Mexico City — Public investment in railway projects, one of the current administration’s flagship infrastructure initiatives, is running behind schedule across every agency responsible for the work, according to official data for the first half of 2026.
The federal government programmed 60.6 billion pesos for rail projects, but only 31 billion pesos had been spent by the end of June, according to public finance reports from the Finance Secretariat.
Among the agencies involved, the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) shows the largest gap. Its overall spending in the first half came in 69.2 billion pesos below its program, or 64.8 percent behind. The Finance Secretariat attributed the shortfall to lower outlays for railway infrastructure and for roads and highways.
The delay extends across SICT’s main budget categories. Spending on highway construction and modernization reached only 53.3 percent of the first-half target and 25.1 percent of the annual plan. For feeder roads and rural highways, the figures were 60 percent and 18.6 percent, respectively. In ports, airports and railroads, execution stood at 58.3 percent of the first-half program and 21.1 percent of the annual budget.
SICT’s rail infrastructure budget absorbed six out of every 10 pesos among its main programs, according to the Finance Secretariat. The agency had been allocated 92.4 billion pesos for railway infrastructure in 2026, with 32.4 billion pesos set to be spent in the first half. Actual spending reached just 17.9 billion pesos, or 55.1 percent of the first-half target.
Asked about the delay, SICT said the figures reported by the Finance Secretariat reflect the administrative transition from the Regulatory Agency of Rail Transport to the Agency of Trains and Integrated Public Transport, as well as normal timing and processes, and that “the objective remains unchanged.”
The Navy, which operates the Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, cut its spending by 3.2 billion pesos, or 9.9 percent, in the first half. The Finance Secretariat said the reduction reflected the absence of railway infrastructure spending and lower resources for armed forces security units. Of the 4.5 billion pesos programmed for the Isthmus railway this year, none had been spent by June, according to the report. The line was involved in a derailment in December 2025 that killed 13 people.
The Defense Secretariat, which oversees the Maya Train, reported spending just 0.4 percent below its approved budget, a lag of 324.6 million pesos. The Finance Secretariat said this also reflected lower allocations for railway infrastructure and security forces. Maya Train infrastructure spending reached 13.1 billion pesos in the first half, against a planned 23.7 billion pesos, or 55.5 percent of the target.
