Mexican government blames loose rail switch clamps for recent Maya Train derailment

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government says a loose railway fitting that caused a train car to derail on the president’s pet project, a tourist rail route known as the Maya Train. The derailment on March 25 proved embarrassing for the government. Critics have said the project, which runs in a loop around the Yucatan peninsula, is wasteful and has damaged the environment. But others have expressed concern about the haste with which it is being built. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants to finish it before he leaves office Sept. 30.