Mexico's Government Establishes the Agency for Integrated Rail and Public Transport: What Does It Entail?

passenger services in the country. The establishment of this new agency became official with the publication of a decree in the evening edition of the Official Gazette of the Federation on January 13, 2026, a document that redefines the institutional structure responsible for Mexico’s rail system and public transport.

What is the New Agency?

According to the decree, ATTRAPI is a decentralized entity of the Federal Government that will possess technical and management autonomy and will be sectorized under the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT).

In practical terms, this signifies that the new agency will have operational latitude to plan and execute projects, without direct dependence on the traditional administrative areas of the ministry.

The establishment of ATTRAPI also entails the dissolution of the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency, created in 2016.

This means that all its resources—human, financial, and material—will be transferred to the new entity, with the objective of consolidating functions and preventing redundancies.

What Will the Agency for Integrated Rail and Public Transport Do?

The decree establishes a broad spectrum of functions. Generally, ATTRAPI will be responsible for planning, constructing, regulating, and overseeing the development of the rail system and public passenger transport projects.

Its primary responsibilities include:

• Defining policies and programs for the Mexican Rail System.
• Constructing rail infrastructure and acquiring railway equipment for passenger transport.
• Designing, constructing, and operating public transport systems, in coordination with states and municipalities.
• Supervising rail concessions, permits, and assignments.
• Promoting multimodal integration, meaning the connection between trains, urban transport, and other mobility systems.

The agency will also be empowered to impose sanctions, issue technical guidelines, register tariffs, and monitor compliance with regulations concerning rail and public transport.

A Key Change: Rail and Public Transport Under Unified Coordination

One of the central tenets of the decree is that ATTRAPI will not be limited to rail transport.

It will also possess the authority to plan and operate public passenger transport systems that are not necessarily trains, such as urban or intermodal projects.

This paves the way for closer coordination among different modes of transport and an integrated vision for mobility, particularly in metropolitan areas or regional corridors.

How Will the New Agency Be Organized?

ATTRAPI will be governed by a Board of Directors, chaired by SICT and composed of representatives from departments such as:

• Treasury
• Economy
• Energy
• National Defense
• Navy
• Environment
• Agrarian Development

Daily operations will be overseen by a General Directorate, whose head will be directly appointed by the President of the Republic.

This individual will be responsible for executing the Board’s decisions and legally representing the entity.

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