Fonatur declares that the Maya Train would enter “La Plancha” after 2025

 Merida, Yucatan, (November 18, 2021).- The Maya Train would enter the “La Plancha”, in Downtown Mérida after 2025, confirmed the general director of the National Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonatur), Rogelio Jiménez Pons. 

He also stated that, in coordination with the state government, they will build a park in this area; and that in March 2022 the works of the train station that will be located in Teya would begin. 

The federal official said the above on November 17th, during his participation in the Tourism Investment Panel in Yucatan, which was held as part of the activities of the Tianguis Turistico de Mérida 2021. 

“We have a master plan, that sooner or later the train will arrive at ‘La Plancha’, although not at this stage, yes in the future,” he said. With the state government, he said, they are planning to carry out this project with an initial work and then development in about 30 hectares. ” he said. 

As of 2025, he specified, a new stage would be programmed to do so, that is, the new administrations would have to plan it to execute it in a concrete way.  

“We are going to leave the entire project, we did not do it because it was expected that there would be some protections, we said not to waste time and go inside,” he said. 

Regarding the stations, the architect said that there would be 31 stations and others would be stopped, the first ones have forced stops of the train and the others will be depending on the demand.

Therefore, he specified, they have opted for short trains, with different frequencies. “We bet more to increase the frequencies than the number of wagons, to start adapting to the market, it will take time, but the adaptation of the learning curve is at least five years,” he indicated. 

Regarding the complaints from civil groups that indicate that, although there are suspensions and protections to stop new works of the Maya Train, if work has been carried out in several sections of the project in the Yucatan peninsula, which they have documented through overflights, the official ruled out that this was true. 

“These are communication channels that are governed by a series of norms and laws, which need to be rehabilitated, and which are part of the pre-established system, these are not new works, it is to rehabilitate what already exists,” he said.

Source: La Jornada Maya