Federal Government Nationalizes Tren Suburbano for 6B Pesos; Buenavista–AIFA Express Renamed 'Felipe Ángeles' and to Launch April 26

At her April 23 mañanera, President Sheinbaum announced the federal government had completed the acquisition of private stakes in the Suburban Train (Tren Suburbano), buying out Spain's Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) and Omnitren for 5,999 million pesos (approximately USD $309 million). The acquisition is financed through FONADIN (National Infrastructure Fund), placing full operational management of the Buenavista–Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) corridor under state control. Jorge Mendoza, director of Banobras (Mexico's national development bank), presented the acquisition details at the press conference. Sheinbaum confirmed the inaugural run on Sunday, April 26, 2026 — less than two months before the FIFA World Cup 2026 kickoff (June 11) — giving Mexico City a direct 40-minute rail link from the historic Buenavista station in the city center to AIFA. The 23.7-kilometer line extends an existing Buenavista–Cuautitlán suburban rail line with a new branch running northeast to AIFA; the formal name for the airport express is 'Tren Felipe Ángeles.' The nationalization continues Sheinbaum's infrastructure consolidation agenda: FONADIN now controls the suburban rail corridor alongside the Maya Train, the Transistmic Corridor, and airport infrastructure. AIFA, built during AMLO's presidency, has struggled to attract passenger volume since opening; the direct rail link is expected to substantially boost ridership and relieve road congestion during the World Cup. CAF is the Spanish rail engineering conglomerate that previously held the operational concession. Some private sector voices flagged that the government is absorbing estimated annual operating losses of several hundred million pesos, but the administration framed the purchase as essential World Cup–era connectivity infrastructure.