Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab was a state-owned railroad company in southeastern Mexico. It was operated by a consortium led by Genesee & Wyoming and was later taken over by the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation after the concession was relinquished in 2007. Parts of its railway network became associated with La Bestia ('The Beast'), a term used for freight trains that many Central American migrants rode from Tapachula northward through Mexico in attempts to reach and cross the Mexico–United States border.[1][2]
History
Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab became a subsidiary of the Genesee & Wyoming on August 26, 1999 with a 30-year concession to operate the railroad.[3] The railroad was damaged by Hurricane Stan in October 2005. The hurricane damaged over 175 mi of track and Genesee & Wyoming was not financially capable to repair the railroad.