Line 12 to Partially Restart Operations in 2023

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told the media that the underground section of Metro Line 12 could restart operations in early 2023. The announcement comes after almost two years since the line collapsed on May 4, 2021, leading to several deaths, injuries and the temporal closure of the entire metro line. 

According to Sheinbaum, it is possible that the underground section would restart operations on Jan. 15, 2023, since the engineering and construction are almost ready. She said that during the first 15 days of January, the government will test the line. 

Sheinbaum said that the line will only operate for users in the underground section that goes from Ermita station to the Mixcoac terminal. She added that trains will be able to go to the Tlahuac terminal, but only if they are empty as the line’s workshops are located there. 

According to Mexico City’s government, restoration works in the collapsed section are finished. Sheinbaum said that a concrete beam was reinforced and another concrete structure was demolished to be reconstructed. This part of the project will be ready in two weeks.
However, Sheinbaum declined to give an exact date for when the refurbishment works of the elevated sections would be completed. Instead, she said that it could be ready by 1H23. The companies in charge of refurbishment works are Grupo Carso and Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA), which were the developers of the original project during Marcelo Ebrard’s term as Mayor of Mexico City. Ebrard is currently Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Nonetheless, there appear to be inconsistencies in the estimated dates. On Nov. 16, 2022, MBN reported that Mexico City’s Minister of Public Works and Services, Jesús Esteva would restart operations in 1Q23. Furthermore, after Esteva’s statement, local media highlighted that the federal government had previously promised that service would be restored by the end of 2022. 

Sheinbaum stressed that work takes more time because of a lack of qualified welders. However, she said that of the 254 columns that must be reinforced in the elevated section, 15 are ready and the other 85 are being reinforced. “We are monitoring the elevated section every week, the project’s complications are well known, but to date, we are working on 85 columns,” she added. 

On Nov. 21, 2022, the Metro’s Director General, Guillermo Calderón, reported that restoration works for the underground sections were 100 percent complete, while the overall progress stood at 85 percent. Guillermo said that once works were completed, the system would launch preoperative tests.