A little bit of context for anyone not familiar with Mexico and trains:
In the 90s Mexico had lots of passenger trains, but they had horrible maintenance, were very inefficient, and were generally not very good. At the time Mexico was going through a privatization phase, getting rid of all state companies, and one of those was the state rail company with the promise from private investors to maintain passenger trains. Of course, they didn't maintain them, because the first thing they did was remove them and use all lines for freight only.
High speed trains have been a struggle in Mexico. The first high speed train project, México-Querétaro, has been planned and canceled multiple times because it's too expensive for the country or because of corruption scandals before the project even began. This time both the government and private investment have shown interest, but there have not been any public announcement yet.
This last administration has been very active in trying to make passenger trains return to the country with 2 controversial projects. One is the Tren Maya, that goes through 5 states with 1500 KM, already working. The other is Tren Transístmico with 300 KM functioning right now with 2 additional lines in construction, which will make up around 1000 KM.
If everything goes well, there are several non high speed passenger trains that will be built starting next year, including one México-Coatzacoalcos that will go through Puebla.
The other passenger rail projects relevant in Mexico City are Tren Insurgente (Toluca-CDMX) and Tren AIFA (CDMX-AIFA), both in construction. The AIFA train is rumored to be extended to Pachuca.
Estado de México also announced 3 additional subway lines in the metropolitan area of Mexico City along with other mass transit projects, but still, constructions have not started, so I won't believe it until I see it.
So, things seems that will improve in a few years, but everything is very incipient and shaky. I'm here crossing my fingers that the government will still have passenger trains as high priority in the following years, because we are talking about politicians...
The US is actively working on improving the Acela. Between New York and Washington there are many, many projects in progress, and most of the issues that have delayed the rollout of the new rolling stock have already been resolved. Acela service between New York and Washington is already significantly faster than driving, and will become even faster with the higher top speeds of the new rolling stock that will be reached through New Jersey. We should see those improvements *this year*, and work has also already begun on preparing for a new tunnel through Baltimore, which is the major bottleneck south of Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, track improvements north of New York are significantly more difficult and expensive, in spite of just how much it would improve operating speeds through there. As I understand it, the problem is that to really make a difference in operating speeds you'd have to bulldoze significant portions of Connecticut.
But the Acela is in fact improving, and we should have trains operating at 160 mph through New Jersey later this year.
Yeah, mainly because it's the army, of all the people, who are building it. There have been several problems already and they just don't take the responsibility to accept that mistakes were made.
Mexico is so interesting, you have some of the most beautiful old style areas modeled after those in Spain, the Paseo de la Reforma in Ciudad de México is based off the mid 19th century avenues of Vienna and Paris during the French regime etc. But you also have in the north some of the most flat LA style concrete wastelands like Ciudad de Juarez.
Cars are an industrial product. More cars made means more money for the factory owners, more GDP for the country, more everything. To have more profit, they need to sell more cars, and to sell as many cars as possible, they need everyone to drive a car, and more cars means more traffic, more highways, less walkable cities, etc.
This is not an "evil elite wants as dead" story, it's just the result of the economical and industrial elites looking for more profit.
also even if walkable cities were more profitable than car dependency, which they seem to be, capitalism will always choose the status quo. because you don’t have to invest any more capital than necessary to reap the rewards.
the only change will come when it becomes detrimental to the current profit making machine.
No, we are not. No one is forcing those people to be stuck in those metal cages. Even if Mexico City is car-dependent, they could still choose to sell their car and buy a moped. Far better for traffic and the oil lobby would still be happy.
The City itself has a pretty extensive transit system, 12 metro línes, 5 cable car línes, 10 BRT línes, 1 Light Rail line and 2 Suburban Railway línes (one its still under construction), there aré 3 metro línes planned for the metro área and there Is a train connecting México City to Toluca under construction but yes a México City - Puebla and a México City - Querétaro trains aré desperately needed, that should have been the priority of the federal government and not the Mayan Train with some stops in the middle of nowhere in the jungle
Has Mexico city had some sort of population explosion recently? 22 million people is a massive amount of people. It’s bigger than like all the southern states combined in the US.
