China modernizes the oldest metro line in Mexico City, taking on the renovation of 18.83 km, 20 stations, new trains, signaling, and maintenance for 19 years in one of the most crowded systems in Latin America.

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 26/05/2026 at 20:01

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CRRC modernizes Line 1 of the Mexico City metro, with 18.83 km, 20 stations, new trains, CBTC, and a 19-year contract.

China has entered the heart of the Mexico City metro through one of the most symbolic doors: Line 1, the oldest in the system, inaugurated in 1969. The modernization was undertaken by CRRC, a Chinese state-owned railway equipment giant, in a project that involves new trains, tracks, electrical systems, signaling, automatic control, and long-term maintenance.

According to CRRC itself, Line 1 has 18.83 km, 20 stations, and can transport more than 1 million passengers per day. The company states that this is its first international project of the “system+” type, a model in which the company not only delivers trains but participates in the integrated modernization of the system and maintenance for 19 years.

Line 1 of the Mexico City metro becomes a showcase for Chinese railway engineering in the Americas

The project is not limited to replacing old compositions with new trains. The official record of the Proyectos México platform describes the modernization of the Line 1 Pantitlán-Observatorio as an intervention in trains, control system, tracks, electrical and electronic systems.

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19-year contract includes trains, tracks, CBTC, electrical systems, and maintenance

The strongest point of the agenda is the term. The official project record reports 19 years of contract, with implementation, modernization, and maintenance services. The model provides for 3.5 years of implementation, followed by train and track maintenance for 7 years and control system maintenance for 15 years.

China modernizes the oldest metro line in Mexico City

A modernization also replaces the old automatic piloting system with a new control system based on continuous communication, the CBTC, a standard used to improve operational control, frequency, and safety in metro railway systems.

This point makes the project more aggressive than a simple public purchase. China becomes involved in the infrastructure, operational technology, and maintenance cycle of a line that carries millions of trips throughout the year.

Investment exceeds 16.5 billion Mexican pesos in urban mobility project

The Proyectos México platform reports an estimated investment of 16.574 billion Mexican pesos, equivalent to about US$ 858.7 million according to the exchange rate used in the project’s own file.

The project was classified as brownfield, meaning a heavy modernization of existing infrastructure, not a line built from scratch. This increases complexity because the intervention occurs in an old, urban, busy, and essential system for the routine of the Mexican capital.

The official objectives include increasing transport capacity, improving service quality, reducing travel times, increasing train frequency, reducing maintenance costs, and decreasing electricity consumption.

NM22 trains arrive with CBTC, intelligent operation, and speed of up to 80 km/h

CRRC states that the NM22 trains developed for Line 1 received improvements in safety, comfort, energy efficiency, and environmental performance. The compositions are equipped with CBTC system and intelligent operation technologies.

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According to the company, the new trains can reach a speed of up to 80 km/h. This data is relevant because it shows that the modernization does not only target internal appearance or visual renewal but also technical performance and operational control.

The complete reopening of the line occurred after the inauguration of the Juanacatlán-Observatorio section, on November 16, 2025, when the 20 stations began operating again, according to a statement from CRRC.

China transforms a 1969 line into an export railway laboratory

Line 1 began operating in 1969 and became one of the most important lines of the Mexican metro. By undertaking its modernization, CRRC introduced Chinese technology into an old, high-demand, and highly visible Latin American system.

The company claims that during the project, it delivered 15 trains with 135 cars, developed over 100 local suppliers, trained nearly 300 Mexican technicians, and generated about 1,500 jobs. These numbers are presented by CRRC itself and should be treated as company data.

China is not just selling trains. It is using large urban systems in Latin America as a showcase to export a complete package of engineering, financing, technology, maintenance, and assisted operation.

Mexican metro shows Chinese advancement in Latin American urban infrastructure

The case of Mexico City connects to a larger trend. Chinese companies have been expanding their presence in metros, urban trains, monorails, and railway projects in Latin America, with contracts that often involve not only rolling stock but also systems, maintenance, and technical transfer.

In the Mexican Line 1, the advancement is especially symbolic because it occurs within one of the most well-known and busiest metro systems in the region. It is an old, central line that is crucial for the daily mobility of the capital.

The direct question remains: if China is already modernizing one of the most historic lines of the Mexican metro, how many other urban networks in the Americas will still depend on Chinese railway technology to move out of backwardness?

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China modernizes the oldest metro line in Mexico City, taking on the renovation of 18.83 km, 20 stations, new trains, signaling, and maintenance for 19 years in one of the most crowded systems in Latin America.

CRRC modernizes Line 1 of the Mexico City metro, with 18.83 km, 20 stations, new trains, CBTC, and a 19-year contract.

Line 1 of the Mexico City metro becomes a showcase for Chinese railway engineering in the Americas

19-year contract includes trains, tracks, CBTC, electrical systems, and maintenance

Investment exceeds 16.5 billion Mexican pesos in urban mobility project

NM22 trains arrive with CBTC, intelligent operation, and speed of up to 80 km/h

China transforms a 1969 line into an export railway laboratory

Mexican metro shows Chinese advancement in Latin American urban infrastructure

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China modernizes the oldest metro line in Mexico City, taking on the renovation of 18.83 km, 20 stations, new trains, signaling, and maintenance for 19 years in one of the most crowded systems in Latin America.

CRRC modernizes Line 1 of the Mexico City metro, with 18.83 km, 20 stations, new trains, CBTC, and a 19-year contract.

Line 1 of the Mexico City metro becomes a showcase for Chinese railway engineering in the Americas

19-year contract includes trains, tracks, CBTC, electrical systems, and maintenance

Investment exceeds 16.5 billion Mexican pesos in urban mobility project

NM22 trains arrive with CBTC, intelligent operation, and speed of up to 80 km/h

China transforms a 1969 line into an export railway laboratory

Mexican metro shows Chinese advancement in Latin American urban infrastructure

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

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