Sheinbaum Orders Final Tren Maya Handover to Military

Mexico City — President Claudia Sheinbaum will soon order the military-run state company Tren Maya S.A. to fully assume all pending matters related to the Tren Maya railway project, some of which remain under the responsibility of Fonatur Tren Maya.

Transfer of Responsibilities

The pending issues include payments to contractors, settlements, collections, cost adjustments, contract amendments, legal injunctions, administrative procedures, and other lawsuits—except labor disputes, which will remain under the purview of the National Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur). Additionally, Tren Maya S.A. must address observations and requirements from the Federal Audit Office (ASF).

According to the draft agreement published on Tuesday, “Tren Maya S.A. will take appropriate actions to recover any unresolved amounts that may be determined by the ASF, the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance (SABG), or any other competent authority, regarding the Tren Maya Project as part of the audits of Public Accounts from 2019 to 2024 and subsequent years.”

Deadline Extension

President Sheinbaum has also directed all agencies handling Tren Maya-related procedures to finalize the integration of records by December 31. This extends the deadline set by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had requested completion within three months after his term ended on September 30.

On February 28, Fonatur officially transferred the project’s assets to Tren Maya S.A., Gafsacomm (a military-run state company managing hotels and other tourist sites), and the National Institute of Anthropology and History. The total value of the transferred assets amounted to 470.428 billion pesos, including 396.843 billion pesos under the “construction” category, as stated in the external auditor’s report for Fonatur Tren Maya.

However, the agreement clarifies that the military company must cede to Fonatur any properties acquired by the latter that are not directly related to the railway’s implementation.

Prolonged Transition

The transfer process from Fonatur Tren Maya to Tren Maya S.A. has been ongoing since August 31, 2023, when López Obrador first issued the order, initially aiming for completion by December 31 of that year. However, the deadline was extended twice—first to September 12, 2024, and then by an additional six months on the final day of his administration due to unresolved procedures.

Outstanding matters included approval of the executive project by the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation; requests to the National Water Commission for federal water and land use permits; and construction and wastewater discharge permits.

Other pending procedures involved over 200 land expropriations (several decreed during the current administration), land-use changes, archaeological permits, federal, state, and municipal construction permits, technology security licenses, trademarks, patents, and environmental permits.