Sheinbaum estimates 83 billion pesos to complete the Mayan and Interoceanic Trains

Mexico City. Among the projects she is outlining for the start of her administration, the virtual president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, estimated that 48 billion pesos will be required to complete the Interoceanic Train project and 35 billion pesos more to finish the works on the Mayan Train, since in the case of the latter, it will be sought that in a maximum of two years it will also be a freight train with the same tracks and additional works that are in charge of the Secretariat of National Defense, while in the Interoceanic, it is expected that it can reach Guatemala and Dos Bocas.

And in the style of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the future president revealed her intention to write a book about the transition process, which she considered historic.

In a press conference after meeting with the governors in office and elected from Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatán, Sheinbaum Pardo said that “just because we are going to develop trains to the north-central area does not mean we are going to abandon the southeast. Investment in the southeast and the development of all the well-being centers will continue.”

For the southeast, he explained that “the projects that we have proposed as priorities are the completion of the Mayan Train as a freight train, which also means an extension to Puerto Progreso, in the case of Yucatan, and the completion of the interoceanic line, which has to do with a line that goes to Guatemala and the other that goes through Tabasco to Dos Bocas, which are also about to be completed. We are determining whether it can be completed in one year or if it will take two years.”

At the same time, he said that there will be a series of important mobility projects for each of the entities of the Republic.

In the case of the Mayan Train, he explained that an investment of around 35 billion pesos is required for it to also be a freight train, in addition to other additional works that are required.

“There are about 35 billion pesos of investment required to be able to build the Mayan Train, a cargo train. Obviously, it goes along the same tracks, that already includes what goes to Progreso, with the same tracks, but it requires additional infrastructure of intermodal parks and cargo storage, etc. So, the project is already there, the Ministry of National Defense also has it, they would develop it. And what we are seeing is if it can be completed in a year or a year and a half, or two years, but it would be two years at the most to be able to have the Mayan Train operating as a cargo train.

Meanwhile, after President López Obrador reported that on Wednesday he met with the next Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, the virtual president-elect highlighted that there is a “smooth transition, where we will give continuity to the fourth transformation,” and stressed that she already knew they had that meeting.

“We have talked a lot about what I call the historic transition, because, in fact, I am writing about it, because there is no transition in the history of Mexico like the one that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and we are having,” he said.

Moments later, he expressed his hope that, just as the Tabasco native has done, he will be able to find time to write about it.

Asked if she wants to write a book, she replied: “I hope I can do that, if I have time, to be able to share with all Mexicans what this process has been like. And I made the decision because every night that we do these tours, I write about both emotional issues and what we saw during the day. And so I already have a lot of notes about what we have experienced and I think it is worth sharing. I hope we can do it… everything depends on time. The president has the ability to govern, to write books, so I hope to have that possibility with time as well.”

Remembering that in other six-year terms throughout the country’s history, despite the continuation of a government from the same party, there have been breakups and divisions, in the current transition period what has been proposed is the continuity of the fourth transformation.

“We are going to continue many projects and that is very good for Mexico. For example, imagine that I said the Mayan Train, no, no more, no more, well no more, (now) it is a freight train. Why? Because President López Obrador did it and I want to distinguish myself from the president, because that would be absurd.” Moments before, he pointed out that “there are adversaries who would like there to be a break. Well, there won’t be one, because we are part of the same project and we will face different historical moments, and also each one of us has his own way of governing.”

With the governors of the southern and southeastern parts of the country, Sheinbaum Pardo insisted that the joint work aims to avoid presenting proposals that cannot be fulfilled, so after analyzing the possible works, she will announce the priority projects on October 1.