The Mexico City Metro will receive all the necessary maintenance, a government representative stated. He mentioned that the budget already has the required resources and that opening funding for metro operations puts the city on the right path. However, the leadership of the Metro Workers' Union (STC) has called for a protest march this Wednesday due to the authorities' lack of response regarding the maintenance budget and other labor demands. The union claims this directly impacts the system's safety and operation. The march will begin at 3:30 PM from Balderas station and head to the capital's Zócalo. The objective is to draw attention to the lack of funds for purchasing materials and spare parts needed for train, track, and fixed-equipment maintenance, as well as to urgently demand the resolution of other pending labor issues. The union's leader, Fernando Espino, described the situation as a 'critical moment for train operations.' He expects 12,000 workers to participate and mentioned that some will be on duty operating trains on all lines. Metro management has not reported service interruptions due to the march, but the reduced number of workers could cause service disruptions. The protests will also affect the city's central streets, so motorists and pedestrians are advised to use alternative routes to avoid delays. The Secretary of Mobility, Héctor Ulises García Nieto, assured on Tuesday that the budgetary demands have been met, which will allow more resources to be allocated to maintenance. The Mexico City government is also holding dialogue tables with the Alliance of Mexican Tramway Workers (ATM) to prevent a strike in the Electric Transport System (STE). The guild's main demand is a salary increase of between 16 and 16.5 percent. After an initial rejection of the proposal presented on February 2, the Secretariat of Mobility delivered a new salary scale to be analyzed by the union; consultation with the workforce will take place on February 9. For now, the strike threat has been postponed until March 3.
