THE Mexican government has received 11 former British High Speed Train (HST) coaches and three HST class 43 diesel power cars, which will operate on the upgraded Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway from Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz.
The rolling stock, previously owned by rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains, left the port of Great Yarmouth on the east coast of England on August 9, with the BBC Arkhangelsk freight ship arriving in Coatzacoalcos a month later after calling at Castellón, Spain, and Corpus Christi, Texas.
The consignment was unloaded by September 10, with test operation and the application of a new livery undertaken almost immediately. The British HSTs will operate alongside two Spanish-built tram-trains previously used for a short-lived service in Puebla, Mexico.
A second batch of HST vehicles has been put together for export from Great Yarmouth in mid-September although the final destination has yet to be confirmed.
The HST trains were first introduced between 1976 and 1982 on key inter-city routes from London, operating at up to 200km/h as seven or eight trailer cars with a power car at each end. The fleet has slowly been withdrawn from service in recent years, but four-car units with a power car at each end continue to operate regional services in southwestern England and Scotland.
HST power cars were repowered with new 1650kW MTU V16 4000 R41 engines as part of mid-life refurbishment from 2005 onwards.
A small number of passenger coaches supplied by Railexco and two ex-Union Pacific SD70 locomotives from the United States to operate on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway were also delivered in late August by train ferry from Mobile, Alabama, to Coatzacoalcos in Mexico. Further second-hand locomotives and passenger coaches are reported to be on their way from the US.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway connects the port of Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico with the port of Salina Cruz on the Pacific Ocean.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor (CIIT) project has involved upgrading the 303km line between Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state and Salina Cruz in Oaxaca. The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, will raise the line speed from 20km/h to 70km/h for freight trains and 100km/h for passenger trains.
The project also includes modernising and expanding port facilities at Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz, and the Minatitlán and Salina Cruz oil refineries in southern Mexico.
