Maya Train Damage to 8 Cenotes Confirmed

Quintana Roo, Mexico — Eight caves and cenotes have been damaged by the construction of section 5 of the Maya Train and are now being treated due to the presence of concrete. This was acknowledged by the head of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), Alicia Bárcena Ibarra.

More than a year after the federal project was completed, this is the first time a official from the Presidential Cabinet has recognized the environmental damage that occurred in section 5, which runs from Cancún to Tulum, passing through Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos. This damage had previously been documented by environmentalists.

"Yes, we are very aware that in section 5, above all, there has been damage to the eight caves and cenotes located there. We have been working to ensure that cleanup work and the removal of concrete from the Maya Train project are carried out. We are on top of it, working," said Alicia Bárcena.

According to the environmental official, the goal is to regularize the project, although for now the priority will be to carry out the cleanup work.

This comes after the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denied that there were any damages, having previously stated that no trees would be cut down in the Mayan jungle.

During the previous presidential term, environmentalists, primarily from the group "Sélvame del Tren," reported damage to caves and cenotes. The most concrete case was that of "Dama Blanca," located approximately 10 kilometers west of Playa del Carmen, where local communal landowners sold their plots to the Federal government for the railway's path.

While this is happening, the Federal government's final expropriations for the Maya Train project have begun. This Tuesday, the adjudication of two properties on the Yucatán Peninsula was announced.

Furthermore, projects are advancing to complete the second phase of the infrastructure megaproject, which is to make it a freight line.

The company Tren Maya, founded by the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), initiated the public utility claim procedure for the Maya Train in Valladolid, Yucatán, and in Bacalar, a municipality in this state. This begins the regularization of the property where the railway project now passes.

Section 5

• Spans 121 kilometers
• 4 stations: Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum