Mexican train Maya to be fully completed before September, president says

The Yucatan intercity railway, known as Tren Maya must be completed before September, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said during a weekend tour.

López Obrador is confident that he will be able to do so Unpleasant herald the entire project before the end of his six-year term.

“We traveled from Mérida to Campeche on the Mayan train in 1:38 minutes. In September, when everything is ready, the journey of 1,554 km will be more than enjoyable thanks to the nature, the sea and archaeological sites [that can be observed]. [This will be] one of the most important means of transportation in the world,” Lopez Obrador said on X.

Construction of this project began in June 2020. On December 15, 2023, the Campeche-Cancun route was inaugurated for the first time. However, most stations were not operational, meaning passengers could not board or disembark.

Also on this date, López Obrador said that the Campeche-Tabasco route would be completed on February 29, but that did not happen.

The President’s star project has suffered several delays and a number of other projects have been “inaugurated”, with work partially completed.

In some cases, trains could not meet the timetable (up to 5 hours delay) and operations had to be temporarily suspended.

On the other hand, experts have warned of the destruction of primary forests and the threat of contamination of the aquifer that supplies water to the entire state of Quintana Roo.

For example, to complete sections 5, 6 and 7, which connect Cancun to Campeche: More than 8.7 million trees were cut down to install 10,000 pillars of 25 meters long. endangering the delicate system of more than 100 cenotes and caves, El Pais reported.

From today, The train has 24 stations from Palenque (Chiapas) to Playa del Carmen (Quintana Roo).

According to official data, the train carried 64,370 passengers in its first 70 days.

Stations in Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen have opened in recent months. The Tren Maya has also inaugurated a free station to streamline transportation from Cancun International Airport (AIC).

During this past Holy Week, reporter Maxwell Radwin embarked on a journey from Cancun to Palenque and back. He found clear evidence of environmental damage, displacement of indigenous communities and contamination of important water bodies.

According to Radwin, locals are conflicted between the environmental price they have to pay and the promised economic growth, led by a supposed increase in tourism in the region.

As of today, “Section 5 South” is facing significant structural and legal delays due to the potential damage to underwater caves and a lack of construction materials.

López Obrador wanted to complete his pharaonic work before March 21 as a legacy of his presidency, but that was impossible. Although, given what we’ve seen so far, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ushered it in unfinished.