In light of the measures taken by the Megalopolis Environmental Commission (CAMe), Miguel Ángel Mancera, mayor of Mexico City, made a call to President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto to provide funding to improve public transportation in the Megalopolis.
“I call on the president of the Republic, respectfully and energetically,” said Mancera at an inauguration ceremony for rehabilitated trains that were being incorporated into the Metro’s fleet. “I want President Enrique Peña Nieto to understand that improving air quality in Mexico City is urgent. It is urgent to support public transport in Mexico City. I call on Enrique Peña Nieto to set up a fund of 5 billion pesos to improve public transit in Mexico City.”
The 5 billion pesos from the federal government would be part of a 20 billion peso-fund to improve public transportation in the metropolitan area. Mancera argued that his government had demonstrated its financial responsibility and its capacity to manage such a program through its past management of debt, and that he was confident he would be able to reach an arrangement with Luis Videgary, secretary of the treasury.
He recognized that the Hoy No Circula measures that will restrict circulation of all vehicles one day a week between April 5 and June 30 alone will not resolve the problem, and called on drivers to comply with legal requirements to get annual emissions tests for their vehicles.
At the facilities of the metro system, in el Rosario, Azcapotzalco, Mancera inaugurated five trains that had been rehabilitated with a budged of 300 million pesos.
Four of them were recovered and modernized, and will run on Line 6, which runs from el Rosario to Martín Carrera, and the other train was converted from 6 to 9 cars to run on Line A, which runs from Pantitlán to La Paz.
“We have already invested in improving public transportation. Three hundred million pesos is only a small part of the 20 billion pesos that will be necessary.”
Mancera said that with the investment, two trains would be added to the system every month, connection between lines would be improved and stations would be modernized.
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