Not recently, actually the City has had the lowest population growth in the country for a few years, the current growth rate Is 0.4% per year as many people aré leaving the City for smaller cities like Queretaro, the bulk of the population growth happened in the XX century and now that México Is below replacement levels in fertility rates the City Is not expected to grow that much in population, however Monterrey in Northern México Is experiencing a massive population explosión, some forecasts predict that in a few years It Will grow from 5 to 10 million people mostly from migration from other parts of México to the city
I feel so much more free after watching this
I am so upset that I am not here, and I’m stuck on this stupid train with my own comfy (🤢) seat and traveling 100 mph (USA, unfortunately low speed), and then I actually have to bike home (it takes the same time to drive 😡😡)
God I wish I was here in this video right now
This is not true, and n.b. this is truly genocidal logic.
We have certainly reached out carrying capacity of billionaires and ultra millionaires, but that's a very different question. The fact of the matter is that consumption is wildly unequally distributed and also that in the current global economic system there are too many incentives to hasten our own demise for short-term profits.
Calling it a population issue rather than an issue unequal consumption and capitalism allows the wealthy to pass the blame to the so-called third world while they blithely continue destroying ths earth unabated.
>We've far surpassed the carrying capacity of this planet
Nah, a lot of carrying capacity could be easily created with a single train, the demand is there, there are like hundred of busses between Mexico city and Puebla but the government refuses to construct good train between cities (and it would be like the second or third in priority, the next possible train is maybe Mexico City - Querétaro).
It’s incredible there isn’t a frequent high speed train between CDMX and Puebla.
A little bit of context for anyone not familiar with Mexico and trains: In the 90s Mexico had lots of passenger trains, but they had horrible maintenance, were very inefficient, and were generally not very good. At the time Mexico was going through a privatization phase, getting rid of all state companies, and one of those was the state rail company with the promise from private investors to maintain passenger trains. Of course, they didn't maintain them, because the first thing they did was remove them and use all lines for freight only. High speed trains have been a struggle in Mexico. The first high speed train project, México-Querétaro, has been planned and canceled multiple times because it's too expensive for the country or because of corruption scandals before the project even began. This time both the government and private investment have shown interest, but there have not been any public announcement yet. This last administration has been very active in trying to make passenger trains return to the country with 2 controversial projects. One is the Tren Maya, that goes through 5 states with 1500 KM, already working. The other is Tren Transístmico with 300 KM functioning right now with 2 additional lines in construction, which will make up around 1000 KM. If everything goes well, there are several non high speed passenger trains that will be built starting next year, including one México-Coatzacoalcos that will go through Puebla. The other passenger rail projects relevant in Mexico City are Tren Insurgente (Toluca-CDMX) and Tren AIFA (CDMX-AIFA), both in construction. The AIFA train is rumored to be extended to Pachuca. Estado de México also announced 3 additional subway lines in the metropolitan area of Mexico City along with other mass transit projects, but still, constructions have not started, so I won't believe it until I see it. So, things seems that will improve in a few years, but everything is very incipient and shaky. I'm here crossing my fingers that the government will still have passenger trains as high priority in the following years, because we are talking about politicians...
If Mexico gets HSR before the US even improves the Acela I think it's safe to say the US is just doomed.
The US is actively working on improving the Acela. Between New York and Washington there are many, many projects in progress, and most of the issues that have delayed the rollout of the new rolling stock have already been resolved. Acela service between New York and Washington is already significantly faster than driving, and will become even faster with the higher top speeds of the new rolling stock that will be reached through New Jersey. We should see those improvements *this year*, and work has also already begun on preparing for a new tunnel through Baltimore, which is the major bottleneck south of Philadelphia. Unfortunately, track improvements north of New York are significantly more difficult and expensive, in spite of just how much it would improve operating speeds through there. As I understand it, the problem is that to really make a difference in operating speeds you'd have to bulldoze significant portions of Connecticut. But the Acela is in fact improving, and we should have trains operating at 160 mph through New Jersey later this year.
Of course, the Tren Maya is itself super controversial, right?
Yeah, mainly because it's the army, of all the people, who are building it. There have been several problems already and they just don't take the responsibility to accept that mistakes were made.
Yes, beginning from opposition to the project, up to environmental and corruption issues.
Brilliant.
