Sheinbaum wants construction companies to collaborate financially in the rehabilitation of failing line 12

The mayor of the Mexican capital, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Friday that she wanted the companies that built the metro line where an accident took place that killed 26 people are helping to rehabilitate the damaged section “in economic terms”.

On May 3, two wagons of line 12 of the urban train, built by a consortium of Mexican companies ICA, Grupo Carso and French company Alstom, fell on the roadway east of the city after the collapse of ‘a bridge over a street.

“I had contacts with Carso and with ICA. We are going to establish this technical table and, of course, we want them to participate in this rehabilitation in economic terms, given the condition of expert opinions ”the mayor explained at a press conference.

Sheinbaum said he had already spoken by phone to the line’s construction companies and would hold a “physical meeting” with them next week, although he did not specify the date.

In addition to Mexican construction companies ICA and Grupo Carso, the latter of tycoon Carlos Slim, The mayor said that she will also invite the French company Alstom, manufacturer of the trains, to the meeting.

The tragedy that left 26 dead and a hundred injured occurred on May 3 at night when a line 12 elevated bridge collapsed in the town hall of Tláhuac, south-east of the capital, causing the fall of a passenger train.

On Wednesday, the Norwegian company DNV presented the first of its three reports on the causes of the accident in which it reported “Structural failures” related to construction.

In addition, the College of Engineers of Mexico released another analysis on Thursday that found that a third of the elevated section of Line 12 has failures such as cracks or insufficient spacing between beams, which need to be addressed.

“The first thing to do is to meet the companies and see exactly what happened”said Sheinbaum, who is committed to his “incorporation” into the rehabilitation of the suburb.

The mayor recalled that the investigation into the criminal responsibility for the accident is the responsibility of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and not of his Government, and assured that there is no “negotiation” with companies to avoid possible legal proceedings.

Also, next Monday, Sheinbaum will meet with the technical committee to design the rehabilitation plan for line 12 after the first published expert reports.

This committee is made up, among others, of engineers Sergio Alcocer and José María Riobóo, very close to the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Sheinbaum said many users need to reopen line 12 as soon as possible, replaced for the moment by a bus system. However, he argued that “the most important thing for citizens is above all safety”.

The College of Engineers recommended that the capital government not reopen any of the sections of Line 12, either overhead or underground, until all vulnerability reports have been submitted.

The May 3 drama featured the mayor of the capital, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the former mayor and current chancellor, Marcelo Ebrard, both from López Obrador’s party and from the candidates supposed to succeed him in 2024.

EFE

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