The stoppage is “completely unrelated to our company, impeding our ability to continue without risks to the protesters,” railroad officials say.
Michoacán has been the site of ongoing conflicts involving a criminal cartel and citizen pushbacks against them, according to Mexico News Daily, which reported that the federal government sent 200 army troops to the region last weekend.
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning affecting most of the state.
The protests have impacted KCSM service to the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and KCS officials are concerned that localized problems in Michoacán will disrupt the company’s network throughout Mexico.
To work around the blockage, KCS officials say they are considering arranging detours, engaging in dialogue with all levels of state and federal government to resolve the issue, and initiating legal action.
As part of their strike for more pay and benefits, in January and February teachers in Michoacán blocked at least 250 trains of KCSM and Mexico’s largest rail carrier, Ferromex, and closed access to Lázaro Cárdenas.
Having lived in Latin America for 17 years, I can tell you that multinational corporations make an easy target for protesters, whether they are at fault or not.
Did it work the last time? So why repeat this?
Mike Friedman,
You now how to get rid of that huge demand for drugs in the U.S.? Legalize them and produce them here, just like any other commodity, of course once they’re legal usage will go down, so there’s that too. Could be new business for the railroads, if they where interested in new business of course.
When you’re desperate you do desperate things. Blocking a huge port’s access to it’s main rail connection to the US is a dramatic gesture to get the attention of the new Mexican government.
The security situation is dire in a way that Americans can’t really conceive. And it’s all because of US demand for drugs.
This happens so frequently down there I’ve about concluded they are on a schedule.