2025 Oaxaca train derailment

2025 Oaxaca train derailment
EMD F59PH locomotive similar to the derailed train
Details
Date28 December 2025 (2025-12-28)
LocationAsunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico
Coordinates16°40′56″N 95°00′04″W / 16.682146°N 95.001007°W / 16.682146; -95.001007
CountryMexico
LineLine Z
OperatorTren Interoceánico
Incident typeDerailment
CauseOverspeed at the curve
Statistics
Trains1
Passengers241
Crew9
Deaths14
Injured98

On 28 December 2025, a Tren Interoceánico train derailed in Asunción Ixtaltepec, a municipality of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The derailment killed 14 people and injured another 98.

Background

Line Z of the Tren Interoceánico was inaugurated in 2023 as a major infrastructure project under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to develop southeast Mexico. The initiative was designed to modernize the rail link across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a land bridge connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, with Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico.[1] The Mexican government had stated that renewal works would be carried out using the existing route.[2]

For the operation of the Tren Interoceánico, second-hand rolling stock built between 1976 and 1981 was acquired from the United Kingdom and the United States. The fleet includes F59PH and F59PHI diesel locomotives, SD70M locomotives, British Rail Class 43 (HST) locomotives, and passenger cars such as Amtrak Amfleet and Budd SPV-2000 railcars. The F59PH units were obtained from the Metrolink and GO Transit systems.[3][4]

The Superior Auditor of the Federation reported that the derailment area had "very steep gradients and pronounced curves", and that the first rehabilitation project carried out by the company Daniferrotools in 2019 was deficient. However, the public investigation did not determine whether any corrective works were undertaken afterward. The audit concluded that the repairs were carried out "without fully completed studies, designs, and an execution program".[2] Daniferrotools, however, denied having carried out work on the accident site, stating that its contract was terminated before any construction was performed. The company cited several factors for the cancellation, including the occupation of the railway by the Chivela community and the identification of technical discrepancies between the project as delivered and the actual conditions of the terrain.[5][6]

López Obrador stated that his son, Gonzalo López Beltrán, was acting as an honorary supervisor during the construction of the line, saying that he "helped me monitor the progress of the works, the laying of the tracks, matters related to the trains, and the construction of the breakwater in Salina Cruz, together with the Navy".[7] In 2024, the NGO Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity documented that friends and relatives of Gonzalo were involved in the supply of ballast for the Interoceanic Corridor and the Tren Maya. In a leaked conversation allegedly between businessman Amílcar Olán and Pedro Salazar Beltrán, cousin of Gonzalo, it was said that the laboratory responsible for analyzing the ballast had been bribed to approve it. Salazar reportedly added that "once [the Tren Maya] derails, it's going to be another mess".[8][9][10] In another leaked conversation, Olán reportedly told his brother that Gonzalo would seek to have him operate a quarry in Oaxaca to obtain ballast.[11]

Prior incidents

The December derailment was the fourth incident to impact the Tren Interoceánico's operations in 2025: on 25 June, a van invaded an ungated level crossing in Salto de Agua, Chiapas, and was struck by a train;[12] on 10 July, a truck was hit by another train at a level crossing in Macuspana, Tabasco, leaving the locomotive severely damaged;[13] and on 20 December, a passenger train collided with a tanker truck carrying asphalt in Pichucalco, Chiapas.[14] Additional accidents were reported in 2023 and 2024.[15]

Crash

The train derailed and partly tilted off the side of a cliff around 09:30 CST (UTC–6) on 28 December while it was rounding a bend between the towns of Nizandá and Chivela in the municipality of Asunción Ixtaltepec. The accident site was described as an unpopulated area covered with scrub and bushes on a section of track known as la Curva de la Herradura (lit. 'Horseshoe Curve').[16]

The train was bound for Coatzacoalcos station and had left the Salina Cruz terminus about 90 minutes earlier. The derailment occurred some kilometers short of Chivela railway station.[17][18][16]

On 29 December, Secretary of the Navy Raymundo Morales Ángeles said that the train had left Salina Cruz at 08:00 and that the derailment occurred at 09:29 at km Z-230+290 of the track. The train's two locomotives and four carriages were derailed, with the first carriage falling down a 6.5-meter (21 ft) embankment and the second hanging at a near-vertical angle.[19][20]

In the aftermath, several survivors said they had been concerned about the speed at which the train had been taking the curves.[21]

Victims

The train was carrying 241 passengers and 9 crew members. Initially, 13 people were killed and 98 others were injured. Among the victims was Israel Gallegos Soto, a journalist and director of Oaxaca Mundo News and a collaborator with El Heraldo Radio Oaxaca.[22] Of the injured, 38 were hospitalized, including five in serious condition.[18][23] Another person died on 1 January 2026.[24] The train's driver was unhurt.[25]

