Mayan Train

The Mayan Train (Spanish: Tren Maya) is a proposed 1,525-kilometre (948 mi) intercity railway in Mexico that would traverse the Yucatán Peninsula. The railroad would begin in Palenque[1] in Chiapas and travel northeast towards Cancún in Quintana Roo via two routes that encircle the peninsula and a route that goes to Mexico City and stop at 15 stations. The project aims to connect tourist destinations in the Yucatán, including historic Mayan sites from which it derives its name.[2][3]

Mayan Train
Overview
Native nameTren Maya (Spanish) Tsiímin K'aák (Yucatec Maya)
TypeHigh Speed Rail
LocaleYucatán Peninsula, Mexico
TerminiPalenque, Chiapas
Cancún, Quintana Roo
Stations15
Services3
Events
Construction beganDecember 16, 2018
Proposed opening2023
Technical
Line length1,525 km (948 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed200 km/h (120 mph)

The Mayan Train project was announced in September 2018 by Mexican president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, following earlier proposals to build a shorter 900-kilometre (560 mi) line. Previous presidential administrations had also proposed their own high-speed rail projects, but were unsuccessful in attaining funding.[2][4] It would use abandoned right of way from Ferrosur as well as new tracks constructed through the jungle, which caused outcry from environmental and indigenous rights activists.[5][6] The Zapatista Army of National Liberation, announced that it would oppose the project.[7] The project was also derided as a political stunt for López Obrador, who had also cancelled a major airport project in Mexico City favored by his predecessor.[8] A public referendum on approving the project in November 2018 was passed by 89 percent of voters with a turnout of approximately one percent.[2]

On December 16, 2018, president López Obrador conducted a Mayan ritual to commemorate the start of construction on the Mayan Train project.[2] The project, led by the National Fund for Tourism Development, is estimated to cost 150 billion pesos (US$7.4 billion) and attract 8,000 daily riders.[9] An alternative study by a public policy think tank in 2019 estimated the cost of the project would be 480 billion pesos (US$25.3 billion), supported by the 90 percent cost overrun on the Toluca–Mexico City railway project.[8] Funding for the project will come primarily from a tourism tax levied in the region, as well as funds diverted from other programs, including the Mexican Grand Prix.[4][7] The railway will also accommodate local passenger traffic and freight shipments in addition to tourist functions, using emissions-free locomotives on the trains.[7][10] The first phase of the project is anticipated to open in the late 2020s, but tourism officials in the region have proposed accelerating work for a 2023 opening.[7][11]

December 2019 consultation

On November 15, 2019, President López Obrador declared that a referendum on the Mayan Train would be held on December 15, 2019 in Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo.[12]

The weekend of December 15–16, 2019, 92.3% of the people who participated in the consultation voted in favor, while 7.4% voted against the proposal.[13] 100,940 people voted,[14] 2.36% of the 3,536,000 registered voters in the 84 municipalities affected.[15]

The United Nations Human Rights Council sharply criticized the vote. They pointed out that voters were provided with only the positive effects of the project (improved attention to water supplies, health, education, employment, housing, environmental protection, and culture) but were not informed of the negative effects. The Human Rights Commission also criticized the translations of the material used, the short period of time for the election, and low turnout, particularly among indigenous women. They noted that many potential voters did not have the financial resources to travel to the voting locations, and that the majority of voters were municipal employees.[16] For its part, the government rejected the criticisms, saying that the consultation met international standards and attacked “la descalificación ni la crítica simple, sin sustento, ligera y parcializada”. ("the light and biased disqualification or simple criticism, without support").[17]

2020

On the 26th anniversary of its armed uprising, January 1, 2020, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation expressed its opposition to the project and declared that the consultation provided only positive information to voters prior to voting.[18]

Groups close to the National Indigenous Congress (CNI) plan to seek injunctions against the train project and other megaprojects in the region. The CNI is looking at three-pronged action: social awareness campaigns, media campaigns, and legal actions.[19] On January 28, 2020, a judge in Campeche issued a temporary injunction against construction of the railway because was approved in a "simulated consultation."[20] In a visit to the city of Campeche, President López Obrador defended the train and pointed out that not only had the train received its greatest support in the state of Campeche, but also that more than half the route would run through the state—worth MXN $60 billion of the $130 billion the government plans to invest in total. He said the section from Escárcega to Cancún should be open for tourist, passenger, and freight traffic in 2023, but that the route will not pass through the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.[21]

