Ferrosur

In May 2023, the Mexican Armed Forces occupied a portion of 127 kilometres (79 mi) of railways in Veracruz belonging to Ferrosur, so that they could be used for the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, one of the government's most important megaprojects.[8] About it, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico, said it occurred "to avoid the risk of a future privatization of the railways and as a matter of national security and public interest".[9][10][11] The action was labeled as "unusual"[12] and it was seen as an expropriation act.[9][13] Adán Augusto López Hernández, secretary of the Interior, said that the action was previously discussed with Grupo México and he called it a "temporary occupation".[14]

On late May 2023, several newspapers erroneously stated that the government of Mexico paid Grupo Mexico 7 billion pesos for the railway it seized, 2.5 billion pesos lower than what Groupo Mexico wanted for the occupation of the railways.[15][16] This, however, was not true, as López Obrador stated on a morning press conference on May 24. He sought to reach an agreement with Ferrosur which did not involve financial compensation. Instead, he sought to reach an agreement by which Ferrosur would have to pay a fee to use the occupied railways, while the Mexican Armed Forces would pay Ferrosur to use the railways heading to the port of Veracruz, in addition to a possible extension to a concession in exchange for the railways.[17] An agreement was ultimately reached on the night of May 31, by which, as López Obrador intended, the concession granted to Ferrosur in 1998 for the railways (which included the occupied sections) was extended by eight years, so that it remains in force until 2056. Ferrosur would cover a fee corresponding to the right of way, while the state-owned Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec company would be responsible for the costs and spendings for the operation and maintenance of the railways and for their optimal safety conditions.[8]