Investigation

The train's event recorder was recovered from the wreckage.[20] President Claudia Sheinbaum and other top level officials, including Navy Secretary Morales and IMSS director Zoé Robledo, traveled to the site of the crash.[18][26] The president announced immediate payments of 30,000 pesos (some US$1,700) to assist bereaved families with their funeral expenses, with additional compensation and insurance payouts to follow.[27] An investigation into the accident was opened, led by the office of the Attorney General (FGR) under Ernestina Godoy Ramos.[28]

On 27 January 2026, the FGR reported that the cause of the derailment was overspeed when passing through the derailment curve (65 kilometers per hour [40 mph], when the maximum for that stretch of track is 50 km/h [31 mph]).[29][30] The event recorder also reported speeds of 111 km/h (69 mph) on sections of track with a maximum of 70 km/h (43 mph). No defects were found in the train's brakes or in the track along the curve where the derailment took place.[31] The train's driver was arrested on 26 January and the dispatcher the day after.[32][33] The driver did not activate the emergency brake.[34]

The train's driver and the engineer were operating with federal railway licenses that had expired in 2020.[35] About it, Morales Ángeles stated that it was an administrative matter and not a cause of the derailment.[36] A technical inspection report conducted eleven days before the incident indicated significant wear on the train's wheel flanges.[37][38] Following the report published by the FGR, Latinus published a preliminary report from the FGR, which outlined additional lines of investigation not officially disclosed by the general attorney. According to the document, the train's wheels showed excessive wear, the train lacked a speedometer, the second locomotive was not equipped with a dead man's switch, the onboard security cameras were nonfunctional, and the train did not have a fire suppression system.[39][40] Regarding the alleged lack of a speedometer, Morales Ángeles said the claim was false and that the investigations were ongoing, adding that the FGR's report was preliminary.[36]

The operator classified information related to the railcars for five years on grounds of national security, stating that its disclosure could pose a risk of "sabotage, theft of parts, and the planning of illicit acts".[41]

Political reactions

Reactions to the accident were shaped by the political symbolism of the Interoceanic Train as one of former president López Obrador's flagship infrastructure projects. Opposition politicians had previously voiced concerns about the speed with which those projects were built, about the rush to inaugurate them before the end of the president's term, and about the decision to place them under the authority of the Secretariat of the Navy.[42][43] Following the derailment, Senator Alejandro Moreno of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) called for the projects' construction and operation to be put on hold pending a full audit,[44] while Senator Mario Vázquez Robles of the National Action Party (PAN) said the tragedy in Oaxaca was the result of "criminal negligence" caused by a network of corruption and influence-peddling and demanded that the investigation be taken out of the government's hands and assigned to independent foreign experts.[45] Jorge Máynez, the national coordinator of the Citizens' Movement (MC) and its 2024 presidential candidate, said the militarization of the country, under successive presidents since Felipe Calderón, had proved to be a "resounding failure".[46]

President Claudia Sheinbaum responded that the opposition was seeking to discredit the government, stating that "whatever we do, whatever happens, they will always be there in their dynamic of denigrating us".[47] Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña of the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) called TV personality Pedro Sola "a pig" in response to his tweet that "this administration can't get anything right".[48]

Writing in Nexos following the publication of the FGR's preliminary report, the academic and journalist Raúl Trejo Delarbre drew a parallel between the Oaxaca derailment and the 1975 Mexico City Metro crash, in which some 30 people were killed, defects in the rolling stock were ignored, and blame was placed solely on the driver: "The Attorney General's Office's hasty effort to blame the train workers without considering the flaws identified in its own investigation suggests it has been decided to close the case, blame those who were not responsible, and protect those who made a defective train."[49]