Business leaders in Mérida, Yucatán, expressed their support on January 31, 2020, for building four kilometers of the railway underground as it passes through the city of Merida. In this way, the train will not threaten the city's historic center. They are also optimistic that the tourist train, in combination with improvements in energy, airports, and seaports, will make the region economically competitive with the North and the Bajío.[22]

Environmental concerns

Environmentalists such as Greta Thunberg worry about the effect of development and deforestation on the global climate collapse that the train project will cause and the danger to biodiversity such as 2,000 jaguars that live in the area. The National Alliance for Conservation of the Jaguar (ANCJ) has identified twelve wildlife corridors that could be constructed to mitigate the situation.[23]

References
  1. "With 14 proposals, AMLO says Maya Train project still on schedule". Riviera Maya News. 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  2. Pskowski, Martha (February 22, 2019). "Mexico's 'Mayan Train' Is Bound for Controversy". CityLab. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  3. Varillas, Adriana (November 23, 2018). "Everything you need to know about the Mayan Train project". El Universal. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  4. Fuentes, Yngrid (November 15, 2018). "Tren Maya: así es el ambicioso proyecto que propone AMLO y tiene un costo de miles de millones de dólares para México" (in Spanish). BBC Mundo. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  5. "Tren Maya unirá Tabasco, Campeche, Chiapas, Yucatán y Quintana Roo". Union Yucatán (in Spanish). August 14, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  6. "Mexico launches $7.4bn Tren Maya railway project". BBC News. December 17, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  7. Morgan, Martin (March 5, 2019). "Mexico to 'speed up' Maya train route". BBC News. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  8. Sherman, Christopher (April 17, 2019). "Mayan Train's fast track raising concerns in Mexico". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  9. Zavala, Misael (December 9, 2018). "AMLO's Mayan Train will cost 150,000 million pesos". El Universal. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  10. "Tren Maya será turístico, de carga y de pasajeros: Arturo Núñez". Forbes (in Spanish). October 15, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  11. "Seven tenders ready for the construction of the Maya Train". The Yucatan Times. March 4, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  12. Gobierno inicia proceso de consulta ciudadana e indígena para Tren Maya; se realizará el 15 diciembre Aristegui Noticias, Nov 15, 2019
  13. "En la consulta sobre el Tren Maya, 92.3% votó por el "Sí"y 7.4% por el "No"" [In the consultation on the Mayan Train, 92.3% voted "Yes" and 7.4% "No"], El Economista (in Spanish), Dec 16, 2019
  14. Arturo Rodriguez Garcia (Dec 16, 2019), "A favor del Tren Maya el 92.3% de los consultados el fin de semana" [92.3% of those consulted about the Maya Train over the weekend in favor], Proceso (in Spanish)
  15. Osvaldo Córdova (Dec 17, 2019). "Solo votó el 2.86% del padrón por Tren Maya" [Only 2.86% of the registered voted for Maya Train]. Diario Contra Replica (in Spanish).
  16. Alexis Ortiz (Dec 20, 2019). "Rechaza ONU consulta sobre el Tren Maya" [UN rejects consultation on the Maya Train]. El Universal (in Spanish).
  17. Matieu Tourliere (Dec 23, 2019). "El gobierno de AMLO reprocha críticas de la ONU-DH sobre consulta por Tren Maya" [The AMLO government criticizes criticism of the UN-DH over consultation of Maya Train]. Proceso (in Spanish).
  18. EZLN reitera rechazo a megaproyectos de AMLO El Segundero, Jan 1, 2020
  19. "El CNI esboza su estrategia contra el Tren Maya" [The CNI lays out it strategy against the Maya Train]. Proceso (in Spanish). Jan 4, 2020.
  20. Jose Raul Linares (Feb 1, 2020). "Otorgan suspensión provisional contra el Tren Maya por "consulta simulada"" [Provisional injunction granted against the Mayan Train for "simulated consultation"]. La Jornada (in Spanish).
  21. Rosa Santana (Feb 1, 2020). "AMLO defiende el Tren Maya tras suspensión provisional ordenada por un tribunal" [AMLO defends the Mayan Train after provisional injunction ordered by a court]. La Jornada (in Spanish).
  22. Juan Manuel Contreras (Feb 1, 2020). "Positivo que tramo del Tren Maya pase por debajo de Mérida: Concanaco" [Positive that the Mayan Train section passes under Mérida: Concanaco]. La Jornada (in Spanish).
  23. "Más de 2 mil jaguares en peligro por el Tren Maya". El Universal (in Spanish). 7 January 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
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