No to Infrastructure Projects: CCE, Governors, Businessmen

During a massive conference call last week, five governors and 2,000 prominent members of Mexico’s business community brainstormed on ways in which they could organize themselves to collectively oppose the government's prioritization of its flagship infrastructure projects. They did this with the objective of divesting funds currently being spent in those projects so they can be invested more directly in COVID-19 emergency responses. 

The initiative found an echo in last weekend’s National Conference For Economic Recovery organized by CCE. One of the topics discussed during the event was the participants’ demand for a job program to fast track Mexico’s recovery from COVID-19 shutdowns that would focus on infrastructure investment, but categorically not on these projects.   

Ready for more? Here’s the Week in Infrastructure!

Slim to Build Mayan Train’s Second Segment

Today, FONATUR announced that Carlos Slim’s CICSA will be in charge, in a consortium with FCC Construcción, of building the Mayan Train’s second segment with an attached price tag of US$772.03 million. This segment will go from Escarcega to Calkini in the state of Campeche. It will cross the Campeche state capital, also named Campeche. Work on this segment is scheduled to begin on May 12.  

Contractors Chosen to Build the Mayan Train’s First Segment Raise Eyebrows 

FONATUR also announced the winning bid chosen to build the first segment of the Mayan Train on Friday last week. This first segment will be built by the so-called “Lumat Consortium” primarily composed of prominent Portuguese infrastructure developer Mota Engil and Chinese parastatal China Communications Construction Company. Also in the consortium were Mexican companies Eyasa, Grupo Cosh and Gavil Ingeniería. The segment runs from Palenque, Chiapas to Escarcega, Campeche, and will come with a price tag of US$622.18 million. Reactions focused on past controversies that all of these contractors have been involved in. 

Bids to Build Mayan Train’s Third Segment Presented

Additionally, FONATUR presented the bids competing for the construction of the Mayan Train’s third segment yesterday. This segment will go from Calkini, Campeche to Izamal, Yucatan. A total of 16 bids were presented and they included many returning participants such as Slim’s CICSA, ICA, Grupo CEMZA and CAABSA, among others.

Cutzamala Leak Fixed 

CONAGUA reported a leak in Line 2 of the Cutzamala water supply system on Tuesday night. This leak was caused by routine maintenance operations on a gate valve and would represent a 50 percent cut in water supply to the entire Mexico City major metropolitan area. The leak was fixed a few hours after midnight that same night to facilitate the reestablishment of normal water supply service by Wednesday morning.