Mexican Railway

Last updated
Mexican Railway
Mexican Railway.jpg
1912 map
Overview
Native nameFerrocarril México–Veracruz
Status
Locale Mexico
Termini
Service
Services3
Operator(s)Ferrocarril Mexicano
History
OpenedJanuary 1, 1873
MergedMarch 1959
Technical
Line length679.8 km (422.4 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification Partially, 103 km (64 mi), between Esperanza and Paso del Macho

The Mexican Railway (Ferrocarril Mexicano) ( reporting mark FCM) was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in London in September 1864 as the Imperial Mexican Railway (Ferrocarril Imperial Mexicano) to complete an earlier project, it was renamed in July 1867 [1] after the Second French Empire withdrew from Mexico.

Contents

History

1877 map of the Mexican Railway HistoricalRailMapMexico.jpg
1877 map of the Mexican Railway

The main line from Mexico City to Veracruz was dedicated on January 1, 1873, by President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada; branches connected Ometusco to Pachuca and Apizaco to Puebla. [2] [3] The 103 kilometers (64 mi) between Esperanza and Paso del Macho were electrically operated beginning in the 1920s. [4] [5]

The Mexican Railway remained independent of the government-owned Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (National Railways of Mexico) until the government gained control in June 1946 and merged the property in March 1959. [6] Following privatization in the 1990s, Ferrosur acquired the lines of the former Mexican Railway.

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References