For the first time under Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, the expropriation of land for the construction of sections 1, 3, and 4 of the Mayan Train has been announced. The decree, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on Tuesday, details that 376,180 square meters will be used “for reasons of public utility.”
Affected Properties
The expropriation involves 86 privately owned properties located in:
– Palenque, Chiapas
– Emiliano Zapata, Tenosique, and Balancán, Tabasco
– Escárcega and Calkiní, Campeche
– Kanasín, Maxcanú, Tixpéhual, Bokobá, and Umán, Yucatán
The decree specifies that Fonatur and the Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu) must coordinate to cover the compensation required by law for those
Described by the government as “the most important infrastructure, socioeconomic development, and tourism project of the current six-year term,” the Mayan Train will span 1,525 kilometers, passing through Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and interconnecting the main cities and tourist sites of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Last week, Proceso reported that an additional 40 billion pesos are expected to be allocated to the Ministry of Defense to complete the construction of the Mayan Train. The government plans to grant 827 million pesos to the state-owned company to cover payroll expenses. The projected income of 680 million pesos for the Mayan Train next year would not cover even half of the 1,507 million pesos in “current expenses” projected for the megaproject, whose cost has skyrocketed from 150 billion pesos to over 500 billion pesos.
During President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s six-year term, three mega-projects marked his agenda: the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), the Mayan Train, and the Dos Bocas Refinery.
According to the National Institute of Transparency (INAI), the initial estimated cost of the Mayan Train was 11.8 billion dollars (approximately 230 billion pesos). However, by July of this year, the cost was revealed to be between 15 and 20 billion dollars. In February 2023, López Obrador admitted that the cost had tripled due to unplanned works, justifying it as a “very important work that is costing just enough,” without considering environmental damage.
In his last public act as president, López Obrador “delivered” the Mayan Train at the Chetumal station, inaugurated on September 29 in Othon P. Blanco, Quintana Roo. He stated that the 1,554 kilometers of the Mayan Train were financed with 500 billion pesos available in the public treasury due to the absence of tax forgiveness and corruption, and the establishment of an austere government without luxuries.
Source: Proceso
