Mexican Cargo Trains Block Commuter Rail For Second Day

Train operator Ferrocarril y Terminal Ferroviaria del Valle de Mexico, or Ferrovalle, said it is working to remove cargo trains that fell onto a commuter rail line Monday in the State of Mexico.

The trains were carrying chemicals when they brushed up against each other and derailed. However, Ferrovalle said no dangerous substances leaked during the incident. Likewise, nobody was injured.

Ferrovalle is equally owned by the rail units of mining firm Grupo Mexico SAB (GMEXICO.MX), Ferromex and Ferrosur; Kansas City Southern de Mexico, which is a unit of Kansas City Southern (KSU); and Mexico's Communications and Transport Ministry.

Ferrovalle, which is based in Mexico City, has 30 trains and a 39-hectare cargo terminal that serves as an interconnection point for major train lines.

Ferrovalle said it believes the accident may have occurred due to a rupture in the trains' brake lines, possibly due to vandalism. The company noted that this was its first accident since the rail line was privatized in 1995.

Cargo traffic suffered minor delays on the line, and was expected to be operating as usual sometime Tuesday, Ferrovalle said.

The accident has also caused delays on the Suburbano light-rail line, operated by Spanish transport concern Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA (CAF.MC), which runs between Buenavista station in central Mexico City and Cuautitlan, Mexico State.

The Suburbano adjusted Monday by transporting all of its passengers on a single line, rather than simultaneously running trains in and out of the city on two lines.

The commuter train said it would operate double wagons Tuesday in an effort to ease congestion; nonetheless, it warned passengers to expect delays again.

-By Amy Guthrie, Dow Jones Newswires; (5255) 5980-5177, [e-mail]