The Environmental and Social Impact of the Maya Train Mexico News Daily
go to original April 7, 2023

Visionary development, or destructive white elephant? Few infrastructure projects have generated such heated debate in Mexico in recent years as the Maya Train (Tren Maya), President López Obrador’s long-promised railroad in the Yucatán Peninsula.

The Maya Train is among AMLO’s most cherished pet projects. He has championed it through numerous lawsuits, local and international criticism, technical delays and route changes – he even declared it a matter of national security and put it under control of the military.

The finished railroad will have 1,554 km of track and 34 stations. It will pass through 40 municipalities in five different states – Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.

The government hopes to move 200,000 people per day by 2030.



This map of the Maya Train sections shows the major archaeological sites found along the route. (INAH)

The Maya Train has been controversial from the beginning. It has already faced at least 50 lawsuits seeking to stop its construction, according to a statement by made by President Lopez Obrador in February. Most have been brought by environmental organizations and grassroots groups who fear its impact on the region’s jungles, wildlife, cenotes (sinkhole lakes) and indigenous communities.

The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) says the railroad will affect 13 national protected areas, plus nine state and municipal natural reserves. 53% of the route runs through communal ejido lands, which could spark social conflict.

It could also cause 2,500 hectares of direct deforestation and raise the annual rate of deforestation in the region by a quarter over this decade, according to the Mexican environmental watchdog group Net-Zero Deforestation Observatory.

The government claims it will counter this impact through the social and environmental program Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life), which plans to reforest around 500 million trees in southeast Mexico.

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