MEXICO CITY, CDMX —

Two subway trains collided between two stations Saturday in Mexico City, killing at least one person and injuring 41, authorities said.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on her Twitter account that the accident happened on Line 3 of the capital’s Metro system, without specifying the cause of the crash between the Potrero and La Raza stations.

Sheinbaum said one woman was killed and 57 people injured, who were taken to seven hospitals. Four people were trapped in the wreckage for a time, including the driver of one of the trains, who was reported in serious condition.

Dozens of police and soldiers swarmed into the nearby subway stations, while ambulances and rescue teams arrived to treat the injured.

Edgar Montiel, an electrician who was on one on the trains, said he felt lucky because he had decided at the last minute to enter the next-to-last car rather than the rearmost car, which was smashed up in the crash.

“It sounded very strong. I just closed my eyes when I felt the sheets of the car bend and throw me,” Montiel told The Associated Press.

He said he remained on the floor of the car with several passengers amid screams and cries asking for help.

“The power went out to the subway and a lot of smoke began to come out that was suffocating us. We could not breathe well,” he said.

Montiel, who had injuries to his left arm and leg, said the occupants of his car had to wait about 30 minutes until paramedics arrived to tend to the injured and help everyone exit the car.

In lamenting the accident, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on his Twitter account that the federal government was supporting the city officials dealing with the accident.

In May 2021, an elevated section of the subway system collapsed, causing 26 deaths and injuring nearly 100 people. An investigation blamed the structural failure on deficiencies in the construction process, and 10 former officials have been charged with homicide, injury and damage to property.

The Mexico City subway system has 226.5 kilometers (141 miles) of track and 195 stations. It serves an average of 4.6 million passengers every day.

JENSEN BEACH, Fla. —

Along the railroad tracks in Jensen Beach, Florida, you may find pieces of a black Honda Fit.

The vehicle, which belongs to Joe William Ceballos, was stolen early Saturday morning, struck by a train and ended up resting on the side of a house.

"I thought it was a movie," Ceballos said.

Ceballos said he moved to Florida from Georgia to start a cleaning service business called Casey's Cleaning, and that car was a work vehicle.

He said when he got a call from his business partner and the homeowner letting him know the car had been stolen. He couldn't believe it.

"They are saying someone stole the car, and I said, 'That's impossible because it's at the business,'" Ceballos said. "Then when she sends me the picture of the car flipped at the owner's house, I'm like, 'Oh my God!'"

He also couldn't believe how it happened.

"He says he took the car," Ceballos said. "In good faith to find his car."

According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, Bradford Weitzel of Port St. Lucie told detectives he couldn't find his car after leaving a bar, so he stole one in an effort to locate his own.

The car somehow suddenly stopped on the train tracks and David Deoliveira, who was at home in bed at the time, heard the commotion and went outside to help.

"How does a guy get from the crossing to the actual tracks?" Deoliveira said. "I went over there to try to help the guy to see if he needed help, but unfortunately, I can't really help do much."

Soon after, a train started heading their way and they left the car. No one was injured.

Officials report that Weitzel continued on to a nearby fruit stand, where he vandalized the business. They say he also attempted to steal a forklift.

Weitzel eventually flagged down authorities to inform them he was in search of his car.

Deputies arrested and charged Weitzel with grand theft and criminal mischief. Additional charges are expected.

Ceballos said the Honda was a total loss, and the supplies inside the car are gone, but he still plans to move forward with his cleaning business.

A man dressed in Batman's Joker costume and brandishing a knife on a Tokyo commuter train on Sunday stabbed several passengers before starting a fire, which sent people scrambling to escape and jumping from windows, police and witnesses said.

The Tokyo Fire Department said 17 passengers were injured, including three seriously. Not all of them were stabbed and most of the other injuries were not serious, the agency said.

The attacker, identified as a 24-year-old man, was arrested on the spot and was being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder, NHK said. His motive was not immediately known.

Nippon Television reported that the suspect told police that he wanted to kill and get the death penalty, and that he used an earlier train stabbing case as an example.

