Morgan Stanley sees little chance Mexico will nationalize railroads

The possibility that the Mexican government would seek to nationalize the freight railroads seems unlikely, but it can’t be ruled out, according to a research update from investment firm Morgan Stanley.

The update, released Sunday, summarized two recent reports, one from the local newspaper El Universal saying that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was considering nationalizing the railroads, and another from the same source  later in the day disputing that report.

The reasons Mexico would nationalize the railroads are a perceived “abandonment of a meaningful percentage of stretches by rail concessions due to lack of profitability, and an allegation that a number of concessions are being operated by private concessionaires in a way that would not entirely fulfill contractual and social commitments,” the Morgan Stanley note said.

But the president has also denied that his administration is considering nationalizing the railroads, according to Morgan Stanley’s summary of the two reports.