Mayan Train: Belize Seeks Connectivity Amid Controversy

A Belize delegation and representatives of the Mayan Train Project held a meeting at the Teya Mayan Train station in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, where they discussed the potential establishment of a station at Belize’s Northern Border with Mexico. This move aims to enhance connectivity, providing passenger and freight services for Belize to southern Mexico and facilitating access to the Interoceanic Corridor (CIIT), a vital route linking key port cities on both Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The announcement was made by the Government of Belize through a press release, where it details that the development opens opportunities for increased travel, estimated at 4 million additional travelers yearly, and offers new avenues for Belizean products to access Mexican markets.

The Belizean delegation was conformed by Jaime Briceño and Haisam Diab, Ambassadors of Investment, and Oscar Arnold, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, who met with Carlos Belausteguigoitia, Mexico’s Director General for Central America and Caribbean, Ministry of Foreign Relations, and officials from Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA).

Amid negotiations, concerns have been raised regarding the project's impact and transparency. “It would be interesting to know the economic justification for placing a station at the border. I would view it with caution, as it could be an invitation to facilitate illegal immigration. This whole project is completely opaque, and there has been no kind of consultation among experts of any kind. Projects of this magnitude should be studied and planned at least 11 to 15 years prior to construction. The only visible justification is from the political perspective of this regime. They are betting on the massification of real estate and tourist developments,” Activist Guillermo D'Christy, shared with MBN.

More Decrees for Land Expropriation

Further controversy surrounds a recent series of decrees issued by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), authorizing land expropriation in favor of the development company FONATUR Tren Maya. These decrees, encompassing vast land areas totaling over 476ha, have sparked debates regarding the prioritization of economic interests over environmental and social concerns. This adds to the 12 decrees previously reported by MBN at the beginning of March.

The specific expropriation decrees include:

• Decree by which 9ha of the "Catzin" ejido, municipality of Chemax, Yucatan, are expropriated for reasons of public utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$100,607.

• Decree by which 15ha of the "Sitpach" ejido, municipality of Merida, Yucatan, are expropriated for reasons of public utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$852,425.

• Decree by which 55ha of the "Luna" ejido, municipality of Escarcega, Campeche, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$2.1 million.

• Decree by which 26ha of the "Tixpehual" ejido, municipality of Tixpehual, Yucatan, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$1.1 million.

• Decree by which 54ha of the "Felipe Carrillo Puerto" ejido, municipality of Champoton, Campeche, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$961,688.

• Decree by which 59ha of the "Playa del Carmen" ejido, municipality of Solidaridad, Quintana Roo, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$17.9 million.

• Decree by which 90ha of the "Leona Vicario" ejido, municipality of Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$12.6 million.

• Decree by which 1ha of the "Tzalam" ejido, municipality of Sudzal, Yucatan, is expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$21,769.

• Decree by which 13ha of the "Kanasin" ejido, municipality of Kanasin, Yucatan, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$1.5 million.

• Decree by which 44ha of the "Arellano" ejido, municipality of Champoton, Campeche, are expropriated for reasons of public utility, with compensation amounts of US$462,632 for rainfed lands and US$33,354 for grazing lands.

• Decree by which 72ha of the "Alfredo V. Bonfil y su Anexo" ejido, municipality of Benito Juarez, Quintana Roo, utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$17.6 million.

• Decree by which 5ha of the "Dzitbalche" ejido, municipality of Dzitbalche, Campeche, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$1,081,863.

• Decree by which 4ha of the "El Faisan" ejido, municipality of Tenosique, Tabasco, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$155,800.

• Decree by which 14ha of the "Uman" ejido, municipality of Uman, Yucatan, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$216,750.

• Decree by which 15ha of the "Santa Cruz de Rovira" ejido, municipality of Champoton, Campeche, are expropriated for reasons of utility, paying compensation for the expropriated area amounting to US$304,534.

D'Christy mentions that state and federal authorities only respond to the economic interests of hotel capital. “They believe that the word ‘growth’ is infinite. Yet, they fail to see that in this "eternal" growth, the reason why tourists come to the area is being degraded.”

This comes amid significant growth in tourism investment in the Quintana Roo region, with the private sector's commitment to investing in Quintana Roo continuing to grow in hotel infrastructure. This year, the opening of several hotels is expected, with up to a 1,000 rooms, bringing the total to nearly 134,000 rooms by the end of 2024, said Bernardo Cueto, Minister of State Tourism of Quintana Roo, to Pasillo Turístico.