VIDEO: Chicken on Mexico City's subway tracks halts service

Mexico City’s subway system was temporarily halted on Sunday after a chicken was spotted running around the subway tracks. 

A video of the incident shows subway workers and civil defense officers attempting to catch the chicken on the tracks at a station near the city’s center. The electricity is also noticeably cut off at the station.

Despite trying to use all sorts of tricks to catch the bird, including a trash bag and brooms, the chicken continued to evade them. Eventually, one worker tossed his coat over the bird, capturing it. The video then shows the workers bringing the chicken to safety. 

The incident temporarily disrupted the subway service, however, it was quickly restored after the capture of the chicken, the metro system said in a statement. 

“Yesterday afternoon, Transportation personnel in coordination with Civil Protection rescued a chicken from the track area of the Centro Medico station on Line 9. Remember to safeguard your belongings and use a carrier to transport pets and avoid incidents,” the city’s metro said in a tweet along with the video. 

Ayer por la tarde, personal de Transportación en coordinación con Protección Civil rescataron a una gallina de la zona de vías de la estación de Centro Médico de la Línea 9. Recuerda resguardar tus pertenencias así como usar transportadora para trasladar a animalitos de compañía… pic.twitter.com/YQibjsV78i

— MetroCDMX (@MetroCDMX) May 15, 2023

The chicken was the latest in a string of bizarre incidents that have taken place in Mexico City’s subway system. Earlier this year, a woman dropped parts of a plastic washing machine on the subway tracks, causing delays.

The subway has also been plagued by structural deficiencies that have caused delays and accidents. In May 2021, for example, an elevated part of the subway system collapsed, killing 26 individuals and injuring over 100 others. According to a subsequent investigation, there are deficiencies in the subway’s construction and maintenance. Ten former officials were charged with manslaughter, injury, and property damage over the incident.