Judge suspends construction on Mexico's "Mayan Train" pending environmental review

Mexico's national tourism agency on Tuesday said a judge has ordered new work on the "Mayan Train" in parts of Yucatan state to be suspended amid a review of the rail project's environmental impact report.

Mexico's national tourism agency on Tuesday said a judge has ordered new work on the "Mayan Train" in parts of Yucatan state to be suspended amid a review of the rail project's environmental impact report. Various legal challenges have been filed against the Mayan Train, the government's flagship infrastructure project that is meant to link tourist zones around remote towns of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The case in the southeastern state of Yucatan marks the first time a judge has ordered a stay on new construction for the duration of legal hearings. It was unclear how long the case could take to resolve. "We will be waiting for this case to reach more impartial bodies and with greater knowledge of environmental law," the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur) said in a statement.

Fonatur said the suspension applied to the cities of Merida, Chocola, and Izamal, and that it would continue maintenance and modernization of existing rail in those areas, along with carrying out studies and applying for permits. Advocacy group Kanan Human Rights, one of the groups challenging the project, has argued that Fonatur did not make a full version of its environmental impact report available to the public.

It called the judge's suspension order on Friday an important step towards ensuring transparency and public participation. "With this, we will be able to demand the right to public information," Kanan Human Rights said in a statement.

 

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