Durango-Mazatlán Highway

Durango-Mazatlán Highway

Mexico- a country despite its great potential fails to evoke the notion of an emerging economy to look out for. Several reasons are behind this- many of them due to human mistakes, some because of natural barriers. The Durango-Mazatlán Highway, which curves around Sierra Madre mountains is a combination of them. Known colloquially as the ‘Devil’s Backbone’ due to its connection with marijuana and opium poppie gangs, it was also a very difficult road to travel on. All of it has now changed.

The new Durango-Mazatlán Highway has completely transformed the local landscape. It is 140 miles long, has 115 bridges and 61 tunnels. It would 5 million vehicles, increasing the old road’s capacity by 4 times and cuts travel time to 3-5 hours. Atolling system aims to recoup the US$2.2 billion cost. “'The road will increase jobs and keep people busy,' said Eligio Medina, mayor of the city of Concordia, Sinaloa. 'When there is social mobility, criminal groups are more limited' (Daily Mail).

(Image credits: Geomexico)

Nigeria High Speed Rail-An Overview

Nigeria High Speed Rail-An Overview

The country of Nigeria is considered to be one of the biggest developing country in the world. It is already the continent’s biggest economy and it has a great vision to develop its infrastructure to solve its mass transit problems. If high speed rail is introduced in Nigeria, it would be a game changer for them. Construction started in March, 2016 and though the completion dates have not been announced yet, it is expected to start operations in this decade.

The project would be funded by Chinese companies, to the tune of $1.5 billion. Nigeria’s prime city Lagos would be connected to Kano, some 1,100 kilometers away and this would just be the initial step as part of forming a greater railway network. “The system will be digitally operated using fiber-optic cables, radio communication and wireless services. Judges appreciated that the project, which will remove heavy freight from Nigeria’s stressed roads, could save the country millions on road maintenance” (KPMC).

As of last month, the high speed locomotives have been bought. Operational speeds could be as high as 150-160 kmph. An important economic note to be made is all the contracts are made using the PPP model.  

(A representational map of the stations-Image credits: The Cable)