Mexico's Federal Superior Audit Institution (ASF) detected 81.6 million pesos in financial irregularities in the works on the Line Z of the Interoceanic Train, the same section where a train derailed in December, killing 14 people. In the third installment of results for the 2024 Public Account audit, the ASF evaluated the financial performance and execution of works by Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, S.A. de C.V., the company in charge of the Interoceanic Corridor project. While economic observations were found in the rehabilitation works on Lines FA and K, the most significant issues were detected in the Z section. The ASF analyzed the 'Correction, Gradient and Connection on Line Z', which connects the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca. The audit covered a sample of 3.51 billion pesos from a universe of 5.31 billion, determining an amount pending clarification. As a result of this inspection, 81.6 million pesos were found to require clarification. During the audit process, the audited entity recovered only 2.9 million pesos. The derailment occurred on the morning of Sunday, December 28, 2025, when the main train on Line Z, traveling from the port of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, to the port of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, derailed at kilometer Z-230+290 between the towns of Chivela and Nizanda, killing 14 people and injuring more than 250. The Attorney General's Office (FGR) later reported that the tragedy was caused by excessive speed, as the train was traveling at 65 km/h when the maximum permitted was 50 km/h. The FGR decided to press charges for negligent homicide and injury against the train personnel. The dispatcher, Ricardo Mendoza Cerón, was detained on the morning of Tuesday, January 27, while the conductor, Felipe de Jesús, was apprehended on January 26. However, victims have accused the authorities of a lack of transparency, omissions, and procedural obstacles in the investigation. At a press conference in Mexico City, survivor Juan Manuel Iglesias López called on President Claudia Sheinbaum to guarantee 'justice and transparency' on behalf of his wife and son, who were also injured. He stated that he was not speaking in a political capacity, but as a husband, father, and victim. The defense denounced that the FGR has not recognized their status as victims, preventing them from accessing the investigation file. They also questioned why the investigation has focused solely on the train's 'excessive speed' without exhausting other lines of inquiry, such as failures in contracts, maintenance, or track construction, despite prior observations by the ASF. Iglesias López also rejected a 'conditional' compensation agreement offered by the Victims' Assistance Commission, calling it 'unacceptable'. After the press conference, he and his defense went to the FGR facilities to try to be received 'as any victim' and warned that if necessary, they would take the case 'to the necessary instances', including the United Nations.
