In 1908, at the end of the Porfirian government, the state-owned Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México was created, which constituted the first nationalization of strategically valuable railroads in Mexican history.

In 1978, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation planned the construction of the first Mexican double-track electric railroad fed by catenary.

Based on a study prepared by that government agency, it was determined that the Mexico City-Querétaro route was the most viable to electrify.

[2] In 1979, as part of the construction work, the Mexican government included Japanese, English and French participation in the project.

[2][3] Around 1983, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation decided to suspend the project due to changes in the layout of the routes and the operating policies.

In 1996, President Ernesto Zedillo disincorporated the state-owned company Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, and passenger transport operations throughout most of the country were terminated.