Transportation in Mexico

As the third most extensive and the second most populated country in Latin America, Mexico has developed an extensive transportation network to meet the needs of the economy. As with communications, transportation in Mexico is regulated by the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, ("Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transporte", SCT) a federal executive cabinet ministry. Founded on 13 May 1891 as the Secretariat of Communications and Public Works, the SCT is divided into three subsecretariats: the Subsecretariat of Infrastructure, the Subsecretariat of Communications and the Subsecretariat of Transportation.

Roadways

:"See also: List of Mexican Federal Highways"The roadway network in Mexico is extensive and all areas in the country are covered by it. [http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Mexico-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-COMMUNICATIONS.html Mexico Infrastructure, power and Communications] . National Economies Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 13 January 2007] The roadway network in Mexico has an extension of 332,031 km. of which 116,802 are paved, [http://dgaf.sct.gob.mx/fileadmin/EST_BASICA/EST_BASICA_2005/EST2005_12INFRA.pdf Infraestructura Carretera] . Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. México. Retrieved on 13 January 2007] making it the largest paved-roadway network in Latin America. [With data from the CIA Factbook] Of these, 10,474 km. are multi-lane expressways: 9,544 km. are four-lane highways and the rest have 6 or more lanes.

The highway network in Mexico is classified by number of lanes and type of access. The great majority of the network is composed of undivided or divided two-lane highways—with or without shoulders, and are known simply as "carreteras". Four or more-lane freeways or expressways, with restricted or unrestricted access are known as "autopistas". Speed limits in two-lane highways can vary depending on terrain conditions. The speed limit in multi-lane freeways or expressways is on average 110 km/h (70 mph) for automobiles and 95 km/h (60 mph) for buses and trucks.

The expressways are, for the most part, toll roads or "autopistas de cuota". (Non-toll roads are referred to as "carreteras libres", of free-roads). Most toll expressways have emergency telephone booths, water wells and emergency breaking ramps at short intervals. The toll usually includes a "travelers' insurance" ("seguro del viajero") should an accident occur within the freeway. [ [http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:bEdJajF1ITkJ:www.condusef.gob.mx/Seccion_Fija/ftc/ftc_78.pdf+%22seguro+de+viajero%22+carreteras&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a Seguro de Viajero en Carreteras Federales] . November 2004. Retrieved on 13 January 2007] [ [http://www.mexperience.com/guide/essentials/toll_road_charges.htm#Insurance Toll Roads and Driving in Mexico.] Mexperience.com. Retrieved on 13 January 2007.] Nonetheless, tolls are, on average, amongst the most expensive in the world, according to a comparative study realized in 2004 by the Chamber of Deputies. [ [http://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/211918.mexico-aun-con-las-autopistas-mas-caras.html México, aún con las autopistas más caras] . El Siglo de Torreón. 8 May 2006. Accessed on 13 January 2008.] The most traveled freeways are those that link the three most populous cities in Mexico—Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey—in the form of a triangle.

No federal freeway or expressway crosses a city; toll expressways are either turned into toll bypasses ("libramientos") often used as toll or free ring roads ("periféricos"), or are transformed into major arterial roads, even if they are, in function, freeways with restricted access.

Mexican highways are assigned a one to three-digit number. North-south highways are assigned odd numbers whereas east-west highways are assigned even numbers. Toll expressways usually run parallel to a free road, and therefore, are assigned the same number with the letter "D" added. (For example, the undivided two-lane highway connecting Mexico City and Puebla is MX 150, whereas the six-lane toll expressway is MX 150D).

Mexico has had difficulty in building an integrated highway network due to the country's orography and landscape characteristics [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27400/Mexico Transportations and Telecommunications] . Mexico. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 14 January 2008] —most of the country is crossed by high-altitude ranges of mountains. Over the last two decades, Mexico has made impressive investments in order to improve its road infrastructure and connect main cities and towns across the country. [ [http://www.mexperience.com/guide/essentials/toll_road_charges.htm#Intro Guide to Toll Roads in Mexico] . Toll Roads and Driving in Mexico. Mexperience.com. Retrieved on 13 January 2007.] In spite of its extension and recent development, the roadway network in Mexico is still inadequate to meet the current needs of the population and, except for the toll roads, [ [http://www.mexperience.com/guide/essentials/getting_around.htm#TravRoad The Development of Mexico's Road Network] . Getting Around in Mexico. Mexperience. Retrieved on 13 January 2007.] they are often not adequately maintained.

An additional problem is that in the center of the country the roads run into Metro Mexico City from regional centers and there are few roads which run peripherically so as to connect the other regional centers without running through the congestion around the capital. The federal government (in parternship with the government of Mexico State and the Federal District) is trying to fix this problem by constructing a Mexico City bypass, named "Arco Norte"; it is willing to open it by the end of 2008.

