"Court decision to stop Tren Maya comes too late for ecosystems, critics say", 31 January 2025

...A court in Mexico on Monday halted the construction of two controversial train lines that critics said could damage the environment. But the decision comes so late that the lines are already built and surrounding ecosystems are feeling the impact, critics say.

Lines 5 and 7 of Tren Maya in southern Mexico are supposed to stop construction because of risks to important rainforests and cave ecosystems, and the failure of officials to comply with basic precautionary construction measures. One of the lines is already operational and the other is scheduled to begin service next month, making the court’s decision largely symbolic.

...[C]enote and cave ecosystems have been perforated by metal pilings. The caves contain freshwater for the region and support the forest ecosystems above ground. Activists in the area said construction is polluting the subterranean waters and that the caves could collapse under the weight of the train...

The megaproject has cleared around 4,139 hectares (10,228 acres) of lowland and medium rainforest and 2,246 hectares (5,550 acres) of medium deciduous forest...

“In some cases these impacts are irreversible,” said Carlos Mauricio Delgado Martínez, a member of the Ocelot Working Group, an NGO...

Semarnat and the Secretariat of National Defense didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.

The decision could have had a more real-world impact had the court moved faster, critics said...