Maya Train: $20 Billion Megaproject Cuts Jungle in Half, Extending 1,525 Km

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 16/01/2024 at 14:21

Foto: Divulgação/Tren Maya

Be the first to react!

The Tren Maya, an ambitious project for a railway in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, extends over 1,525 km, aiming to revitalize the historically disadvantaged region. Initiated in September 2018 by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the project, managed by the National Tourism Development Fund (FONATUR), aims to reduce poverty and boost tourism.

However, the Tren Maya has come under scrutiny and concerns. Environmentalists, academics, and local communities question its impact on the delicate ecosystem of the region, including the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its effect on endangered species such as jaguars. Moreover, nearly 3,000 families have been displaced for the construction of the railway.

Construction Of The Railway

The construction of the railway began in December 2018, with a symbolic ceremony led by Lopez Obrador. In June 2020, several companies were hired for sections 1 to 5, while the Mexican armed forces were responsible for sections 6 and 7. The project includes the construction of 21 main stations and 14 stops, with parts of the route being electrified to accommodate passenger and freight trains.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Cost Of The Tren Maya

Initially, the cost of the Tren Maya was projected at US$ 7.4 billion, but recent estimates point to up to US$ 20 billion, nearly triple the initial budget. The majority of the funds come from a tourist tax in the region, with additional contributions from other government programs.

Although the project promises to increase tourism and create job opportunities, it faces serious environmental and social issues. The construction has resulted in significant environmental damage, with the clearing of millions of trees and threats to the world’s largest cave system, which houses an important aquifer. And of course, the alteration of routes and military oversight of the project have raised concerns about transparency and long-term impacts.

With operations expected to begin in December 2023, the Tren Maya represents a milestone in infrastructure development in the region, but also a question mark over the environmental and social sustainability of megaprojects.

Maya Train: $20 Billion Megaproject Cuts Jungle in Half, Extending 1,525 Km

Construction Of The Railway

Cost Of The Tren Maya

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Germany installed vertical solar panels on a lake in Bavaria, and the result broke conventional logic: instead of producing energy at midday peak, the plant generates more early in the morning and in the evening, exactly when families turn on appliances and factories are in full swing.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

Thyssenkrupp invests R$ 50 million in a rare factory in Brazil to expand the production of truck suspension systems, serve brands like Scania, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen, and transform São Paulo into a strategic base for automotive exports.

NASA satellite image shows a giant mark left by fires in Georgia, where extreme drought, winds, and remnants of Hurricane Helene helped the fire advance over more than 22,000 hectares in an area visible from space.

Second large cruise ship built in China departs from Shanghai for testing with 937 professionals from 12 countries on board. Adora Flora City is 341 meters long, has 2,130 cabins, and a capacity for over 5,200 passengers.

BRICS Bank prepares to issue bonds in Indian rupees after already operating with South African rands and Chinese yuan, Dilma Rousseff says that issuing in local currency is a crucial matter to ensure the institution’s autonomy in the face of programs financed in dollars.

Federal government activates permanent digital fine mesh that cross-references data from CadÚnico with Receita Federal, CNIS, and eSocial in real-time.

Maya Train: $20 Billion Megaproject Cuts Jungle in Half, Extending 1,525 Km

The Controversial Megaproject Tren Maya, A Railway Enterprise Of US$ 20 Billion, Is About To Transform The Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. With 1,525 Km In Length, The Project Aims To Boost Tourism And Economic Development, But Faces Severe Criticism For Its Potential Environmental And Social Impacts.

Construction Of The Railway

Cost Of The Tren Maya

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Germany installed vertical solar panels on a lake in Bavaria, and the result broke conventional logic: instead of producing energy at midday peak, the plant generates more early in the morning and in the evening, exactly when families turn on appliances and factories are in full swing.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

40 kg of bananas no longer descend mountains on workers’ backs and instead fly by drone in Yunnan, as China trains new rural pilots to turn agricultural transport into a profession.

Crisis in Ormuz boosts traffic through the Panama Canal and transforms the strategic route into an unexpected money-making machine for the Central American country amid the current and urgent global maritime chaos.

The world’s largest immersed tunnel is being sunk in 79 concrete segments between Germany and Denmark to shorten the Hamburg–Copenhagen journey by 4 hours.

Expensive shipping causes 57% of consumers to abandon online shopping in Brazil, according to a Nuvemshop survey.

While Ferrogrão has been stalled for 16 years in Brazil, Chinese engineers are drilling 34.5 km of rock under Gaoligong Mountain to open Asia’s largest railway tunnel.

Thyssenkrupp invests R$ 50 million in a rare factory in Brazil to expand the production of truck suspension systems, serve brands like Scania, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen, and transform São Paulo into a strategic base for automotive exports.

NASA satellite image shows a giant mark left by fires in Georgia, where extreme drought, winds, and remnants of Hurricane Helene helped the fire advance over more than 22,000 hectares in an area visible from space.

Second large cruise ship built in China departs from Shanghai for testing with 937 professionals from 12 countries on board. Adora Flora City is 341 meters long, has 2,130 cabins, and a capacity for over 5,200 passengers.

BRICS Bank prepares to issue bonds in Indian rupees after already operating with South African rands and Chinese yuan, Dilma Rousseff says that issuing in local currency is a crucial matter to ensure the institution’s autonomy in the face of programs financed in dollars.

Federal government activates permanent digital fine mesh that cross-references data from CadÚnico with Receita Federal, CNIS, and eSocial in real-time.