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2021 Mexico City Metro overpass collapse
The accident minutes after the collapse
Location within Mexico City
Details
Date	3 May 2021 (2021-05-03) 22:25 CDT (UTC-05:00)
Location	Tezonco–Olivos elevated interstation Tláhuac Avenue, Tláhuac, Mexico City
Coordinates	19°18′18″N 99°03′42″W / 19.3050°N 99.0616°W / 19.3050; -99.0616
Country	Mexico
Line	Line 12
Operator	Mexico City Metro
Incident type	Railway collapse
Cause	Under investigation
Statistics
Trains	1
Deaths	24
Injured	70+ (65 hospitalized)

On 3 May 2021 at 22:25 CDT, an elevated section on Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro collapsed between the Olivos and Tezonco stations in Mexico City, Mexico. So far, 24 people were killed when the bridge and train fell onto the road below. Opened in 2012, Line 12 is the newest line in the system.

Background

The system

The Mexico City Metro, operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC), is one of the busiest in the world, carrying around 4.5 million passengers a day. Opened in 1969, it is the second-largest subway system in the Americas after the New York City Subway. Before the crash, it had showed signs of decline and there were general concerns with the overall system.

In March 2020, two trains collided in Tacubaya station after the driver did not follow the protocols causing the train to run out of brakes. In January 2021, a fire in Metro's downtown headquarters killed a police officer and hospitalized 30 people. Six subway lines were offline for weeks. In April, one of the system's twelve lines shut down after a track fire.

Line 12

Line 12 (also known as the Golden line) is the newest line of the Metro system, whose construction started in September 2008. It was built by Grupo ICA [es] in association with Alstom Mexicana and Grupo Carso. The line was opened in October 2012 by then-president of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, and then-head of government of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard. But from the onset of service, it faced issues with trains on elevated sections, which forced the reduction of speed over worries of derailing. Seventeen months later, the Atlalilco–Tláhuac section, where Tezonco and Olivos stations are located, was closed for twenty months to repair technical and structural faults.

A special commission was created to investigate the causes and to hold officials accountable for the errors that caused the closure. Independent consulting group SYSTRA was asked to submit a report on their investigation. After they reviewed over 2,900 documents and tested the tracks, the group concluded that errors were present during the "planning, design, construction and operation" of the line. In 2015, the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (Auditoría Superior de la Federación; ASF) determined that there were 12 irregularities during the construction process, including incompatibilites between the FE-10's train wheels and the rails, which could cause inestabilities, and that the trains operations were safe but in the acceptable limit.

After the 2017 Puebla earthquake damaged Line 12 tracks, Olivos station was temporarily closed, but it was later reopened and served as the provisional terminal station for one month. Neighbors had reported in 2017 that the section had visible structural cracks that could cause a future collapse. Transport authorities made repairs following these complaints. A column between Olivos and Nopalera stations that showed cracks in its base was repaired by the transport authority by January 2018. Yet, before the COVID-19 pandemic, neighbors informed the authorities that the stretch was steep and the girders were bent.

Collapse

On 3 May 2021 at 22:25 CDT, in the borough of Tláhuac, a train going towards Tláhuac station was passing on the elevated overpass between Olivos and Tezonco stations. Around 220 meters (720 ft) before reaching Olivos station, the section collapsed when a girder that supported the tracks failed, causing the last two train cars to fall. The debris fell onto a car. At least 24 people died and 70 others were injured, including 65 hospitalized victims, of whom seven were in serious condition. The fatalities included children. The overpass was about 5 metres (16 ft) above the road but running over a concrete median strip, which resulted in fewer casualties to motorists on the road.

Rescue efforts

After the collapse, passersby began the rescue efforts. They were later joined by first response teams. One person was trapped in their vehicle by the train and was rescued and uninjured. A crane was dispatched to hoist sections of the train while search and rescue teams worked to find survivors.

Aftermath

Service on the entirety of Line 12 was suspended and replaced with buses. STC warned residents to avoid the area.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that the Public Prosecutor's Office will be solely working on the investigation into the cause of the accident. The line will remain closed as a structural survey is undertaken.

