The Portuguese consortium Mota-Engil signed the contract on October 16, 2026 to build segment I of the Querétaro-Saltillo passenger train, a 68-kilometer stretch between Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende, for 22,407.7 million pesos, according to the tender award published in the federal Government's investment portfolio. Work begins on October 17 and has a term of 973 calendar days.

The award was made by the Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transport (ATTRAPI), headed by Andrés Lajous, according to El Economista. The tender was published on July 10 and received six bids on September 18; the award was issued on October 2. ICA's proposal came in at 23,720.3 million pesos, behind the consortium led by Mota-Engil México. For Mexican and Mexican-American families who travel between the Bajío and the north of the country, the corridor organizes a route that today depends on federal highways.

The segment includes design and construction of viaducts, tunnels, bridges and pedestrian crossings, plus a station in San Miguel de Allende, according to T21. The alignment is designed to operate at up to 177 kilometers per hour and uses existing rights of way, the agency said. The full Querétaro-San Luis Potosí project spans 237.2 kilometers with an estimated investment of 77,000 million pesos, according to the same official portfolio.

The corridor's calendar remains packed for the rest of the year. The award for segment II, from San Miguel de Allende to Villa de Reyes (82 kilometers), is scheduled for October 27. Bids for segment III, Villa de Reyes to San Luis Potosí Industrial, spanning 45.5 kilometers, are due on October 26, and those for segment V, SLP Centro to SLP Norte, on November 11. The completion of those processes will determine how much of the corridor enters construction before the end of 2026.

With the contract signed, what follows is watching how the first 68-kilometer front advances and which bids arrive for segment II on October 27. The full corridor, which connects the Bajío with Saltillo, is being assembled segment by segment.

This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.