La ruta más cercana: reconectando personas y ecosistemas a lo largo de la red ferroviaria. Parque Lineal FERROMEX.
La ruta més propera: reconnectant persones i ecosistemes al llarg de la xarxa ferroviària. Parc Lineal FERROMEX.
The closer route: reconnecting people and ecosystems along the railway spine. FERROMEX Linear Park
The project was conceived to save time and energy for FERROMEX workers by transforming an abandoned railway segment into a functional path that shortens the distance between offices and workshops. This space became a linear park that honors both the memory and present use of the site.
Through a participatory design process, the railway workers shared their day-to-day knowledge of the area, helping shape spaces that are useful, safe, and meaningful.
The planting palette is inspired by the site's original xeric scrubland ecosystem. Into this design, species collected by workers during their rail journeys across different regions of Mexico were symbolically and meaningfully integrated—dignifying their experience and fostering a sense of ownership of the park.
The design includes a central pathway that connects the entire park, two plazas for rest and activities, insect hotels embedded in walls using perforated bricks, and a system of bioswales that collect and filter rainwater back into the ground.
Planting followed a restorative strategy, with 97 trees and over 32,000 plants. 83% of them were grown from seed in Grupo México nurseries, reducing the project’s water and carbon footprint.
Railroad ties were reused as retaining elements, pedestrian crossings, and seating, reinforcing the post-industrial character of the landscape.
Main Sustainable Development Goals Addressed by the Project:
SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation:
The project integrates a bioswale system that captures and filters rainwater, promoting its infiltration into the ground and helping to recharge local aquifers. This blue infrastructure also reduces runoff and erosion in semi-urban, impervious areas.
SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being:
It provides a safe, natural environment that enhances the daily experience of workers. The park offers shade, rest areas, and contact with native vegetation, promoting both physical and mental health in a semi-industrial work setting.
SDG 15 – Life on Land:
The park restores fragments of the original xeric scrubland ecosystem through a carefully selected palette of native and adapted species. It also includes insect hotels and habitats for pollinators, enhancing local biodiversity.
SDG 13 – Climate Action:
The use of drought-resistant vegetation, the germination of plants in local nurseries, and an efficient water management system reduce the project’s carbon footprint and strengthen its climate resilience.
SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities:
An abandoned railway segment is repurposed as functional green infrastructure, reconnecting fragmented spaces, improving pedestrian mobility, and providing a climate refuge in a semi-industrial area.
SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production:
The project promotes responsible resource use by reusing railway sleepers to build seating, pathways, and planting borders, and by prioritizing the cultivation of plants from seed over long-distance transport from commercial nurseries.