References

1. ^ "Sube a 24 la cifra de muertos por el derrumbe del metro de Ciudad de México" [The death toll from the collapse of the Mexico City metro rises to 24]. swissinfo.ch (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
2. ^ "Mexico City metro overpass collapse kills 23". BBC News. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
3. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2019" [Station traffic per line 2019] (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
4. ^ Lopez, Oscar; Ives, Mike; Taylor, Derrick Bryson (4 May 2021). "Mexico City's metro has been plagued by problems". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
5. Navarro, Israel; Alzaga, Ignacio (1 April 2021). "Choque del Metro Tacubaya, por falla humana; enjuiciarán a dos" [Tacubaya station crash caused by human error; two to be prosecuted]. Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City.
6. ^ Sheridan, Mary Beth (4 May 2021). "Mexico City subway overpass collapses; at least 13 dead as metro cars topple". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
7. Castillejos, Jessica (21 September 2008). "Línea 12 arranca construcción a vapor" [Line 12 starts with steaming construction]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
8. "¿Quién construyó la línea 12 del Metro?" [Who built Line 12?]. Expansión (in Spanish). 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
9. "FCH: Línea 12, esfuerzo de voluntades; reconoce a Ebrard" [FCH: Line 12, effort of wills; recognizes Ebrard]. El Universal (in Spanish). 30 October 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
10. Rodea, Felipe (29 November 2015). "Mancera reabre Línea 12 del Metro" [Mancera reopens Metro's Line 12]. El Financiero (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
11. Ramírez, Kenya (18 March 2014). "Lista la Comisión Investigadora de la Línea 12 en la ALDF" [Line 12 Investigation Commission in the ALDF is ready]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 May 2021.
12. "Línea 12 del Metro falló en diseño y construcción" [Metro Line 12 failed in design and construction]. Forbes (in Spanish). 5 September 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
13. "Cronología y fechas clave en la Línea 12 del Metro" [Chronology and key dates on Metro Line 12]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
14. González, Isabella (4 May 2021). "Las irregularidades de la Línea 12" [Line 12 irregularities]. LatinUS. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
15. Hernández, Eduardo (21 September 2017). "Vecinos temen colapso de Línea 12 del Metro por sismo" [Neighbors fear collapse of Metro Line 12 due to earthquake]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
16. "Metro reabre tramo dañado de Línea 12" [Metro reopens the damaged section of Line 12]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). 30 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
17. "Vecinos temían colapso de la Línea 12, según video de El Universal de 2017" [Neighbors feared Line 12 collapse, according to a El Universal video from 2017]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 3 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
18. "Vecinos de la Línea 12 alertaron por grietas... en 2017" [Line 12 neighbors warned about cracks... in 2017]. Chilango (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
19. Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (9 January 2018). "Se concluyeron los trabajos de reforzamiento realizados en la Columna 69 entre #Olivos y #Nopalera de #L12" [Reinforcement works carried out on Column 69 between #Olivos and #Nopalera of #L12 were concluded.] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021 – via Twitter.
20. ^ Fuentes, David (4 May 2021). "Otra vez brota la solidaridad de extraños por accidente en Línea 12 del Metro" [Once again, solidarity from strangers in the aftermath of the accident on Metro Line 12]. El Universal. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
21. ^ Castillo, E. Eduardo (4 May 2021). "Mexico City metro overpass collapses onto road; 23 dead". AP News.
22. ^ Suarez, Karol; Paget, Sharif; Westcott, Ben. "Mexico City subway overpass collapses, killing at least 23 and injuring dozens". CNN. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
23. ^ Núñez, Jaime (4 May 2021). "Tragedia en el Metro". Telediario (in Spanish). Event occurs at 15:00 CDT. Multimedios Televisión. XHTDMX-TDT.
24. "Qué provocó la tragedia en la Línea 12: estas serían las causas del desplome de un tramo del Metro de la CDMX" [What caused the tragedy on Line 12: these could be the causes of the collapse of a section of the CDMX subway system]. Infobae (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
25. Andrew Herrera, Karina (3 May 2021). "Se desploma 'ballena' con trenes del Metro CDMX en la estación Olivos de la Línea 12" [A 'whale' collapses with CDMX Metro cars at Olivos station on Line 12]. Noticieros Televisa (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2021.
26. Ives, Mike (4 May 2021). "Subway Train Derails in Mexico City, Killing at Least 13". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
27. "Puente del Metro cae en estaciones Olivos y Tezonco de la Línea 12" [Structure on Line 12 of the CdMx Metro collapses and train falls]. Milenio (in Spanish). 3 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
28. ^ "Mexico City rail overpass collapses, killing 20 people". Reuters. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
29. "Colapsa estructura en la Línea 12 del Metro; se registran seis muertos" [Structure collapses on Metro Line 12; six dead are registered]. Energía Hoy (in Spanish). 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
30. "Puente se desploma con todo y tren del Metro en estación Olivos de la L12, en la CDMX" [Bridge collapses with a Metro train at Olivos station of L12, in Mexico City]. Diario de Colima (in Spanish). 3 May 2021.
31. "Survivors Helped From Wreckage After Deadly Mexico City Overpass Collapse". Yahoo!. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
32. "Cierran toda la Línea 12 del Metro; RTP brindará servicio de apoyo" [All Metro Line 12 is closed; RTP will provide back-up service]. Chilango (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
33. "Mexico City metro overpass collapse kills 23". BBC News. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

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Lines and stations
Incidents	1975 train crash 2015 train crash 2020 train crash 2021 PCCI fire 2021 overpass collapse 2023 train crash
Related networks	Cablebús Mexico City Metrobús Tren Suburbano Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos Trolleybuses Xochimilco Light Rail Pesero

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• 2020s road incidents in North America
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