Interoceanic Railway of Mexico
The Interoceanic Railway of Mexico was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Great Britain in 1888 to complete an unfinished project and compete with the Mexican Railway, it completed a narrow gauge main line from Mexico City to Veracruz in 1891. Branches included Mexico City to Puente de Ixtla, Puebla to Cuautla, Atencingo to Tlancualpicán, and a cutoff between Oriental and Santa Clara. Through subsidiary Mexican Eastern Railroad, the Interoceanic acquired a branch from San Marcos to Teziutlán in 1902, and in January 1910 it began operating the Mexican Southern Railway from Puebla to Oaxaca under lease. The Mexican government acquired control of the Interoceanic in 1903, and subsequently sold it to the National Railroad of Mexico in exchange for ownership of that company.
Although the National Railroad became part of the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México in January 1909, the Interoceanic and its two subsidiaries remained separate companies until a later time. The company operated some of the last steam locomotives in regular revenue service in North America. Following privatization in the 1990s, Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana acquired most of the main line of the former Interoceanic, while several branches, including the old line to Puebla and the Mexican Southern, were assigned to Ferromex. A portion of the former Interoceanic and a station have been preserved as a heritage railway and museum in Cuautla.
