Mayan Train Faces Complications even with Government Support

The Mayan Train will be “modern, touristic and cultural,” says President López Obrador, and will connect Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo through 1,500km of railway. According to the president, the construction project will not have a negative environmental impact and will ignite the economic development of regional tourism destinations like Cancun, Tulum, Calakmul, Palenque and Chichen Itza. The objective is to have the train finished in four years at a cost between US$6 billion and US$8 billion. According to Miguel Torruco, Minister of Tourism, the train will leave from Cancun Airport and travel through Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar, Campeche, Calakmul, Escarcega, Palenque, the city of Campeche, Merida and Chichen Itza, ending in Valladolid. 
AMLO has announced that the Mayan Train will be partially funded by the Mexican government, although he has stated that funding will not be not enough and has repeatedly called for the private sector to participate in its construction. In an attempt to make the offer more enticing, López Obrador has promised a governmental subvention for companies that participate in the project. However, the construction of the Mayan Train has not generated enthusiasm among the private sector and there has been disagreement over the source of the resources that the government will use for the project.
López Obrador’s election led to the elimination of CPTM and tourism authorities have said the money that was traditionally allocated for the promotional organization would be redirected toward the construction of the Mayan Train. This news has not been well-received and even though the private sector has offered its support for the Mayan Train, it has asked the president to maintain the budget for the country’s tourism promotion. Despite complaints, the project continues and the first public tenders for the construction of the first stage of the Mayan Train will be held in 2Q19. Authorities have explained that they will not start any work unless they have all the environmental authorizations and the respective consultations with the indigenous people of the affected areas.