A consortium led by CRRC Corporation is one of the two bidders shortlisted for a contract to modernize Mexico City's Metro Line 1. The Chinese state-owned rolling stock manufacturer is working with CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, which has already supplied 26 trains to the Monterrey metro system in Nuevo Leon state.

The rival consortium is led by Spanish railway supplier CAF, which has previously provided the metro system with trains, and which runs the Mexico City-Mexico state suburban service. It has partnered with CAF Investment Projects, Brownfield SPV IV and AEI Infraestructura of Mexico. 

Line 1 dates back to the late 1960s, and its modernization is estimated to cost US$1.8 billion. The project involves supplying 30 new trains, and upgrading the rail infrastructure and control systems on the 18.8-kilometre line.

The winning consortium will have up to four years to ensure all 30 trains are operable, seven years to maintain the trains and the line, and 15 years to maintain the control system.

Earlier on in the tender process, which is being conducted by Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (SCT Mexico), there was also interest from consortia featuring Alstom, Mitsubishi Electric and Bombardier.