"The Mexican revolution of 1911-1916 changed the picture for the Texas-Mexican Railroad. Populist rebels such as Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and Pascual Orozco blamed the “foreigners” for plundering Mexico's wealth. For railroads, this meant all foreign-owned roads had to be “appropriated” and nationalized."

"The PNR program was put into effect in 1934 with the election of Lázaro Cárdenas as president. Cárdenas emphasized agrarian reforms, social welfare, and education. In 1936 an expropriation law was passed enabling the government to seize private property whenever necessary for public or social welfare. The national Railways of Mexico were nationalized in 1937,..."