Mexico City Subway Train Collision Leaves 1 Dead, 57 Injured
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Work continues to restart service on the La Raza-Indios Verdes section of Mexico City Metro Line 3 following a two-train collision on Jan. 7, according to Guillermo Calderón Aguilera, Director General of STC, which operates the 12 line, 140-mile system. (Photo Courtesy of Guillermo Calderón Aguilera, via Twitter, Jan. 9)
Two Metro Line 3 rapid transit trains collided Jan. 7 between the La Raza and Potrero stations in Mexico City, killing one person and injuring 57 others, according to the Associated Press (AP) and CNN. An investigation into the cause is under way, as is work to restore service.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum on Jan. 7 posted on Twitter that one woman died and 57 people were injured and taken to seven area hospitals, but she did not specify the crash’s cause, according to AP, which noted that “[f]our people were trapped in the wreckage for a time, including one train driver, who was reported in serious condition. Late in the afternoon, the mayor said 26 of the injured had been released.”
“As always, our priority is the victims and also that justice will be done,” the mayor said during a Jan. 7 news conference, according to CNN.
CNN also reported that “Mexico City’s prosecutor’s office wrote on Twitter that it has started a government-authorized investigation into the collision.”
The approximately 140-mile Metro de la Ciudad de México (Mexico City Metro) has 12 lines, serving 195 stations, and is second largest metro system in North America after MTA New York City Subway. Operated by Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro (STC), it carried 1.655 billion riders in 2019.
STC Director General Guillermo Calderón Aguilera early on Jan. 9 reported via Twitter that work continues to restart service on the La Raza-Indios Verdes section of Line 3. Line 3 service on Jan. 9 will run only from Universidad to Tlatelolco, with support transportation providing service from La Raza to Indios Verdes.
In May 3, 2021, a Mexico City Metro train fell 12 feet from an overpass near the Olivos station, killing 26 and injuring nearly 100. A Mexico City government report found that “construction flaws led to that collapse,” according to CNN. AP reported that “10 former officials have been charged with homicide, injury and damage to property.”
