Line K (), also known as the Ixtepec–Ciudad Hidalgo Line, is a railroad owned by the
Mexican government that connects
Ixtepec, Oaxaca with
Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas. It was leased to the
Ferrocarril Chiapas-Mayab. President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...
announced that the Mexican government will rehabilitate the line from
Ixtepec, Oaxaca to
Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas.
The line will connect Ixtepec with the
Tren Interoceánico.
For many years, Central American immigrants took various
freight trains from
Tapachula to various locations in the United States to cross the
Mexico–United States border
The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...
. However, in 2005,
Hurricane Stan destroyed the tracks, and now, the trains started from the city of
Arriaga.
History
On its journey through the state of Chiapas, the
Ferrocarril Panamericano touched almost all of the municipal capitals on the coast, with the exception of
Tuzantán,
Escuintla,
Mazatán and some of the small capitals bordering Guatemala (
Tuxtla Chico,
Cacahoatán y
Unión Juárez).
Rehabilitation
In 2023,
Secretariat of the Navy (''Semar'') presented to the Government of Chiapas, Guatemala and other public officials the Rehabilitation Project of the line's tracks, this as part of the Program for the Development of the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec () is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as the T ...
in the
Multimodal Interoceanic Corridor.
An investment of around 20 billion pesos is expected, as part of the rehabilitation of the railways, as well as a little more than 10 billion pesos in the construction of 300 new bridges, out of a total of 527 bridges throughout the city. line, the rest will be rehabilitated.
Connections
The cross-border line from
Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas in Mexico to
Ciudad Tecún Umán in Guatemala was rebuilt in
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
in 2019.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the rehabilitation work of the Railway as well as the extension of Salina Cruz to Tapachula would be under the charge of the
Secretariat of the Navy, as well as the state governments of
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
,
Oaxaca
Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...
,
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
, and
Tabasco
Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.
It i ...
.
The connection project between the
Guatemala railway and the
Tren Interoceánico would also be announced, which will be carried out through the Rodolfo Robles border bridge that connects the cities of Tecún Umán, Guatemala.
The connection point in Mexico would be Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, separated from north to south by the Suchiate River from the Guatemalan town and would connect with the Isthmus train with the railway from Ixtepec, Oaxaca to Tapachula, Chiapas.
See also
*
Rail transport in Mexico
*
Rail transport in Guatemala
*
Puente Rodolfo Robles, a current roadway and restored
Puente Dr Rodolfo Robles
/ref> railway bridge connecting Ciudad Hidalgo with Ayutla
* Tren Interoceánico, the line's future operator
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Line K (Tren Interoceanico)
Transportation in Mexico
Rail transportation in Mexico
2025 in rail transport