In October 2018, Senator Ricardo Monreal presented an initiative to reform Article 59 of Mexico’s Law on Public Works. At the time, the article allowed changes to public works contracts as long as they did not exceed “el veinticinco por ciento del monto o del plazo pactados en el contrato” (twenty-five percent of the amount or the term agreed in the contract).
The initiative said that such changes were frequent. It cited the intercity train from Mexico City to Toluca, whose cost had grown by more than 50 percent over the original budget.