In 1995, the government reformed Mexico’s railways by statute through the Law on the Regulation of Rail Services. This provided for the publicly run rail network to be divided into a small number of exclusive, vertically integrated private freight railway concessions. The 1995 railway reforms achieved a complete turnaround in the performance of the Mexican railway sector. GDP in rail freight transport grew on average 4.1% per year from 1995-2017, outperforming all other modes of transport.
After a series of amendments to the 1995 Law, the Regulatory Agency for Rail Transport (ARTF) was created, with the primary objective of enhancing the government’s capacity for implementing regulations concerning trackage rights and tariff protection, among others.