Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab

Compañía de Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab S.A. de C.V.
The former FFCM station in Palenque, Chiapas as seen on 16 April 2011
Overview
Concessions
Main regions
HeadquartersMérida, Yucatán
LocaleYucatán Peninsula
Dates of operation1999 (1999)–2018 (2018)
SuccessorFerrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec[a]
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
No. of tracks1

Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab (reporting mark FCCM) was a state owned railroad company in southeastern Mexico. It was operated by a consortium led by Genesee & Wyoming and was later taken over by the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation after the concession was relinquished in 2007. Parts of its railway network became associated with La Bestia ('The Beast'), a term used for freight trains that many Central American migrants rode from Tapachula northward through Mexico in attempts to reach and cross the Mexico–United States border.[1][2]

History

Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab became a subsidiary of the Genesee & Wyoming on August 26, 1999 with a 30-year concession to operate the railroad.[3] The railroad was damaged by Hurricane Stan in October 2005. The hurricane damaged over 175 miles (282 km) of track and Genesee & Wyoming was not financially capable to repair the railroad.[4] On 25 June 2007, Genesee & Wyoming Inc announced it was gave up its 30-year concession and liquidating FCCM S.A. by the end of 2007.[5][6] Operation of Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab was officially taken over by Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec in 2008.[7] Through Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, the government invested approximately 1.2 billion pesos in track rehabilitation between 2007 and 2013. It is also implementing a plan from 2014 to 2018 with a budget of 6 billion pesos.[8] In 2012, Secretary of Communications and Transportation amended the railway concession in order to keep the railways under government control while allowing any potential investor to operate the cargo operations.[7] By 2013, The Secretary of Communications and Transportation announced it had given the new amended concession to Viabilis Holdings to continue operations of Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab for a period of 30–50 years.[9]

In September 2014, the Secretary of Telecommunications and Transportation announced that the federal government was going to invest 6 billion pesos to rehabilitate the railway[10] in part to deter Central American Immigrants from hitch-hiking on the train,[2] as well as to increase rail cargo speed in the region.[11]

By 2016, The Secretary of Communications and Transportation (SCT) grew impatient about the deterioration of the railroad, as well at the migrant crises in which Central American migrants were riding on top of the trains.[12][13] On August 23, The Secretary of Communications and Transportation revoked the concession to Viabilis Holdings.[14] Citing that, "For reasons of interest, public utility and national security" as the reason it was revoking the concession.[15] Viabilis Holdings was given 60 days to remove and dispose of property, equipment and facilities owned off the railway.[3][16]

One of the shareholders in Ferrocarriles Chiapas Mayab, Pedro Topete Vargas, denounced the revocation of its concession as, "an act of revenge" from Secretary of Communications and Transportation Ruiz Esparza.[17] Due to litigation of his other company, Infraiber, towards SCT favorite OHL, which Vargas has accused of corruption and favoritism.[18]

In 2018, Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab was reintegrated with Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec.[19]

Criticism

Employees who work for Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab, as well as the SCT, have criticized management for the deterioration and lack of maintenance of railway infrastructure, citing the potential of petrochemical derailment and the loss of life. The Secretary General of the railway union of Yucatán, has criticized Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab for the decline of speed from thirty-five kilometers per hour to ten kilometers per hour. The National Chamber of the transformation industry cited that the railway derails 200 times per year on average.[20]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Operations were taken over by Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec from 2008 to 2012, and again in 2018.

References

  1. ^ Castañares, Itzel (25 August 2016). "SCT no indemnizará a exconcesionario de 'La Bestia'" [SCT will not compensate the former concessionaire of 'La Bestia']. El Financiero (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b Stargardter, Gabriel (23 August 2016). "Mexico reclaims migrant-shuttling 'The Beast' railroad concession". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b Juárez, Pilar (23 August 2016). "SCT rescata a Ferrocarriles Chiapas Mayab" [SCT rescues Ferrocarriles Chiapas Mayab]. Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 August 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Genesee & Wyoming to terminate Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab operations". Progressive Railroading. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Central America going nowhere". Railway Gazette International. 18 August 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  6. ^ "SOUTHEASTERN RAILROAD CEASES OPERATIONS, STRANDS THOUSANDS OF CENTRAL AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS IN MEXICO". AllBusiness.com. SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009.
  7. ^ a b Meza, Alfredo Nolasco (28 June 2023). "Transistmico: Connecting the Dots …". Mexico Business News. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  8. ^ Martínez, Everardo (29 September 2016). "Empresas se 'bajan' del tren Chiapas-Mayab" [Companies 'get off' the Chiapas-Mayab train]. El Financiero (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  9. ^ Juárez, Pilar (15 July 2014). "'La Bestia' tendrá otro operador" ['The Beast' will have another operator]. Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Anuncia Gerardo Ruiz 6 mil millones de pesos para rehabilitar la vía férrea Chiapas-Mayab" [Gerardo Ruiz announces 6 billion pesos to rehabilitate the Chiapas-Mayab railway]. Gobierno de México (in Spanish). Ministry of Communications and Transportation. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Chiapas Mayab reiniciará operaciones" [Chiapas Mayab will restart operations]. El Economista (in Spanish). Notimex. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Migrant-shuttling 'The Beast' may be crawling to a halt". The Yucatan Times. Reuters. 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Mexico stripping private concession of 'The Beast' train long used by migrants". Fox News Latino. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016.
  14. ^ "'Me apena lo que hizo Brenda (Ruiz) en mi cumpleaños': Mariana Gómez del Campo | IMPACTO". Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  15. ^ "SCT retira concesión de 'La Bestia'" [SCT withdraws concession for 'The Beast']. Tribuna del Yaqui (in Spanish). El Universal Agency. 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016.
  16. ^ "Cancelan concesión ferroviaria a "La Bestia"" [Railway concession cancelled for "The Beast"]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). AN Editorial Staff. 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016.
  17. ^ J. Jesús Lemus (25 August 2016). "Los ecos de la bestia" [The echoes of the beast]. Reporte Indigo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 October 2016.
  18. ^ "El conflicto por el Ferrocarril Chiapas-Mayab alcanza a OHL e Infraiber" [The conflict over the Chiapas-Mayab Railway reaches OHL and Infraiber]. EXPANSIÓN (in Spanish). 27 August 2016. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016.
  19. ^ Juárez, Pilar (23 February 2018). "Unen operación de trenes Chiapas Mayab y del Istmo de Tehuantepec" [They unite the operation of the Chiapas Mayab and Isthmus of Tehuantepec trains]. Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 August 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  20. ^ Sánchez, Alejandro (26 August 2016). "Denuncian trabajadores mal estado en red ferroviaria de 'La Bestia'" [Workers denounce the poor condition of the railway network of 'The Beast']. Televisa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 August 2016.
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