Government to Invest 6 Billion Pesos in Migrant-Shuttling 'La Bestia' Train in Mexico Gabriel Stargardter - Reuters
go to original September 21, 2014

Crumbling infrastructure has meant that "La Bestia" runs slowly and the ministry said some parts of the line are often out of action. By speeding up the train, proponents of tougher regulations argue, it is harder for migrants to jump on. (John Moore/Getty Images)

MEXICO CITY - Mexico said on last week that it will invest over 6 billion pesos ($454.25 million) to triple the speed of a train, known as "La Bestia", to make it harder for Central American migrants to jump on board as they trek to the United States.

The Chiapas-Mayab railroad begins in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, and connects with a network of rail freight trains that head north. For years, Central American migrants headed for the United States have used "La Bestia," or "The Beast," to travel cheaply through Mexico.

But a surge in child migrants arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico this year has led the United States to put pressure on Mexico to tackle the ease with which many Central Americans board the notoriously dangerous train, where rape and death are commonplace.

Nearly 63,000 unaccompanied children have arrived at the U.S. border in a year-long surge that has sparked an intense political debate and left the Obama administration grappling for ways to handle the influx and stem the flow of children and families trying to get into the country.

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