Mexico plans to build a train in Chiapas

Amid the economic crisis faced by the country, the federal government will start the construction of a third train.

Besides the Mayan Train and the Tehuantepec Isthmus Train, the Mexican government plans to build a train between Tapachula, the international airport, and Chiapas’ port. It would cover 40.5 kilometers.

The Studies, Statistics, and Railway Registry (ARTF) issued a proposal for this new passenger train on August 11.

As in the case of the Tehuantepec Isthmus Train, the new passenger train will take advantage of existing railways that are currently not used. Both projects will be managed by third parties.

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The ARTF will carry out pre-investment studies in January 2021. The cost of the project was not revealed.

The document details the first stage of the project would cover four areas and it would later extend to Álvaro Obregón, Chiapas .

The new train would also connect 17 hospitals and 18,100 rural economic units. Moreover, it will benefit Tapachula residents, who will be over 443,000 by 2030.

In the description, the ARTF says the railways cover Tapachula ’s center and the local airport, and the port. Moreover, it explains the current transport systems in the city create a series of problems.

According to Chiapas’ 2019-2024 Development Plan, the state government hasn’t been able to consolidate the development of environmental sustainability; therefore, it is necessary to implement measures with an eco-regional vision.

The local government aims to boost the development of the region through several economic and transport programs.

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The Tehuantepec Isthmus Train

The Mayan Train is not the only rail project launched by the federal government.

Through the Rail Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF), Mexico’s federal government is working on a project known as the Tehuantepec Isthmus Train. The railway will cross from Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.

Although the government has yet to reveal the cost of the project in its 2021 Budget, EL UNIVERSAL had access to official documents sent to the Investment Department under the Finance Ministry. The document explains the train will cross 788 communities located in 29 townships in Oaxaca and Veracruz. The project aims to boost the local economy in the Tehuantepec Isthmus.

The Tehuantepec Isthmus Train will have 9 stations: Tehuantepec, Ixtepec, Matías Romero, Mogoñé, Jesús Carranza, Medias Aguas, Jáltipan, Minatitlán, and Chinameca.

The document argues the new train is essential because there are no “passenger trains in the region,” and adds that available transport services are busses and taxis.

Moreover, it explains the need to boost the local economy, while also respecting the history, culture, and traditions of the Isthmus.

In a bid to improve the local economy in southern Mexico, the federal government created the Program for the Development of the Tehuantepec Isthmus. Its core will be the Interoceanic Multimodal Corridor. This way, the project will take advantage of the Isthmus’ position to compete in international export markets through the use of different transportation methods.

The Mayan Train

The Mayan Train and all 932 miles of railroad that comprise it will be divided into three routes: The Gulf route coming out of Palenque, with stops in Tenosique, Chiapas, Escárcega, and Campeche, continuing north with stops in Maxcanú, Mérida, Izamal, Valladolid, and Cancún, where the Caribbean route will start, coming down to the Mayan Riviera, with stops in Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, and Bacalar. The Jungle route will go from Bacalar to Xpujil and Calakmul, in Campeche, continuing towards the Gulf route in Escárcega, Tenosique, and Palenque.

Within the circuit, the so-called “crown jewel,” according to Jiménez Pons, is Calakmul, a municipality located in Campeche that possesses an archaeological zone and an extremely important biosphere reserve.

In an interview with EL UNIVERSAL, the FONATUR director said that the train would attract 3 million people during the first years of operation. “We are aiming to attract the same amount of tourists that are currently going to Tulum.”

“The Calakmul biosphere reserve comprises 1,729,738 acres. The archeological reserve also spreads through thousands of acres. What we want is to distribute the tourist inflow so that they don’t accumulate in a single place, as is the case in Tulum. We want to redistribute tourism in the region.”

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