Line 12 had Been Previously Monitored and Tracked

Mexico City’s Subway Line 12 controversy continues as media shows that the collapsed line had been monitored and tracked from Sep. 13 to Dec. 19, 2019. The company in charge of the inspection was Ingeniería, Servicios y Sistemas Aplicados (ISSA), the same company that received a US$250 thousand payment from SCT for those services. Florencia Serranía Soto, Director of the Mexico City subway, assures that during the 2019 review there were no worrying claims. Tragically, even with this monitoring, Line 12 ended up collapsing on May 3, leaving 26 dead.

ISSA has also worked in different infrastructure projects for the local government, such as Cablebús and other Line 12 improvements. In August 2019, ISSA received a US$630 thousand contract to update the electromechanics of Line 12. The company also received a US$2 million payment for the installation of the electric elevators and fire prevention system of Line 12, as reported by Inmobiliare. The company was also in charge of supervising the test phase of Cablebús as part of a US$3.1 million contract, a project that is going to be inaugurated in June 2021.

Long Line of Controversies and Steps Ahead

Line 12 was constructed when Marcelo Ebrard, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, was the Head of the Government of Mexico City, then a Federal District. Line 12 represented an investment of US$1.8 billion dollars and was inaugurated in October 2012, according to El Pais. Months after its inauguration, Miguel Ángel Mancera, who followed Ebrard as Head of the Government, stopped the line’s circulation arguing that there were irregularities in its construction that could put many lives in danger, as reported by MBN.

Additionally, Line 12 is Mexico City’s was built by the consortium Carso, Alstom, and Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA). The consortium is also in charge of the construction of the Mayan Train and the Dos Bocas Refinery. According to Noreste, ICA had previously informed that Line 12 had problems with the rails due to their incompatibility with the trains. Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF Mexico) answered that the rails were designed under the supervision of Mexico City Metro and met all qualifications. 

This tragedy has put the group of preferred companies in charge of the national infrastructure projects and the current administration on the spot. Foreign specialists participating in the assessment of the incident on Line 12 will visit the workshops holding elements removed from ground zero on May 19. These elements include the trains that fell, informed Miryam Urzúa, Secretary of Integral Risk Management and Civil Protection of the capital city, as reported by Milenio.