Mexico City. An investigation carried out by the authorities of the Government of Mexico City after the accident on line 3 of the Metro revealed that there were sabotage actions in the Metro Collective Transport System, for which reason the intervention of National Guard troops began yesterday to monitoring the facilities became urgent.
In addition to the incident with the black box of the train that collided last Saturday between the Potrero and La Raza stations, which was found in a private van, it was found that not only was there a missing cable in that section of the tunnel, but that another had been vandalized.
The analysis also shows that multiple objects have appeared lying on the tracks and footings – pieces of wood that are used to brake trains – which supposedly needed maintenance, and there are other lines with the same problems.
Last Wednesday, a side tire of a convoy arriving at the Politécnico station on line 5 appeared pitted, even though they are checked every third day, and when it made contact with the steel of the guide bar, it caught fire, which caused a smoke and the consequent evacuation of passengers and the unit for review.
The day after the accident, hanging cables were reported at the Salto del Agua station, which caused the suspension of service, while on line 7, in San Pedro de los Pinos, the presence of smoke was recorded.
On Tuesday, January 10, the fall of a metallic object on the tracks, at the Nezahualcóyotl station on line B, caused the platforms to fill with smoke, for which the passengers were evicted.
Yesterday morning, the eviction of users of a train was reported at the Indios Verdes terminal, and at night, a high influx was registered on that same line at the Balderas and Hidalgo stations, with delays of up to 15 minutes.
According to the investigation, the authorities are already on the trail of those responsible for these actions that intend to intentionally damage or destroy the service.
What matters and what we are obligated to do is guarantee the safety of the population // There is a rarefied atmosphere in politics: AMLO.
Nestor Jimenez and Emir Olivares
In order to reinforce security throughout the Metro Collective Transportation System (STC) network, the National Guard deployed 6,060 elements since yesterday afternoon. The measure was taken after “episodes that we classify as out of the ordinary have been occurring in recent months,” in addition to the fact that the black box from one of the wrecked trains over the weekend appeared in a van, reported the chief of the Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, during the morning at the National Palace.
The elements will not be armed and will contribute to the actions of the Banking and Industrial Police and the Auxiliary Police of the local Citizen Security Secretariat.
Meanwhile, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stressed that with the participation of this security force the population will be safer, and “if they call that militarization, or whatever they call it, we assume responsibility because it is better to be safe than sorry.”
What matters most to us and interests us, and what we are obliged to, added the head of the federal Executive, is to “guarantee the safety of all. And what we want is for there to be no psychosis, that on top of all the daily problems or those that have to be faced, there is concern about an accident on the Metro that could be caused”.
Sheinbaum reiterated that the budget for this means of transport has increased, which this year has 19.7 billion pesos, but even so, in recent months “episodes that we classify as out of the ordinary, that they are not what normally happens in the Metro”.
After the “tragic accident”, that same day “we had a problem on line 3 with a train shoe, the next day there was a problem on line 8, yesterday a problem on line 5, with a side tire that was checked one day before.
He added that the Investigative Police found one of the black boxes of the Metro in a van; “They had already taken it out.” While yesterday a station on this same line was evicted and “there was a problem on line 7. Users, the inhabitants of the city know that this is not normal.”
They will analyze permanence
He pointed out that the troops will remain “for a few months and will be evaluated as the days go by.”
In this context, the President stressed that it should not be neglected that “there is a rarefied political environment.” Immediately he asserted: “There are very good public servants in our movement”, thinking “in the forward relay, they are the most experienced”. As examples he cited Sheinbaum, Marcelo Ebrard and Adán Augusto López.
And at the same time he questioned: “Is it going to continue in the same way as before, in which the government was a facilitator of corruption (…) or do we want the people to continue being the actor, the main protagonist in our history?”
Endorsing his support for the administration of the Head of Government, he offered that, if necessary, a greater budget would be allocated to the Metro.