Maya Train Vows Zero Future Derailments After Incidents

Cancún — Óscar David Lozano, Director General of the Maya Train, has stated that the incidents leading to two derailments should not happen in the future as the project works to achieve quality certification. This follows the second derailment of the train, a flagship infrastructure project of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

Lozano confirmed that the Attorney General's Office has initiated an investigation into the recent incident, though he has ruled out human error or a hacking of the security system as potential causes.

"For us, the most important thing is safety. And we will maintain it. The commitment of the Maya Train, the commitment of the National Defense, the commitment of the Government of Mexico, is that all passenger trains offer a service with zero incidents. We have already failed twice, but we must not fail in the future. We have to achieve zero incidents, and quality certification will help us with that," Lozano affirmed.

He added that "if there are responsible parties, then we will have to face the authority in due course, those who may have committed some error."

Lozano explained that the event was unusual, noting that the point motor, which is activated from the central control post, was set to the direct position. He emphasized that all aspects of the incident will be thoroughly investigated.

The director also contextualized the derailments by citing railway accident statistics from other countries, noting that Spain recorded 175 such incidents in 2022, while the United States experienced more than 1,600 cases of derailments in various locations, among other examples around the world.

As reported by REPORTUR.mx, the Maya Train derailed this past Tuesday in the state of Yucatán. No fatalities or injuries were registered, though images of the event were widely shared online.

This was the second derailment for the Maya Train. The first occurred on March 25, 2024, when a train car also left the tracks, its wheels settling on the ballast upon arrival at the station located in the town of Tixkokob, on the route from Campeche to Cancún.