Witnesses told police that the attacker was wearing a bright outfit — a green shirt, a blue suit and a purple coat — like the Joker in Batman comics or someone going to a Halloween event, according to media reports.

Tokyo police officials said the attack happened inside the Keio train near the Kokuryo station.

Television footage showed a number of firefighters, police officials and paramedics rescuing the passengers, many of whom escaped through train windows. In one video, passengers were running from another car, where flames were gushing.

NHK said the suspect, after stabbing passengers, poured a liquid resembling oil from a plastic bottle and set fire, which partially burned seats.

Shunsuke Kimura, who filmed the video, told NHK that he saw passengers desperately running and while he was trying to figure out what happened, he heard an explosive noise and saw smoke wafting. He also jumped from a window but fell on the platform and hurt his shoulder.

“Train doors were closed and we had no idea what was happening, and we jumped from the windows,” Kimura said. “It was horrifying.”

The attack was the second involving a knife on a Tokyo train in two months.

In August, the day before the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony, a 36-year-old man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo in a random burst of violence. The suspect later told police that he wanted to attack women who looked happy.

While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile knife killings in recent years.

In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself. In 2018, a man killed a passenger and injured two others in a knife attack on a bullet train. In 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled killed 19 people and injured more than 20.

Three people are dead after an Amtrak train derailed in Montana on Saturday afternoon, the Liberty County Sheriff's office said in a statement to CNN.

Authorities would not speak on the number of injured or the extent of their injuries.A statement from the railway said five cars from Amtrak's Empire Builder train 7/27 derailed near Joplin, Montana, injuring an undisclosed number of passengers.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m. local time, the statement said. At the time, there were about 147 passengers and 13 crew members on board.

"Amtrak is working with the local authorities to transport injured passengers, and safely evacuate all other passengers," the statement added. "Additional details will be provided as available."

The Empire Builder travels between Chicago-St.Paul/Minneapolis-Spokane-Portland/Seattle, according to Amtrak's website, and offers passengers a chance to "experience the rugged splendor of the American West.

"Traveling between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest along major portions of the Lewis and Clark Trail, the mighty Empire Builder takes you on an exciting adventure through majestic wilderness, following in the footsteps of early pioneers," the website adds.

CINCINNATI — A CSX train derailment in Queensgate on Jan. 24 will keep streets in the area closed until the weekend.

Evans St. and Dalton Ave will remain closed to give crews time to remove debris and inspect an overpass near Mill Creek that was damaged when the train went off its tracks.

Drivers should use alternate routes such as the Eighth Street viaduct.

Officials said approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked onto Gest Street before crews were able to contain the spill.

CSX said in a statement that the leak came from a locomotive derailed on the overpass, but no leaks or spills came from any of the train cars.

No crew members were hurt in the incident, the company said.

Don't expect any 200 mph trains that rival Europe and Asia's best, or even cheaper fares.

Transportation experts think the infrastructure bill could be the start of a turning point for the disadvantaged state of U.S. rail travel. But the bill doesn't change the fallout of Americans looking past rail for generations. Deep barriers remain to rail travel thriving in the U.S. as in other leading nations.

Attention on passenger rail increased with the election of President Joe Biden. He has long had the nickname "Amtrak Joe" for his regular rail commutes back to Wilmington to take care of his two sons after his first wife and one of his children were killed in a car crash. He was also involved in an Obama-era push for high-speed rail.

Passenger and freight rail receive $66 billion in the infrastructure bill the Senate passed last week. But the details are still up for negotiations in the House before the bill hits Biden's desk.

Regardless, any number close to $66 billion will be a large infusion of cash for an industry that's watched its competitors — road and air travel — receive overwhelmingly more government aid. Rather than compete on a level playing field with other transportation modes, American passenger rail has had to fight off attempts from multiple presidents to slash its funding.

"Amtrak was set up to fail," Robert Puentes, CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation told CNN Business. "It wasn't designed to last as long as it has."

