High Speed Rail in Mexico

A $4.5 billion plan to build a High speed rail link from Mexico City to Queretero was announced by the president of Mexico. Such a link would be about 140 miles.

The Florida governor turned down $2.4 billion in federal funds to build an 84 miles high speed rail link from Orlando to Tampa in Feb , 2011. The governor believed it would cost twice that amount, and the state would be stuck with the cost overruns, and be required to return the money if the line was not completed.

Unlike the Florida route which crosses flat land and would have a tourist destination at every stop, Mexico City to Queretero involved traversing a reasonable size mountain range about halfway. You would climb 1600' from 50 to 70 miles, and then drop 2500 from 70 to 100 miles

(2)A line from Mexico City to Toluca is planned next, a distance of only 43 miles. But you would have to climb 3000' to an altitude of well over 10,000', then drop down to 8600'.

(3) Lastly a line from Cancun to Merida is planned. Finally a trip through flat land. but it is about 200 miles.

In Florida there would have been endless squabbling about the location of various stops and the high speed train would probably never have made it out of second gear what with every town wanting to be on the gravy train by constructing a station.

In Mexico, perhaps Mordita plays a beneficial role and not every wide place in the road would be a stop.

Quote: Fleastiff

In Florida there would have been endless squabbling about the location of various stops and the high speed train would probably never have made it out of second gear what with every town wanting to be on the gravy train by constructing a station.

In Mexico, perhaps Mordita plays a beneficial role and not every wide place in the road would be a stop.

There is not much population between Mexico City and Queretero as you can see from the map. The idea would be to continue it to Guadalajara, and towards Puebla the other way.

But building high speed rail through steep terrain is difficult.

Monterrey is the wealthy city outside of Mexico City, but it is pretty distant to reach by train (about 550 miles).

It's only 100 miles from San Antonio to Monterrey.

High speed rail makes no sense in high population density areas like FL. The stops kill the benefit.

In PA there are lots of flights between PIT and PHL. I once saw two USAir planes leave within 10 minutes of each other, both packed, on the route. It would surely be a dense enough route for a high-speed line.

But what would happen is pols would demand a stop in Harrisburg. Then Altoona. Then Gettysburg. And eventually the trip is twice as long time-wise and not worth it.

Same will happen in any place we try to put it.

That is because no US politician will stand up and say NO. The Train is for rich people to travel fast right thru the dumb rural areas of Elmer Fud and his cohorts without any money. Express trains only. No stops enroute. No stations in sparsely settled areas.

Quote: Fleastiff

The Train is for rich people to travel fast right thru the dumb rural areas of Elmer Fud and his cohorts without any money. Express trains only. No stops enroute. No stations in sparsely settled areas.

If you haven't read any news on the Las Vegas to Victorville Express train, then here is a recent article.
High-speed rail project beset by political mine fields

I know that Barstow (30 miles from Victorville) campaigned to get a stop on this line. I don't think that the planners stood up and called the citizens of Barstow Elmer Fudds. They politely said they would take it under consideration.

But seriously? A high speed link from Victorville to Las Vegas is a dicey concept on it's own. But one that starts at Victorville, and stops 30 miles away in Barstow, and then goes to Vegas. Maybe they should have a stop in Baker and Primm.

Drive through Los Angeles and you will often find miles of rail way right of way where the track has been taken up decades ago but at all the roads there are still segments of rail road track 30 or 50 feet long. Road traffic keeps crossing those ultra short railroad tracks because state and city approvals for track removal are still "pending" after the decades-ago railroad decision to rip up all the rest of the tracks.

Its easier to get federal funding to build a new lane on a freeway than to get a state or county traffic light changed so as clear the daily traffic jam at some intersection.

And you want to build a high speed railroad through all those empty fields or kiwi fruit nurseries and think those Hick Towns and Hick Counties and Hick Water Boards and Hick Taxation Entities aren't going to be telling you through whose son's land you will build and to which town's shopping center you will build a spur? There is alot of money in those desert communities, they can hire lots of lawyers and make you see how glacial things can really move in the desert.

Short answer is no. I think that the only viable high speed rail options will involve elevated throughways above the freeways.

The German rail accident in Eschede in 1998 is still the worst accident involving HSR.


Surprisingly enough if you were on the first thee cars (and possibly the fourth) you could just walk off the train. The road bridge fell on the 5th car, and every car after that one pancaked. The accident was caused by metal fatigue in one of the wheels (a problem reported by engineers almost a year earlier).


The Spanish train accident was at similar speeds, but the conductor was seemingly driving faster than permitted.

The Hyperloop is coming. Starting on August 12, 2013 the trip between LA and SF will forever be changed.