See also

References

  1. ^ Regencia, Ted (29 December 2025). "Train derails in southern Mexico, killing 13 and injuring dozens". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b Crail, Alejandra (30 December 2025). "ASF advirtió mala planeación en Línea Z del Interoceánico" [ASF warned of poor planning on the Interoceanic Line Z]. El Universal. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  3. ^ Carrillo, Emmanuel (30 December 2025). "ANÁLISIS Tren Interoceánico: los trenes viejos o las vías... ¿qué pudo provocar la tragedia?" [ANALYSIS Interoceanic Train: the old trains or the tracks... what may have caused the tragedy?]. La Crónica de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Tren Interoceanico es de fierros viejos rehabilitados pero presentado como símbolo de modernidad" [The Interoceanic Train is made up of rehabilitated old rolling stock but is presented as a symbol of modernity]. Diario Independiente Tribuna (in Spanish). 30 December 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Empresa niega haber trabajado en tramo del Interoceánico" [Company denies having worked on the Interoceanic corridor segment]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 14 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  6. ^ Contreras, Enya M. (14 January 2026). "Tras el descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico, que dejó 14 muertos, la empresa Daniferrotools fue señalada en una denuncia ante la FGR, pero negó ser responsable y aseguró que nunca hizo los trabajos para los que fue contratada, ya que su contrato fue cancelado hace más de seis años" [Following the derailment of the Interoceanic Train, which left 14 people dead, the company Daniferrotools was named in a complaint filed with the Attorney General's Office. The company denied responsibility, stating that it never carried out the work for which it had been contracted, as its contract had been canceled more than six years earlier]. El Imparcial (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  7. ^ "AMLO presumió que su hijo Gonzalo supervisó obras del Tren Interoceánico" [AMLO acknowledged that his son Gonzalo supervised construction works on the Interoceanic Train]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 30 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  8. ^ "EL PROVEEDOR... y el asesor del Interoceánico" [The supplier... and the Interoceanic Corridor adviser]. El Sol de Chiapas (in Spanish). Reforma. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  9. ^ Ledezma, Rocío (29 December 2025). "Revelan audio de intromisión de Bobby López Beltrán y proveedor" [Audio reveals alleged interference by Bobby López Beltrán and a supplier]. La Prensa de Coahuila (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  10. ^ "La vigilancia de la construcción del Tren Interoceánico que dejó 13 muertos fue encargada por AMLO a su hijo 'Bobby' López Beltrán" [Oversight of the Interoceanic Train construction, which left 13 dead, was entrusted by AMLO to his son 'Bobby' López Beltrán]. Latinus. 28 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  11. ^ "Descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico: cuáles fueron los contratos de los hijos de AMLO en esa obra" [Interoceanic Train derailment: What contracts did AMLO's sons hold in the project?]. Latinus (in Spanish). 29 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  12. ^ "Urvan choca contra el Tren Interoceánico en Salto de Agua; conductor sale ileso" [Urvan collides with the Interoceanic Train in Salto de Agua; driver unharmed]. El Heraldo de Chiapas. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  13. ^ "'¡Ahí va el golpe!': Tren Interoceánico choca contra un tráiler en Macuspana, Tabasco" ['Watch out!': Interoceanic train collides with a lorry in Macuspana, Tabasco]. El Financiero. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Le intentó ganar el paso: Choca Tren Interoceánico contra pipa en Chiapas" [Driver tries to beat the train to it: Interoceanic train collides with tanker truck in Chiapas]. El Financiero. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Tren Interoceánico: choques, descarrilamientos y otros accidentes que marcan su historial" [Interoceanic Railway: collisions, derailments and other accidents that have shaped its history]. La Silla Rota. 28 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Tren Interoceánico se descarrila; hay 13 muertos" [Interoceanic Train derails: 13 dead]. El Universal (in Spanish). 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  17. ^ "Esta es la zona exacta donde descarriló el Tren Interoceánico" [This is the exact location where the Interoceanic Train derailed]. Informador.mx (in Spanish). 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  18. ^ a b c "Mexico train crash kills 13 and injures almost 100". BBC News. 28 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  19. ^ "¿Dónde queda Nizanda? Así es la zona de Oaxaca en donde se descarriló el Tren Interoceánico" [Where is Nizanda? This is the area of Oaxaca where the Interoceanic Train derailed]. Milenio. 29 December 2025.
  20. ^ a b "¿Qué es y cómo funciona el Pulser, la 'caja negra' del sistema ferroviario?" [What is the railway system's "black box" and how does it work?]. Excélsior. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Victims' families demand answers in deadly Mexico train crash as authorities promise to investigate". Associated Press News. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Confirman muerte del periodista Israel Gallegos Soto en descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico" [Death of journalist Israel Gallegos Soto confirmed in Interoceanic Train derailment]. Proceso (in Spanish). Mexico City. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  23. ^ Natalia, Siniawski. "Mexican train derailment kills at least 13 people, 98 injured". Reuters. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  24. ^ "Suman 14 fallecidos por descarrilamiento de Tren". Reforma (in Spanish). 1 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  25. ^ "FGR actualiza datos sobre el descarrilamiento del Tren Interocreánico: ¿En qué va la investigación?" [Attorney General's update on the Interoceanic Train derailment: How is the investigation proceeding?]. El Financiero. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Sheinbaum viajará a Oaxaca para atender a familias de víctimas por descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico" [Sheinbaum to travel to Oaxaca to assist families of Interoceanic Train derailment victims]. Milenio. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  27. ^ "Sheinbaum garantiza 'reparación integral' a víctimas y familiares tras accidente de ferroviario" [Sheinbaum guarantees 'comprehensive redress' for victims and families after rail accident]. Aristegui Noticias. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  28. ^ "FGR inicia investigación por descarrilamiento del tren Interoceánico; Semar reporta 20 heridos" [FGR launches investigation into Interoceanic train derailment; Navy reports 20 injured]. El Economista (in Spanish). 28 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  29. ^ Rodríguez, Luz (27 January 2026). "FGR: descarrilamiento de Tren Interoceánico ocurrió por exceso de velocidad" [Attorney General: Interoceanic Train derailed due to excessive speed]. Noticias IMER (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  30. ^ Chacón, Jorge (27 January 2026). "Avanza investigación del Tren Interoceánico; FGR detecta fallas operativas" [Interoceanic Train investigation: Attorney General's Office detects operational failures]. Diario del Istmo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  31. ^ Tapia Sandoval, Anayeli (28 January 2026). "Los cinco factores clave en el descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico, según la FGR" [The five key factors in the Interoceanic Train derailment, according to the attorney general]. Infobae. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  32. ^ "Detienen al conductor del Tren Interoceánico que se descarriló" [Driver of derailed Interoceanic Train arrested]. Proceso. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  33. ^ Godínez, Samantha (28 January 2026). "Detienen a segundo implicado en el accidente del Tren Interoceánico" [Second arrest made in Interoceanic Train accident]. Infobae. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  34. ^ Espino, Manuel; Wachauf, Daniela (29 January 2026). "Tripulación de Tren Interoceánico no activó válvula de emergencia; transporte no contaba con velocímetro, señala dictamen de la FGR" [Interoceanic Train crew did not activate the emergency valve; the train lacked a speedometer, FGR report says]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  35. ^ Brito, Luis (28 January 2026). "Tragedia del Interoceánico: tripulación que operaba el tren carecía de licencia y exámenes médicos" [Interoceanic Railway tragedy: the crew operating the train lacked valid licenses and required medical examinations]. Latinus (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  36. ^ a b Salazar, París Alejandro (30 January 2026). "'Es falso' que el Tren Interoceánico no tuviera velocímetro ni comunicación: Raymundo Morales" ['It is false' that the Interoceanic Train lacked a speedometer or communication systems: Raymundo Morales]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  37. ^ "Desgaste grave en ruedas del Tren Interoceánico antes del accidente" [Severe wear on Interoceanic Train wheels prior to the accident]. El Congresista (in Spanish). 29 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  38. ^ Martínez, José Manuel; Monroy, Jorge (29 January 2026). "El desgaste oculto en las ruedas del Tren Interoceánico" [The hidden wear on the Interoceanic Train's wheels]. Latinus (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  39. ^ Martínez, José Manuel; Monroy, Jorge (29 January 2026). "Locomotora descarrilada del Tren Interoceánico operaba sin freno clave de seguridad" [Derailed Interoceanic Train locomotive was operating without a critical safety brake]. Latinus (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  40. ^ Martínez, José Manuel (28 January 2026). "Tren Interoceánico con carencias de seguridad: sin velocímetro, cámaras inservibles y sin sistema contra incendios" [Interoceanic Train plagued by safety deficiencies: no speedometer, inoperative cameras, and no fire-suppression system]. Latinus (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  41. ^ Villa y Caña, Pedro (7 February 2026). "Reservan por 5 años detalles de los vagones del Tren Interoceánico" [Details of the Tren Interoceánico railcars classified for five years]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  42. ^ "Oposición culpa a Morena y a AMLO por descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico" [Opposition blames Morena and López Obrador for derailment of Interoceanic Train]. Político MX. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  43. ^ "Con obras a medias y demandas sociales sin cumplir, AMLO inaugurará Tren Transístmico en Oaxaca" [With work half-finished and social demands unmet, López Obrador to inaugurate Trans-Isthmus Train in Oaxaca]. El Universal Oaxaca. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  44. ^ "At least 13 people killed and 98 injured in train derailment in Mexico". The Guardian. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  45. ^ "Senador panista exige peritaje "internacional independiente" tras descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico en Oaxaca" [PAN senator demands independent international investigation following derailment of Interoceanic Train in Oaxaca]. Infobae. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  46. ^ "El descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico alimenta las críticas de la oposición y señalamientos contra el proyecto" [Interoceanic Train derailment fuels opposition criticism and accusations]. El País. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  47. ^ ""Su objetivo es denostar": Sheinbaum responde a críticas por descarrilamiento del Tren Interoceánico" ["They seek to denigrate": Sheinbaum responds to criticism over the Interoceanic Train derailment]. Proceso. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  48. ^ "Noroña arremete contra Pedrito Sola por su critica al accidente del Tren Interoceánico: "Eres un cerdo"" [Noroña lashes out at Pedrito Sola for his criticism of the Interoceanic Train accident: "You are a pig."]. Infobae. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  49. ^ Trejo Delarbre, Raúl (3 February 2026). "Fue el conductor" [It was the driver]. Nexos. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
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