MEXICO CITY — A loose clamp on a switch led to the Maya Train derailment at the Tixkokob station on March 25, Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense said during a presidential press conference today.
The incident involved the fourth car of a train en route from Campeche to Cancún, which derailed as the train entered the station at about 10 kilometers per hour (6 mph) [see “Maya Train experiences low-speed derailment,” Trains News Wire, March 25, 2024].
The news site La Silla Rota reports Secretary of Defense Louis Cresencio Sandoval said that the switch involved is supposed to be operated remotely, but because the system is not yet complete, it must be thrown manually. As a result, clamps that would hold the switch in place for automated operation have been loosened.
“The fastening of this clamp was not adequate,” he said. “It was not fastened so it that it could carry out its normal operation.”
Alstom, which built the train involved in the derailment, and Azvindi, the contractor for the track construction, are determining the amount of damage caused by the derailment, he said. Sandoval said a full investigation into the incident is being conducted by the federal Attorney General’s office, and could be completed during the first half of this month.
LUCKY THEY WERE GOING 6 MPH