FONATUR Receives Mayan Train’s Rails

Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (FONATUR) received three shipments of rails for the Tren Maya, equivalent to 15,493 tons, which will be used for the construction of the new railway system.

The first shipment arrived on May 14 at the port of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, with the first 4,833 tons of rail for Section I (Palenque-Escárcega)manufactured in the US  by Steel Dynamics. The total required for this section is 29,574 tons.

The second shipment arrived at Puerto Progreso, Yucatan on May 17 aboard the vessel "AAL Dalian" from Fangcheng, China, with a shipment of 7,005 tons of rail for Section 2 (Escarcega-Calkiní). The total required for this section is 30,481 tons.

The third shipment arrived on May 26, also in Puerto Progreso, from Japan with a total of 3,655.56 tons, which will be for Section 3 (Calkiní-lzamal). Another 29,826 tons of rail are expected to arrive for this route.

The arrival of rails for Section 4 (Izamal-Cancun) and Section 5 (Cancun-Tulum) will be at the end of July, also in Puerto Progreso, with a total of 7,000 tons for each of the sections. In addition, the reception of this essential material for the railroads will continue until 2022, and 60,628.58 and 29,472 tons are expected to arrive for the aforementioned sections.

The rails purchased for the Tren Maya have the highest international quality standards in order to safeguard and maintain the safety of the rolling stock and of its passengers, which in turn will have to comply with the requirements of the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) to ensure the proper functioning of the system. According to FONATUR’s press release, delivery of the rails is protected by UNOPS and the Social Witness appointed by the SFP. Railway companies from the US, Thailand, Malaysia, Chile and Brazil participated in the process, and none of those companies are on the list of sanctioned companies of the United States Bureau of Industry and Security. Transportation logistics begin with the forging of the rail, and then moved to the port of arrival. Once transferred, the stockpiling process begins. The stockpiling sites are prepared for the arrival of the rails with earthworks and seal irrigation to protect the passage of vehicles.