Mayan Train, among the 100 most important works in North America says study

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The Mayan Train is in the eleventh place of a hundred projects and in the number seven of constructions of the transport sector.

The Mayan Train project, one of the flagship works of the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was ranked 11th out of the 100 most important infrastructure constructions in North America in 2020/2021, according to a study by the US firm CG / LA Infrastructure.

With an estimated investment of 6.3 billion dollars, the Mayan Train is in the eleventh place of a hundred projects and is in number seven of constructions in the transportation sector.

The firm said its ranking system is based on data that includes quantitative metrics such as potential jobs created, industry, project visibility, project profile completion rate, location, and value.

“This list of projects represents more than $ 330 billion in economic impact and sheds light on what is of strategic importance to the North American economies,” CG / LA said of its study.

Although the Mexican government carries out other infrastructure projects that it considers a priority, such as the new airport at the Santa Lucía Air Base and the Dos Bocas refinery in Tabasco, these were not considered on the list.

The first stone for its construction was laid on December 16, 2018, and the project is expected to be completed in 2024. The train is intended to offer three types of services: mass, tourist, and commercial transport.

The Mayan Train projects a passenger and freight rail transport system in the Yucatan Peninsula that will connect, in Phase 1, the stations of Palenque and Cancún and will complete, in Phase 2, the stations between Cancún and Escárcega, with a total length 1,525 kilometers.

As for the route that the train will follow, 95% of the route will pass through existing rights of way. This implies that this transport will pass through land that is already prepared for roads and railways .

The construction of the train has received criticism from environmentalists and the EZLN, an indigenous movement in the Chiapas jungle, who believe that the work will lead to the destruction of nature and indigenous peoples, something that the Government has denied.

AMLO defends Mayan Train against EZLN opposition

The active movement in Chiapas spoke out against the work, considering that it will bring about the destruction of nature and native peoples

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that the construction of the Mayan Train “will not affect anyone,” after the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) openly opposed the train that will cross its territories in the south of the country.

The EZLN, a movement active in the Chiapas jungle, has spoken out against one of the flagship works of the current administration, considering that it will bring about the destruction of nature and of indigenous peoples.

” We are not going to affect anyone , less the indigenous communities,” said the president during his usual morning press conference. “It is a lot of propaganda, it is a lot of ideological charge , but we are not like that. We are not going to take the land from anyone, on the contrary, we are helping ”.

“With the megaproject, the beast gobbles up entire towns, mountains and valleys, rivers and lagoons, men, women, boys and girls,” said Subcomandante Moisés, EZLN spokesman.

“The foreman believes that mother earth gives him permission to kill her and make a train,” he added. “He does this because he despises the native peoples and because he despises Mother Earth (but) we will defend her until we die if necessary.”

The Mayan Train is one of the most important projects of the administration headed by López Obrador and seeks to communicate the archaeological zone of Palenque with the tourist Riviera Maya , bathed by the Caribbean Sea.

The Mayan train seeks to benefit tourism and the economy of Mexico

Environmentalists have raised their voices in protest against construction as they claim it can cause strong ecological damage. In mid-December, the project received the endorsement of several communities that inhabit the future route, although activists assure that the consultation was plagued with irregularities.

The EZLN took up arms on January 1, 1994, claiming ownership of the lands seized from the indigenous peoples, a better distribution of wealth, and the participation of all ethnic groups in the organization of the country.

In 2006 he laid down his arms and became a political organization. It currently has thousands of militants and controls some municipalities in Chiapas.

The Yucatan Post