Opposition
Environmental and indigenous rights activists objected to construction of new tracks through the jungle.[11][12]
On the 26th anniversary of its armed uprising, January 1, 2020, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation expressed its opposition to the project and declared that the consultation provided only positive information to voters prior to voting.[86]
Groups close to the National Indigenous Congress (CNI) plan to seek injunctions against the train project and other construction in the region. The CNI is looking at three-pronged action: social awareness campaigns, media campaigns, and legal actions.[87] On January 28, 2020, a judge in Campeche issued a temporary injunction against construction of the railway because it was approved in a "simulated consultation."[88] In a visit to the city of Campeche, President López Obrador defended the train and pointed out that not only had the train received its greatest support in the state of Campeche, but also that more than half the route would run through the state—worth MXN $60 billion of the $130 billion the government plans to invest in total. He said the section from Escárcega to Cancún should be open for tourist, passenger, and freight traffic in 2023, but that the route will not pass through the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.[89]
In November 2020 the Regional Indigenous Council of Xpujil delivered a petition with 268,000 signatures to the Campeche Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources asking that the project be suspended because of environmental concerns.[90] Residents of Chocholá, Mérida, and Izamal, in Yucatán obtained a temporary delay in construction in January 2021 until Fonatur and SEMARNAT report on an environmental impact assessment.[91]
On March 3, 2021, an injunction was filed by 80 people from Campeche who fear eviction from their homes. The First District Court in Campeche granted them the provisional suspension. Yucatán's fourth district court also ordered a stop to construction.[92] The brought the total number of injunctions filed in the Yucatán Peninsula to 16 in March 2021,[93] increasing to at least 25 by January 2022. Most of the injunctions have been filed by indigenous collectives who consider the project to be an environmental disaster.[94] Court rulings are not binding on Tren Maya because it has been declared a national security project.[95] The injunctions have had little effect, and construction continues.[92] López Obrador has criticized the saliency in opposition to the train as a partisan attempt to halt his administration's infrastructure projects.[96][97]
A group of celebrities, including comedian Eugenio Derbez, singers Rubén Albarrán and Natalia Lafourcade, and actress Kate del Castillo, as part of the Sélvame del Tren ("Save me from the Train", a play on words between Sálvame meaning Save Me, and Selva meaning jungle) campaign, has expressed opposition to the train.[98]
In July 2022 residents of Chemax barricaded surrounding roads, bringing construction to a halt. They say the government has violated its agreement by clearing the jungle and failing to provide promised infrastructure.[99]
However, according to Etienne von Bertrab, a specialist in political ecology at University College London (UCL) and co-founder of an interdisciplinary study group on the implications of the Maya Train, opposition to the project "is above all a media campaign, driven by a few collectives, but it is by no means a social movement. They have no popular support." The vast majority of the population of the states concerned seem to support the Mayan Train.[4]
Environmental concerns
As of January 2021, workers and archeologists had uncovered more than 8,000 ancient artifacts and structures during construction.[100]
The National Alliance for Conservation of the Jaguar has identified twelve wildlife corridors that could be constructed to mitigate the situation for the jaguars that live in the area.[101]
The Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental environmental group has accused Fonatur of deforestation along the route, not accounted for in the environmental impact assessment and without acquiring the necessary permits.[102] In November 2021 the Interior Department exempted Tren Maya and other infrastructure projects from environmental review.[103]
In March 2022, Greenpeace organizers tied themselves to heavy machinery as a protest against construction in Quintana Roo that involves cutting down the jungle without environmental studies having been made.
