On the night of May 22, a decree issued by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) in order to expropriate land privately owned to expand Line 1 of the Suburban train.
According to what could be read, the expropriation of land that covers three municipalities of the State of Mexico responded to a cause of public utility, based on article 27 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States (CPEUM), where establishes that the ownership of land and water included within the limits of the national territory corresponds to the nation.
The article also establishes that it is the State that has the right to transfer ownership of land or water to individuals, thus creating private property; however, it makes it clear that it may be expropriatedas long as it is for public utilityin addition to guaranteeing a payment of compensation to the owners.
Based on what is established in the Expropriation Law in its article 1, one of the causes for which the expropriation of a piece of land can be declared for public utility is “the opening, expansion or alignment of streets, the construction of roads, bridges, roads and tunnels to facilitate urban and suburban transit”.
To expand on the aforementioned, in the Railway Service Regulatory Law —in its article 25— it is foreseen that the construction, conservation and maintenance of railways will always be of public utility, aspects that are those that the executive argued as valid for the expansion of the Suburban Train service
And it is that the expropriation was considered of public utility because the modernization of the service and the construction of new centers of public transport that connects Mexico City with the State of Mexico aims to improve citizen mobility, especially with connectivity to the International Airport Felipe Angeles (AIFA).
“It is paramount offer efficient and safe mobility to the inhabitants and visitors of the town, especially those who have a direct incidence with the International Civil and Military Airport ‘General Felipe Ángeles’”, the decree could be read.
Likewise, the document detailed that a total of 113 thousand 838.5053 square meters were expropriated in the municipalities of Tultitlan, tultepec and nextlalpan; In the first municipality, the State took control of 23 thousand 815.1509 square meters, while in the second it will be 16 thousand 228.0595 and finally 62 thousand 357.2941 square meters in the third.
On these lands will be built the Modal Transfer Centers 1, 3, 4 and 6that is, the new stations with which it is planned to expand the service of Line 1 of the Suburban Train that currently runs from Buenavista (CDMX) to Cuautitlán (Edomex), but which will now have a route to the vicinity of AIFA.
However, the extension to the country’s new airport is not the only one that is planned, since the head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that he will seek the service to reach Pachuca, the capital of Hidalgo.
This was announced during the first ordinary session of the Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Development Council, where she was accompanied by the governors of the State of Mexico and Hidalgo, Alfredo del Mazo and Julio Menchaca, respectively.
“I was speaking today with Governor Julio Menchaca, that we have to guarantee that the Train that goes from Buenavista to AIFA reaches Pachuca and, then, we have a mobility project between the three entities of the republic (and) that reduces, of course, the Mexico-Pachuca highway”, he explained.
However, after making the information known, the general secretary of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Caroline Viggiano Austria, pointed out that the idea of expanding transportation was presented by her when she competed for the governorship of Hidalgo.
Through her official Twitter account, the PRI member pointed out that when she presented the proposal she received “many attacks”; However, now the idea is applauded by the ruling party.
“Do you remember the Tolteca Train that I promised to promote if the vote favored me to be governor of Hidalgo? Today the head of Government of the CDMX proposed just that in the Metropolitan Development Council of the Valley of Mexico. Ironically I received many attacks for this idea that the Morena government applauds today ”, could be read.
However, the idea is a little older and foreseen in the plans of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication and Transport, specifically in the Pre-investment Study for the Hidalgo Suburban Train.
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