Mexico’s Maya train to be rerouted

President López Obrador of Mexico announced on January 5 that the Maya Train development’s route would be modified after business owners and hoteliers in Playa del Carmen expressed concern about the rail system bisecting their city.

The Maya Train is expected to help further the development of Quintana Roo and the Riviera Maya. Prior to the pandemic, the president had announced the project would invest 600 million pesos into connecting some of the region’s most popular destinations and attractions, including several Mayan ruins within archeological parks.

According to Mexico News Daily, President López Obrador made the decision to reroute the train system in a spur of the moment, with Quintana Roo’s Governor Carlos Joaquín noting that the president had told him just last month that the train would continue being constructed parallel to Federal Highway 307, which bisects Playa del Carmen.

Wednesday’s announcement means that one of the president’s biggest infrastructure projects is to be changed. It’s unclear how this will occur and how investors, including foreign countries, will react to the change.