Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The federal government has expropriated more than 33 hectares from the Laguna Om ejido, a forest community in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, for the construction of the Maya Train freight line. This marks the third such taking from the ejido since 2023.
Laguna Om is an 84,000-hectare forest ejido located between the Sian Ka’an and Calakmul biosphere reserves. In 2018, its residents voluntarily designated 35,000 hectares as the first Area Voluntarily Destined for Conservation (ADVC) in Quintana Roo, under the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp). The community’s main economic activities have traditionally been tropical forestry, chicle extraction, and slash-and-burn agriculture.
The latest expropriation decree, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, cites “public utility” as the justification. The land will be used for railway infrastructure, right-of-way, and complementary works for the Maya Train project. If not used for that purpose, the land must be returned to the agrarian nucleus.
The first expropriation occurred in December 2023, when the federal government took 134-08-06 hectares. A second taking in August 2024 removed 12-24-81 hectares. The current decree covers 33-24-81 hectares.
According to the valuation report from the Institute of Administration and Appraisals of National Assets (Indaabin), the company Tren Maya, S.A. de C.V. must pay 6,552,761.40 pesos (about $350,000) in compensation to the ejidatarios.
The decree states that the ejido’s commissariat was notified of the expropriation request on October 10, 2025, and given 10 business days to respond. “During that period, they made no statements,” the document says.
The Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development will execute the expropriation once Tren Maya proves it has made the indemnification payment.