Railroads

:"See also: Rail transport in Mexico"Mexico was one of the first Latin American countries to promote railroad development in the 19th century. The first railroad was started to be built in 1842 and finished in 1848 joining the port of Veracruz to El Molino, with the intention of connecting the port with the city of Puebla—the second city in the country at that time—and finally to Mexico City. [ [http://www.estaciontorreon.galeon.com/productos627821.html Historia del Ferrocarril Mexicano] ] The successive administrations of president Porfirio Díaz during the third quarter of the 19th century, and early 20th century, saw the most significant expansion of the network that eventually connected all regions in the country. [ [http://www.estaciontorreon.galeon.com/productos627865.html Las Primeras Lineas. Historia del Ferrocarril Mexicano] ] President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized the railway system in 1937 and remained so until the late 1990s.

The railway network has an extension of 26,662 km, [ [http://dgtfm.sct.gob.mx/fileadmin/Tronco/04_Reestructuracion/Anuario_05/Anuario_2005_3.pdf Anuario Estadístico 2005] . Transporte Ferroviario y Multimodal. SCT.] and is operated by: [http://cuentame.inegi.gob.mx/economia/terciario/transporte/ferrocarril.aspx?tema=E Medios de transporte. Ferrocarril] . Cuéntame. INEGI]
* Kansas City Southern de Mexico (formerly "Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana"), connecting central Mexico to the Midwestern United States; from the southern tip of Veracruz to Illinois.
* Grupo Ferroviario Mexicano (Ferromex), the largest railroad company in Mexico,
* Ferrosur,
* Línea Coahuila-Durango,
* Compañía de Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab,
* Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de México and
* Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec or Transístmico, the only state-owned railroad company.

Most of the railroad system in Mexico is used for merchandise transportation and freight; passenger transportation across the country is limited. Some small sections are assigned to the government of the states and are used for passenger transportation:
* Adames-Peñuelas in Aguascalientes
* Tijuana-Tecate in Baja California
* Pachuca-Tepa-San Augstín Irolo in Hidalgo, and the
* Suburban Train of Greater Mexico City.

Passenger rail service to the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua still operates.

In 2007, the FERISTSA Railway would link Mexico with Panama.

Airports and air travel

:"See also: List of airports in Mexico"Mexico has an extensive network of modern airports all throughout the territory; [http://www.mexperience.com/guide/essentials/getting_around.htm#DomFlights Domestic Flights in Mexico] . Mexperience. Accessed on 19 January 2008] flying domestically is considered efficient and safe. Airport infrastructure in Mexico is the most advanced in Latin America: [http://www.mcx.es/turismo/infopais/mexico/Mexico.htm#D.-%20Infr Infrastructuras] . Información de México. Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio de España.] all the cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants have an airport. There are 1834 airports in Mexico, the third-largest number of airports by country in the world. [ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2053rank.html Raking on the number of airports per country] . CIA Factbook] The seven largest airports—which absorb 90% of air travel—are (in order of air traffic): Mexico City International Airport, Cancún International Airport, Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (Guadalajara), General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (Monterrey), General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport (Tijuana), General Juan N. Álvarez International Airport (Acapulco), and Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (Puerto Vallarta] ). All airports are privately owned, with the exception of Mexico City International Airport. This airport remains the largest in Latin America and the 44th largest in the world [ [http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=169 Acerca del AICM. Posicionamiento del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (AICM) con los 50 aeropuertos más importantes del mundo] ] transporting close to 26 million passengers a year. [ [http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=168 Acerca del AICM, Pasajeros] ]

There are more than 70 domestic airline companies in Mexico. The major players in the industry are Aeroméxico and Mexicana, the first is owned by Grupo Financiero Banamex and the second owned by Grupo Posadas. Other small airlines include Aeromexico Connect (Aeromexico regional subsidiary), Click Mexicana (Mexicana's low cost subsidiary), Aviacsa, Volaris, Interjet, Aero California, Aeromar, Avolar, Alma, Viva Aerobus, Magnicharters, Nova Air and Republicair.

The governments of the United States and Mexico recently approved an agreement of "open skies", which allows low-cost carriers to operate point-to-point (direct) routes between American and Mexican cities. This will decentralize air traffic in North America by bypassing major hubs and connecting smaller cities directly.

Seaports

:"See also: List of seaports in Mexico"Mexico has 76 seaports and 9 riverports [ [http://www.cideiber.com/infopaises/Mexico/Mexico-06-06.html Transporte Marítimo. México] . Centro de Información y Documentación Empresarial sobre Iberoamérica] The four major seaports concentrating around 60% of the merchandise traffic are Altamira and Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico, and Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas in the Pacific. These four seaports are followed in traffic by Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Guaymas, Tampico, Topolobambo, Mazatlán and Tuxpan.

See also

* Communications in Mexico
* Economy of Mexico

References

External links

* [http://www.transporte.com.mx Información de transporte en Mexico]
* [http://portal.sct.gob.mx/SctPortal/ Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes portal]
* [http://www.mexlist.com MEXLIST general repository of Mexican railway information]
* [http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/buswibcw.html Mexican Bus Company Websites]