was responsible for acquiring this essential knowledge for the administration of the new train that will be under military control.
This project represents the first infrastructure work assigned by President Claudia Sheinbaum to the army, reinforcing the trend of militarization of public works in the passenger transport sector. The military commission that traveled to Madrid sought to familiarize themselves with railway management systems to implement them in the airport train project.
During the tests in Madrid, AIFA staff met with specialists from Alstom, the company responsible for the Maya Train railroads, to assimilate the signaling and railway traffic management systems. The agreements reached during the visit will serve as a foundation for the efficient operation of the AIFA-Lechería Suburban Train, after Ferrocarriles Suburbanos relinquished the concession of the section.
Additionally, a commission of military personnel from AIFA, under the command of General Isidoro Pastor, received advice from the Maya Train for railway operations. Military members such as Eleazar Ramírez Espíndola, Fernando Esteves Piña, Julio Cesar Delgado Ramírez, and Héctor Ramírez Pérez have been involved in the construction, operation, and administration of the Lechería-AIFA train project, demonstrating a growing military interest in this type of public transport project.
