El Tehuanito Train: New Mexico Route Launching in 2025

Southeastern Mexico — A new suburban rail transportation system named "El Tehuanito" is scheduled to begin service in December 2025, offering two low-cost routes for inhabitants of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The announcement was made by Octavio Sánchez Guillén, General Director of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), who emphasized that the service aims to improve mobility and boost social development in communities with high economic disadvantage.

"El Tehuanito" constitutes a component of the strategic Interoceanic Corridor project, an initiative promoted by the Government of Mexico and the Secretariat of the Navy. The overarching objective of the project is to consolidate a multimodal logistics network connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Pacific Ocean, while simultaneously fostering job creation, investment, and regional well-being.

Two Routes in Operation and 82% Progress on Stations

The new train will operate from Monday to Friday along two primary routes:

• El Tehuanito Norte, which will cover the Ubero–Ixtepec route.
• El Tehuanito Sur, which will travel from Unión Hidalgo to Salina Cruz along 189 kilometers.

Construction on the system's stations has reached 82.6% completion. Concurrently, the Z and FA lines of the Interoceanic Railway have already been rehabilitated and now include 31 sidings, five transfer yards, and 23 passenger stations. To date, the corridor has transported 134,000 passengers and 889,000 tons of cargo.

Connection to the Maya Train and the Olmeca Refinery

Sánchez Guillén reported that Line FA will establish a connection between Palenque and the Maya Train. From the Roberto Ayala station, it will also link with Dos Bocas and the Olmeca Refinery, thereby strengthening rail connectivity in the southeast with the rest of the National Railway System.

Furthermore, rehabilitation work continues on Line K, which will connect Ciudad Ixtepec with Ciudad Hidalgo in Chiapas, located on the border with Guatemala. This expansion is intended to extend the Mexican rail network into Central America, with the project's overall progress currently reported at 87.6%.

Economic Development and Complementary Works

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo highlighted that the corridor is consolidating its role as an engine for regional development. It integrates 14 Development Hubs for Well-being (PODEBIS) and more than 60 community works that benefit 100,000 people.

The Interoceanic Corridor traverses the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Chiapas, encompassing 120 municipalities and coordinating the ports of Coatzacoalcos, Salina Cruz, Dos Bocas, and Puerto Chiapas.

With the commencement of "El Tehuanito" operations, the federal government aims to make rail transport more accessible to the local population and transform the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into a new geostrategic route for the country's trade and mobility.