FILE - In this July 12, 2014, file photo, a young migrant girl waits for a freight train to depart on her way to the U.S. border, in Ixtepec, Mexico. In a report released Monday, Aug. 21, 2016, the UN children's agency said that thousands of children trying to escape gang violence and poverty in Central America have made their way to the United States this year and there is no sign that the flow is letting up. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

Mexican gov’t takes over train line long used by migrants

MEXICO CITY – The Mexican government says it is taking control of a battered rail line long used by Central American migrants heading north toward the United States.

Fewer migrants have been hopping the freight cars on the line since government agents began raiding the trains in 2014.

Now, Mexico’s Transportation Department says it is stripping the operating concession of the private operators of the Chiapas-Mayab railway. It said Tuesday the decision was made to promote investment and rehabilitation of the railway.

The rail lines near the Guatemala border were damaged by Hurricane Stan in 2005. In addition, many stretches of the line are antiquated and in poor condition.

Many migrants continue to walk along the railroad tracks in a bid to reach the United States.

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