Egis in Mexico is leading the consortium that will provide technical assistance for the construction and operational planning of four passenger rail corridors that are part of Trenes del Norte, marking the company’s entry into rail operations in Mexico.
The Agency for Trains and Integrated Public Transport (ATTRAPI) has awarded a consortium made up of Egis in Mexico, Cal y Mayor and Transconsult the project for Technical Assistance in Rail Operations Planning under the Early Operator model, with Egis as consortium leader.
The contract covers the Mexico–Querétaro, Querétaro–Irapuato, Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo and Mexico–Pachuca sections, as well as the Supply and Demand Study for the feeder routes serving Buenavista.
The projects are part of Trenes del Norte, an initiative aimed at restoring and strengthening passenger rail transportation in Mexico. In this context, the challenge is not limited to developing the infrastructure required for trains to run. It is also necessary to define, from the early stages, how the system will operate when it is ready to carry passengers.
This is precisely where Egis and its partners are focusing their work.
Designing the operation before the train starts running
The Early Operator model brings an operational perspective into the early stages of railway system development. For Egis, this means working on the decisions that will determine how the service will be delivered: how frequencies and timetables will be organized, how systems will be integrated, what safety requirements will need to be met, and how operations will respond to projected demand.
The project covers everything from technical assessment and the modelling of different operational scenarios to the definition of the overall operating model, commercial and governance strategy, preparation of safety requirements, and support during dynamic testing and trial operations.
This work takes place before passengers board the train, but it has a very tangible outcome: preparing the conditions so that, when they do, the system can operate safely, efficiently and reliably.
Five disciplines, one operation
Making this possible requires specialists from different fields to work together as parts of a single system.
Operations and Quality focuses on defining the service and its standards. Systems and Engineering integrates signalling, telecommunications, operational modelling and simulation, algorithms, and RAMS engineering. Infrastructure and Rolling Stock addresses how these elements interact with operational requirements.
They are joined by Business and Organisation, which covers areas such as commercial and fare strategy, sizing, training, and legal and regulatory coordination; and Transport and Demand, responsible for transport and econometric models that help understand how demand will behave.
Coordination across these disciplines is essential. An infrastructure decision can affect operations; demand can determine frequencies and timetables; systems can constrain service capacity; and safety must be embedded in each of these decisions.
For this reason, the project does not address each component in isolation. Instead, it seeks to build an operating model in which all the elements work together.
Project scope
The contract covers a series of deliverables that will support the definition and preparation of operations, including:
- Technical Diagnostic Report
- Buenavista Supply and Demand Study
- Operational Modelling and Design
- Integrated Operating Model
- Internal Transport Regulations (RIT)
- Timetable Document
- Inputs to the Safety Management Plan, Hazard Log and Safety Case
- Commercial and Governance Strategy
- Dynamic Testing and Trial Operations Report
- Support, Close-out and Technology Transfer
More than a collection of documents, these deliverables are part of a single process: moving from understanding the system’s conditions to defining how it will operate and preparing it for entry into service.
A new role for Egis in Mexico’s railway sector
The award represents a milestone for Egis in Mexico: it is the company’s first rail operations contract in the country.
It also marks an evolution in the way Egis contributes to railway development in Mexico. Building on its experience in infrastructure, systems and engineering, the company is now bringing its capabilities to the definition of passenger rail operations from the earliest stages of development.
With Egis leading the consortium, the project puts into practice an integrated approach to railways: not only designing the infrastructure and systems that make a train possible, but also contributing to defining how that train will become a service for people.
