Mexico draws bids of up to US$1.57bn for Querétaro-Saltillo rail section

Mexico draws bids of up to US$1.57bn for Querétaro-Saltillo rail section

BnamericasPublished: Monday, October 19, 2026

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The Integrated Public Transport and Train Agency (ATTRAPI) of Mexico received five bids to design and build the 82km San Miguel de Allende–Villa de Reyes subsection, the second segment of the Querétaro–Saltillo passenger train.

The bids, including VAT, range from 10.804,9 millones de pesos (US$586.4 million (mn)) to 28.997 millones de pesos (US$1.573,8 millones), according to the minutes of submission and opening of bids dated October 13, published on the ComprasMX platform.

The offers

The highest bid was submitted by the consortium of Constructora de Proyectos Viales de México and Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHLA), at 28.997 billion (bn) pesos. It is followed by the bid from GAMI Ingeniería e Instalaciones, Construcciones Urales and the Spanish company Azvi, at 27.8247bn pesos (US$1.5102bn).

They are followed by the consortium of Calzada Construcciones, China Railway International Group, Construcciones y Dragados del Sureste, Rubau México and Proveedora de Materiales del Norte, with 25.972,6mn pesos (US$1.409,6bn), and the group led by ICA Constructora, with 25.865,9mn pesos (US$1.403,8bn).

The lowest bid was from Arturo Hernández González, for 10.804,9 millones de pesos.

Ruling and deadlines

ATTRAPI will announce the decision on October 27. The call for bids, published on August 6, had scheduled the opening of proposals for October 2 and the decision for October 16. According to the procedure record in ComprasMX, work would begin on November 11, with an execution period of 1,003 calendar days.

The lump-sum contract covers viaducts, tunnels, bridges, railway underpasses and overpasses, and pedestrian bridges between kilometers 68+000 and 150+000. It is multi-year, with four budget periods, and the bids will be evaluated on a points and percentage basis, with 50 technical points and 50 economic points.

The tender, which is open and international in nature, provides for a 30% advance payment, which the contractor must fully guarantee. They must also provide a performance guarantee equal to 20% of the contracted amount and liability insurance.

First segment

On October 2, ATTRAPI awarded the first segment of the corridor, Querétaro-San Miguel de Allende, 68 km long, to the consortium led by Mota-Engil México. The contract is for 22.407,7 million pesos (US$1.296mn). Mota-Engil, a Portuguese company, is not among the bidders for the second segment.

According to the ruling, the contract would be signed on October 16 and the works would begin the following day, with an execution period of 973 calendar days.

Upcoming sections

Both subsections are part of the corridor Querétaro-San Luis Potosí, which is 237.2km long and divided into five segments. According to the schedule presented by ATTRAPI in September, the Villa de Reyes-San Luis Potosí Industrial subsection, 45.5km long, is expected to be awarded in October, and San Luis Potosí Centro-San Luis Potosí Norte, 15.7km long, in November.

In the San Luis Potosí-Saltillo corridor, which is 334.3km long, the Charcas-Vanegas and Vanegas-Zacatecano segments are scheduled for a ruling in November, and San Luis Potosí-Charcas and Zacatecano-Derramadero in December.

“This year we finished tendering all the sections that will get us to the goal of 1,600 kilometers (...) calls for bids have already been published and we are in the process of issuing decisions for Querétaro-San Luis Potosí, which is 237 kilometers”, said the general director of ATTRAPI, Andrés Lajous, at the presidential press conference on September 23.

The network is part of a plan under which the government expects to invest about 750.000mn pesos (US$43.400bn) in trains during the six-year term and build around 2,400km of tracks, according to President Claudia Sheinbaum.