China likely to bid on re-opened Mexico high-speed rail project

China will probably tender again to the $3.76 billion high-speed rail project of Mexico and will hold "significant advantages," officials from China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) said Monday, after Mexico announced to re-launch its high-speed rail project.

Officials at CRCC told the Global Times that the company has not received an official announcement from Mexico yet and will give a final decision after a thorough study of the bidding conditions.

"We will probably tender and will have significant advantages over other bidders in terms of technology, experience and bidding price," one CRCC official surnamed Yu said.

Preliminary terms of the contract, which will last 180 days, will be published on January 14 and will be similar to the original one, Mexico's Ministry of Communications and Transport announced on Sunday.

A supervisor will oversee the process to ensure "full transparency and legality of the process from the start of the bidding process."

Mexico revoked the contract awarded to the consortium made up of CRCC, CSR Corp and four other Mexican firms in November 2014 after opposition lawmakers claimed it was fixed. The consortium's bid was uncontested.

The Mexican government said CRCC can take part in the new bidding process, but it does not expect Grupo Higa, one of the Mexican firms in the consortium, to participate in the second tender.

French engineering group Alstom SA and Canada's Bombardier Inc have said they would consider taking part in the new tender.

"The annulment of the last bidding has had a negative impact, since our tender documents have been open to the public since then," Tian Yun, editor-in-chief of the Macro China Information Network under the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Global Times.

Tian predicted that Japan will be the primary rival in this bidding, as the depreciation of the Japanese yen will drive down the relative price of its bid.

The 210-kilometer line to connect Mexico City and the central city of Querétaro is expected to move 27,000 passengers daily at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.