China-built Mexican rail line ready for World Cup

The State-owned China Railway No 4 Engineering Group (CREC4) has completed a test run on an 11-kilometer section of railway line in Monterrey as the Mexican city prepares to host a series of FIFA World Cup games later this month.

The first hot sliding test run on the Metrorrey Light Rail Project, built by CREC4 Electrical Engineering Co Ltd, was completed on May 31, with a local government delegation in attendance.

Samuel Garcia Sepulveda, governor of the Nuevo Leon state of which Monterrey is capital, led the delegation and described the project execution as efficient and the standard of construction outstanding.

Chen Jiandong, a staffer from CREC4 Electrical Engineering, said the Metrorrey Light Rail is a key part of Monterrey's transport infrastructure, starting with this month's World Cup.

Chen said the project team has completed various electrification construction tasks, including the energization of the left track from Paseo La Fe to the depot, the connection of the overhead contact system in the interval, the installation of cable trays and wiring across multiple sections, and the power supply to traction substations at four stations along the line.

Chen's colleague Lu Yue explained that a hot sliding test is an essential step before the opening and operation of a rail transit line.

Lu said that the Metrorrey Light Rail can help effectively fill a gap in the urban rail transit of the Monterrey metropolitan area, improving public transport infrastructure and meeting passenger demand for the city's World Cup games.

It can also help optimize the regional transportation pattern of Nuevo Leon, revitalizing the commercial, cultural and tourism resources along the line, and enhancing its level of urban connectivity, Lu added.

Please contact the writer at yinmingyue@chinadaily.com.cn