"Mexico train derailment piles pressure on Sheinbaum over safety of megaprojects", 30 December 2025

...[A]...passenger train...derailed over the weekend, killing 13 people and injuring 98 others, the latest in a series of accidents that have put pressure on her government to improve the safety of flagship projects. The conductor of the train, who survived, has been taken in for questioning, and opposition lawmakers have called for an investigation...

The crash in the southern state of Oaxaca marks the third train accident this year in Mexico. The new tourist-focused Mayan Train in the Yucatan Peninsula has suffered two derailments. No one was killed in those accidents.

Mexico's military operates both the Mayan Train and the Interoceanic Train that derailed on Sunday, which has led some to question both its role and what the Sheinbaum government is doing to deliver safety on flagship infrastructure projects.

...[T]he project has faced multiple allegations of corruption, weak oversight and potential conflicts of interest. Mexico's federal audit office reported irregularities in four Interoceanic Train construction contracts, including overpayment for materials, in a 2020 report. Following Sunday's crash, local media outlets also reported that companies linked to associates of Lopez Obrador's sons may have benefited from government contracts tied to major infrastructure projects, including the Interoceanic Train. Lopez Obrador has denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated. Opposition lawmakers called for an independent investigation into the accident...