Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised that the controversial Mayan Train, one of the emblematic works of his six-year term, will begin operating in December 2023.
As he usually does on weekends, the Latin American leader flew over the construction zone of the project, which includes 1,554 kilometers of railroad tracks to connect important cities and tourist destinations in Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Campeche, in the Mexican southeast, to see the progress, and took the opportunity to keep his promise to complete the project.
“Today, we held two evaluation meetings and flew over the Merida-Campeche-Escarcega section of the Mayan Train, the station, the hotel, and the archeological zone of Edzná, a jewel.”
“In Chetumal, we evaluated sections 1, 6, and 7 of the Mayan Train. Today (Saturday, May 6), we flew over the Chetumal-Tulum-Cancun-Merida route and had two meetings to verify progress at the Tulum airport and on sections 5, 4, and 3,” López Obrador said.
“We are going to inaugurate this great work of 1,554 kilometers in December, rain, thunder or lightning, with the favor of science and the creator,” added the president on his Twitter account, in a text accompanied by an image of him aboard an aircraft from where he can see the construction site.
On May 7, López Obrador also shared that he flew over the Mérida-Campeche-Escárcega section of the project, which aims to boost tourism in the region, which contains some of the most important entertainment destinations in the country, such as Cancún.
In this Sunday tour, he also observed “the station, the hotel, and the archaeological zone of Edzná, a jewel”, said the president.
A settlement of the Mayan civilization, the Mexican southeast combines tourist destinations of different ranges, such as the island of Holbox and the historic city of Tulum, with a rich archeological tradition, which multiplies the cultural interest of the area.
Together with the Dos Bocas refinery in Tabasco, the Inter-Oceanic Corridor, and the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), the Mayan Train is one of the emblematic works of López Obrador’s six-year term, which is nearing completion in September 2024.
With information from Sputnik