Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train

The Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train (Spanish: Tren turístico Puebla-Cholula) was a tram-train railway line that connected the city centre of Puebla with the tourist zone in Cholula in Puebla State, Mexico. Operation began in January 2017 and ended in December 2021.

Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train
Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train at Cholula Station
Overview
OwnerGovernment of the State of Puebla
LocaleState of Puebla
Termini
Stations2
Websitehttps://www.trenturisticopueblacholula.com/
Service
TypeTram-train
History
Opened23 January 2017 (2017-01-23)
Closed31 December 2021 (2021-12-31)
Technical
Line length17.4 km (10.8 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map

History

The project was announced in July 2015 by Puebla State Governor Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas.[1] Construction began in November 2015 and was completed in early 2017 when it was inaugurated by President Enrique Peña Nieto and Governor Moreno Valle.[2] Initially budgeted to cost 800 million pesos, final project costs totaled 1,113 million pesos.[3]

Route

The 17.4 km (10.8 mi) single-track route largely utilized existing rail rights-of-way to the north and west of Puebla City. The route began at the Mexican National Railway Museum in Puebla's city centre. The first 2 km (1.2 mi) of the route operated as a tram line without any stops along city streets with mixed vehicle traffic. The remainder of the route utilized a dedicated at-grade right-of-way from Puebla City to Cholula Station adjacent to the Cholula Archaeological Zone. An additional two intermediate stops, Mercado Hidalgo Station and Momoxpan Station, were constructed but have not been opened.[3]

Operations

The Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train's rolling stock consisted of two three-car diesel-electric 38 m (125 ft)-long trains supplied by Vossloh.[4] The trains have a capacity of 284 people.[2] Average train speed was 30 km/h and the approximate travel time between Puebla and Cholula was 40 minutes. There were three daily departures from each terminal on weekdays and nine daily departures from each terminal on weekends and holidays.[5]

Total passengers in 2019 numbered 161,377 users.[6]

Operations ended on 31 December 2021 due to a lack of profitability.[7]

References
  1. Martell, Mario (11 September 2015). "Gobierno estatal quiere adjudicar de manera directa el tren Puebla-Cholula". Intolerancia. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. "Puebla tram-train inaugurated". Metro Report International. DVV Media International. 25 January 2017. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  3. de Jesús López, Esteban (1 August 2018). "A un año de su operación, estaciones intermedias del millonario Tren Turístico Puebla-Cholula ¡no funcionan!". Periodico Central. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  4. "Diesel tram-trains for Puebla". Metro Report International. DVV Media International. 2 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  5. "Horarios". Tren turístico Puebla-Cholula. Gobierno de Puebla. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  6. "Pulso del Sector Ferroviario Mexicano - Diciembre 2019". Gobierno de México. Agencia Reguladora del Transporte Ferroviario. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  7. "Puebla tram-train ceases operation". Metro Report International. DVV Media International. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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