Quintana Roo, Mexico — A federal court has ordered the suspension of construction on the fifth section of Mexico’s Maya Train project after determining the work caused environmental damage to the region’s ecosystems.
The court granted a permanent injunction to the environmental group Sélvame del Tren, which filed a legal challenge against the environmental impacts of the rail line’s construction and operation. The ruling also requires Mexico’s Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) to conduct verification, inspection, and protection actions at the construction site.
The affected section connects the tourist destinations of Cancún and Playa del Carmen along the Yucatan Peninsula coast. The Maya Train is the flagship infrastructure project of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration.
“This achievement is an important step toward protecting our natural resources and guarantees that verification, inspection, conservation, and protection actions will be carried out in response to the public complaints presented,” the environmental organization said in a statement.
Guillermo DChristy, president of Sélvame del Tren, said the court’s decision means public complaints must be addressed and ecosystem protection cannot be ignored.
“It’s not just a legal achievement. It’s a clear message: nature has rights and organized civil society can make an impact,” DChristy said. “Thanks to every person who has sustained this cause with information, presence, and conviction. We continue working for a development model that respects life. Environmental protection is a responsibility.”
The court also instructed Profepa’s General Directorate of Crimes, Communications, Complaints, and Claims to address reports of damage to the area’s ecosystems caused by the construction project.
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