Environmentalists Expand Legal Challenge to Maya Train Road in Tulum

Tulum, Quintana Roo — The environmental group Selvame MX has expanded its injunction against the construction of a road in the ejido Jacinto Pat, north of Tulum, arguing that the federal company behind the Maya Train lacks the legal authority to build such infrastructure.

Raúl Aldama Gavilán, the organization’s attorney, said the new arguments filed before the Fifth District Court focus on the corporate purpose and powers of the federal company Tren Maya, which was created primarily for railway infrastructure projects.

The court must now determine whether Tren Maya has the legal standing to carry out the road works, which Aldama said have continued even though the injunction remains pending.

The construction site sits above the Sac Actun system, one of the region’s largest underground freshwater rivers. Selvame MX also questions whether the project complied with environmental regulations, arguing that no proper environmental impact assessment was conducted for the area.

The group noted that in early 2025, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) placed closure seals on the site, but the work apparently went on.

José Urbina Bravo, a cave diver and founder of Selvame MX, warned that the underground rivers beneath the area hold significant freshwater reserves, and any ground disturbance could put that ecosystem at risk. He also challenged the project’s classification as a “saca cosechas” farm access road, which allowed it to receive an environmental exemption, and noted that the road is more than 10 meters wide and cuts through jungle.

As the litigation continues, Selvame MX is asking the courts to decide whether the road project meets the required legal and environmental standards while construction proceeds in the ecologically sensitive area.