This means that money has to be spent now just to bring it back to its baseline.

Most new funding will be for maintenance, rather than the futuristic high-speed trains that riders in Europe and Asia have enjoyed for decades. The White House has said there are 5,000 rail cars and thousands of miles of track, signal and power systems in need of replacement. Amtrak has said it needs $38 billion to reach a state of good repair in the Northeast corridor.

"This is an improve the status quo bill," said Jim Mathews, CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. "Passengers won't have to bring Velcro and duct tape to repair their own train cars."

A world-class railroad remains out of reach

Rail advocates, including Biden, have long touted the vast potential they see in passenger rail.

"You and your family could travel coast to coast without a single tank of gas on board a high-speed train," Biden said earlier this year. He's also spoken of the potential of trains going 220 mph between Atlanta and Charlotte or making trips between D.C. and New York in 92 minutes if three curves along the route are straightened.

Train travel can make getting around the U.S. safer, greener and more efficient, advocates say. Rail travel has less environmental impact than other ways of getting around. Rail also has a better safety record than motor vehicle travel.

But the full potential for world-class rail will still be unmet even with the additional spending. California's ongoing high-speed rail project has been estimated to cost $100 billion, a single project far exceeding the infrastructure package's entire new investment in rail.

The White House calls the new funding the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak in 1970. But when considering inflation and population growth, it lags a spurt of rail investment in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to Yonah Freemark, a researcher at the Urban Institute.

The $66 billion, which is mostly for Amtrak, will likely lead to more frequent service and more stops nationwide as well as new equipment. Choke points on the Northeast corridor, in Baltimore and New York, may be relieved, paving the way for faster trips.

Amtrak praised the investment in a statement, but also called on Congress to make sure it gets on-time performance and preference from the host rail lines that its trains run on. Amtrak risks delays and inconveniences because the freight railways can give top priority to their own trains, while Amtrak trains wait their turn.

Passenger rail improvements could be thwarted by freight railroads that own much of the tracks that Amtrak operates on, according to Mathews and other rail experts. They point to the $2 billion invested to upgrade Amtrak service between Chicago and St. Louis. Technology was installed so trains could run at 110 mph, which would cut about an hour off the trip. But safety technology that track owner Union Pacific installed isn't suited for trains going over 90 mph.

Short-lived boost, long-term issues

There's also a risk that Amtrak's improvements will be short-lived, as the new funds run out in five years.

Joseph C. Szabo, who led the Federal Railroad Administration until 2015, cautioned that rail has long seen investments in fits and starts, and will continue to be disadvantaged until it has predictable, dedicated funding, like roads and aviation.

"It's always been treated somewhat as a stepchild," Szabo said.

The rail industry was dominant in the 19th century and created America's first big businesses. But rail fell out of favor in the 20th century in America and was seen as antiquated. Henry Ford, the inventor of the Model T, once predicted that some up-and-coming nations like China would entirely skip rail and build highways and cars instead. (Ford's prediction didn't materialize, and China now has the largest high-speed rail network in the world.)

Private rail companies struggled to turn a profit on passenger rail service in the mid-20th century. They were hindered by federal government regulations that set prices, and could force railroads to continue to operate unprofitable routes. The U.S. government heavily subsidized rail's competitor, highways, with the largest public works project in history, the Interstate Highway System. Rail travel couldn't compete. After the large railroad company Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970, the US government created Amtrak to preserve passenger rail service. Passenger rail wasn't profitable, so private companies wanted no part in it.

Even a president with the nickname "Amtrak Joe" is proving not to be enough to overhaul the status quo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The bipartisan infrastructure bill continues to progress in the United States Senate. A final vote could take place this weekend.

For months, you’ve heard politicians and transportation leaders make the case that now is the time to revolutionize train travel.

The bipartisan bill certainly allocates money in the direction of mass transit and Amtrak.

It invests $39 billion over five years into mass transit, like commuter trains and buses. It also allocates $66 billion for passenger rail, mostly Amtrak.

Both represent an unrepresented amount of funds for those transportation sectors.

But just how transformational is this bipartisan infrastructure deal when it comes to train travel? It depends on who you ask.

"If you ask the question, 'Is more needed?' Absolutely more is needed. Public transit has been underfunded for decades," Paul Skoutelas said.

Skoutelas is the President of the American Public Transportation Association. He advocates for more commuter trains and buses in neighborhoods like yours.

He says rough estimates have put the maintenance backlog for mass transit at $105 billion nationwide. This bill provides only $39 billion.

If the bill becomes law, balancing maintenance needs with the desire for new projects to transform commutes will be tricky.

"Is this enough investment? No, it’s not, but we will take it. It’s significantly important to get us in the right direction," Skoutelas said.

Those who lobby on behalf of Amtrak, though, see things a bit differently.

"Before we get to the financial numbers, what’s even more important are the policy changes," John Robert Smith said.

Smith is with Transportation for America and is a past chairman of the board of directors for Amtrak.

He says the infrastructure bill changes the mission of Amtrak dramatically. Instead of being looked at as a business by the government, it’s now considered a service responsible for connecting big cities with small towns.

"It's a fundamental change in what the mission has been over the last 10 years," Smith said.

But what about the Amtrak proposal released earlier this year to create new routes around the country like Las Vegas to Los Angeles or Colorado Springs to Denver?

"I think the funds provided in the Senate bipartisan bill are significant enough to make vast changes," Smith said.

But Smith thinks the Amtrak map proposal will quickly be redrawn if the infrastructure bill becomes law.

That’s because President Joe Biden, under the bill, will have the ability to appoint all new Amtrak board members who will likely reevaluate everything.

While Smith says this bill can create new routes. Don’t expect super-fast bullet trains like the ones in Japan. There just isn’t enough cash for that.

"You aren’t going to accomplish transformational high-speed rail in a five-year bill," Smith said.

The bipartisan bill does include funds to improve Acela speeds in the Northeast corridor.

While some say the bipartisan infrastructure deal could have included more money, many conservatives in Congress are frustrated because they believe the bill has too much government spending in it, raising the risk for inflation.

A recent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found the bill will contribute $256 billion to the deficit over the next decade.

TOKYO, Tokyo —

A man with a knife stabbed at least 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was captured by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said.

NHK public television said one passenger was seriously injured. It said the suspect left his knife behind as he fled and later gave himself up at a convenience store. The Japanese capital is currently hosting the Olympics, which end Sunday.

The Tokyo Fire Department said nine of the 10 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, while the tenth was able to walk away. All of those injured were conscious, fire department officials said.

A witness at a nearby station where the train stopped said passengers were rushing out of the carriages and shouting that there was a stabbing and asking for first aid. Another witness told NHK that he saw passengers smeared with blood come out of the train, as an announcer asked for doctors and for passengers carrying towels.

Dozens of paramedics and police arrived at the station, one of the witnesses said.

NHK said the suspect later walked into a convenience store and identified himself as the suspect on the news and said he was tired of running away. The store manager called police after seeing blood stains on the man's shirt. Police were questioning the man as they prepared his arrest, NHK said.

The stabbing occurred near Seijogakuen station, according to railway operator Odakyu Electric Railway Co.

Police declined to comment and no other details were immediately available.

While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile killings with knives in recent years.

In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself. In 2018, a man killed a passenger and injuring two others in a knife attack on a bullet train. In 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 people and injured more than 20.

___

AP journalist Mayuko Ono contributed to this report.

OXFORD, Ohio — The City of Oxford, along with Miami University have jointly committed $350,000 towards bringing an Amtrak stop to the city.

The $700,000 will go towards the design and construction of a platform at Chestnut Fields location at 909 South Main St.

The Oxford stop will be located on the Cardinal line, which travels from Chicago to Washington, D.C.

The approved stop will be a Category 4 Amtrak platform, which is an unmanned kiosk.

Currently, the city is negotiating vendors on design and cost estimates for the platform.