The main line from Mexico City to Veracruz was dedicated on January 1, 1873, by President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada; branches connected Ometusco to Pachuca and Apizaco to Puebla.

[2][3] The 103 kilometers (64 mi) between Esperanza and Paso del Macho were electrically operated beginning in the 1920s.

[4][5] The Mexican Railway remained independent of the government-owned Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (National Railways of Mexico) until the government gained control in June 1946 and merged the property in March 1959.

There are plans to use $100 million to improve and maintain the pre-existing railroad infrastructure for the Ruta de Cortés.

[11] On January 25, 2024, it was announced that the company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, together with Grupo México and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, would carry out the analysis of the development of four passenger train routes in Mexico, including the Mexico City-Veracruz line.