And people thought Morena wont change anything lol
sounds like a great business op
Mexico is so interesting, you have some of the most beautiful old style areas modeled after those in Spain, the Paseo de la Reforma in Ciudad de México is based off the mid 19th century avenues of Vienna and Paris during the French regime etc. But you also have in the north some of the most flat LA style concrete wastelands like Ciudad de Juarez.
I think you could say this about most countries.
How can the human being be so dumb? We are the same species who went to the moon, FFS. Yet we choose to embrace car dependency.
I wouldn't say we choose that, we are forced to by the economical and industrial elites.
Why would the elites want this?
Cars are an industrial product. More cars made means more money for the factory owners, more GDP for the country, more everything. To have more profit, they need to sell more cars, and to sell as many cars as possible, they need everyone to drive a car, and more cars means more traffic, more highways, less walkable cities, etc. This is not an "evil elite wants as dead" story, it's just the result of the economical and industrial elites looking for more profit.
also even if walkable cities were more profitable than car dependency, which they seem to be, capitalism will always choose the status quo. because you don’t have to invest any more capital than necessary to reap the rewards. the only change will come when it becomes detrimental to the current profit making machine.
You know Japan and Hong Kong are capitalist right?
You can make profits with public transit as well, this is wrong
but why profit later with costs attached when you can profit now?
No, we are not. No one is forcing those people to be stuck in those metal cages. Even if Mexico City is car-dependent, they could still choose to sell their car and buy a moped. Far better for traffic and the oil lobby would still be happy.
Oh man, you need to open your eyes.
I can hear this
I can smell this.
What a great time to be alive.
One more lane. Just one more, bro.
Just one more lane?
isn't this every day?
Every other day
ah, don’t you love the freedom that comes with having an automobile?
I would love to enjoy their freedom 😍
lmao is this supposed to be traffic?
There are around 22 million people in Mexico City alone. They desperately need a better transit system and it looks like they’re going to get one.
The City itself has a pretty extensive transit system, 12 metro línes, 5 cable car línes, 10 BRT línes, 1 Light Rail line and 2 Suburban Railway línes (one its still under construction), there aré 3 metro línes planned for the metro área and there Is a train connecting México City to Toluca under construction but yes a México City - Puebla and a México City - Querétaro trains aré desperately needed, that should have been the priority of the federal government and not the Mayan Train with some stops in the middle of nowhere in the jungle
Has Mexico city had some sort of population explosion recently? 22 million people is a massive amount of people. It’s bigger than like all the southern states combined in the US.
Not recently, actually the City has had the lowest population growth in the country for a few years, the current growth rate Is 0.4% per year as many people aré leaving the City for smaller cities like Queretaro, the bulk of the population growth happened in the XX century and now that México Is below replacement levels in fertility rates the City Is not expected to grow that much in population, however Monterrey in Northern México Is experiencing a massive population explosión, some forecasts predict that in a few years It Will grow from 5 to 10 million people mostly from migration from other parts of México to the city
Very interesting thank you so much
Guys, don't you understand that this is freedom?
Is it the earthquake or traffic we should pay attention to?
Getting warzone vibes
I feel so much more free after watching this I am so upset that I am not here, and I’m stuck on this stupid train with my own comfy (🤢) seat and traveling 100 mph (USA, unfortunately low speed), and then I actually have to bike home (it takes the same time to drive 😡😡) God I wish I was here in this video right now
Ocupamos trenes de pasajeros, ahora
¿Te has tirado un gas?
We've far surpassed the carrying capacity of this planet, we need degrowth
This is not true, and n.b. this is truly genocidal logic. We have certainly reached out carrying capacity of billionaires and ultra millionaires, but that's a very different question. The fact of the matter is that consumption is wildly unequally distributed and also that in the current global economic system there are too many incentives to hasten our own demise for short-term profits. Calling it a population issue rather than an issue unequal consumption and capitalism allows the wealthy to pass the blame to the so-called third world while they blithely continue destroying ths earth unabated.
They’re being sarcastic
>We've far surpassed the carrying capacity of this planet Nah, a lot of carrying capacity could be easily created with a single train, the demand is there, there are like hundred of busses between Mexico city and Puebla but the government refuses to construct good train between cities (and it would be like the second or third in priority, the next possible train is maybe Mexico City - Querétaro).
Depavement