Opposition Candidate in Mexico’s Presidential Election Calls the Mayan Train “The Serial Killer of the Environment”

Xóchitl Gálvez, the presidential candidate of the Strength and Heart for Mexico alliance (Wikimedia Commons).

Xóchitl Gálvez, the leading opposition candidate in Mexico’s 2024 presidential election, called the Mayan Train “the serial killer of the environment” in a video released on April 6, 2024. This massive transportation project, initiated by the government of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), will connect tourist hubs like Cancún on the Yucatán Peninsula with other inland locations.

Announced in 2018, the train began operation on December 15th, 2023 after completing its first trip from Cancún to the city of Campeche. According to the Mayan Train’s official website, the project’s mission is to contribute to the social well-being of southeastern Mexico.

The project has met fierce opposition from environmentalists due to concerns over habitat destruction and fragmentation of the highly biodiverse Mayan rainforest. One analysis from August 2023 by CartoCrítica, a Mexican NGO, found that over 6,500 hectares have been deforested for the construction of the Mayan Train. CartoCrítica’s analysis also revealed that 87% of this deforestation occurred without legally required approvals. 

This was partially enabled by a decree issued by AMLO’s government in 2021 that required agencies to approve infrastructure projects deemed to be in the Mexican national interest. Gálvez stated that AMLO’s governance, known as the Fourth Transformation, has destroyed the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, and the National Forest Commission, according to El Universal. 

Viridiana Maldonado, a lawyer for the Mexican Center for Environmental Law, said that some of the land cleared is within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. In addition, the train’s path runs above caves and subterranean groundwater reserves known as cenotes, many of which are yet to be mapped. Water experts such as Guillermo D’Cristy believe that the weight and vibration of the Mayan Train, in combination with steel beams constructed underground, could damage or collapse some of these fragile geological structures.

Emiliano Monroy-Rios, a geochemist from Northwestern University, expressed concerns over the possibility of diesel from the train leaking into these water systems. Beyond damaging the ecosystem, such a leak could also contaminate the Great Maya Aquifer, which provides drinking water for millions of people.

Perceptions of the project among indigenous Mayan communities, who are numerous throughout the Yucatán, are mixed. Some have benefited, like those among the 180 families paid sums equivalent to $40,000 to relocate away from the train path in Tulum. Others, citing the project’s impacts on the cenotes and jungles that many Mayans depend on, are less optimistic. The project has also resulted in the discovery—and occasional destruction—of previously buried Mayan ruins and temples.

Despite these controversies, 92.3% of respondents voted “yes,” for the Mayan train in a 2019 referendum held by the Mexican government. However, this represents just 2.86% of the electorate in municipalities where the referendum was held, according to ContraRepública. 

The 2024 Mexican presidential election will take place on June 2, with 29% of voters saying they will vote for Gálvez as of March 2024. 54% of voters said they would vote for the candidate of AMLO’s party, Claudia Sheinbaum, who has stated her support for the Mayan Train