08042014Mon
Last updateFri, 01 Aug 2014 4pm

RR firm vows to speed up ‘The Beast’

Thousands of Central American illegal immigrants ride on top of a freight train in Mexico known as “The Beast” in order to reach the United States.

The perilous three-to-four-week journey leaves many of them – including unaccompanied children – at the mercy of drug gangs and criminals.  Others are often maimed as they attempt to jump aboard the slow-moving trains.

The owners of the company that operates “The Beast,” Ferrocarriles Chiapas Mayab, has vowed to pump more than 100 million dollars into the route to discourage immigrants from boarding the train.  

A spokesperson for the firm said last week that over the next few years, the train’s speed will be increased three-fold to make it virtually impossible to jump aboard, while security staff will be hired to deter immigrants.