Mexico City mayor deploys national guard in metro

After an accident on Mexico City metro line No. 3 that killed one person and injured around 100 more last weekend, mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the national guard will be deployed in the subway system. 

During President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning press conference on Thursday, the mayor said over 6,000 members of the national guard will begin patrolling the metro in response to a number of atypical incidents.

"The most important thing is to provide safety to users ... The metro has a budget and, if necessary, there will be more, based on a comprehensive diagnosis that is underway. Recent events are atypical. They are being thoroughly investigated and further review is being implemented," she tweeted, adding that unusual incidents had been reported on lines no. 3, 5 and 8 in recent days. 

She also claimed that the black box of a crashed train had been removed and placed in a truck by persons unknown before being discovered by police. 

The city administration has come under criticism over a perceived lack of investment in maintenance for the metro system and claims of negligence.

City authorities have not yet explained what caused the accident on line no. 3. However, metro workers’ union SNTSC suggested the cause could be related to the line’s signaling system. 

The line resumed operations on Tuesday.