More than 1,000 incidents and failures hit Metro Line 1, with emergency braking and automatic driving the biggest problems

Mexico City Metro Line 1 has recorded 1,025 incidents and failures that caused service disruptions of more than five minutes, despite spending more than three years undergoing modernization work.

The figures come from an STC report on failures and the main problems causing delays, obtained by EL UNIVERSAL through a transparency request and covering the period through August 11, 2026.

The KFS system, a mechanism that activates emergency braking or stops a train when danger arises inside the cars, accounted for the largest share. It was linked to 540 cases, or 52.6% of all reports. The automatic driving system, which uses electronic equipment and track and train signaling to regulate train movements, recorded 146 cases, or 14.24%.

Passenger overcrowding ranked close behind, causing 144 incidents, or 14.05% of the problems that produced delays in 2026. Other reports involved passenger doors, with 53 cases; rain-related service failures, with 47; traction and braking equipment, with 30; and train equipment and accessories, with 28.

The report also counted 15 incidents involving mechanical equipment, 14 involving command and control equipment, eight involving signaling and recording equipment, seven involving electricity generation equipment, three involving compressed-air systems and two involving communications equipment. There were also eight incidents involving people on the tracks, four involving animals, and 23 involving objects placed on the tracks by users.

During a visit to Line 1, EL UNIVERSAL observed delays of up to four minutes at each station between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., with trains remaining stopped during that period. A passenger named Alan attributed the delays, in his view, to overcrowding during peak demand, which he said had caused him delays of up to 10 minutes.