Sawt Falasteen - Mexico's Maya Train opens, despite environmental concerns

"It is a magnum opus" that was built "in record time," said Lopez Obrador in his daily morning conference before the opening ceremony, praising participation of the armed forces in the railway's development.

The left-wing leader was due to board the first run of the tourist train between the colonial city of Campeche and the Caribbean resort of Cancun, Mexico's leading tourist destination that welcomed 34 million foreign visitors between January and October, according to official figures.

The stretch of rail being inaugurated Friday is the first of seven sections that will cover a total of 1,554 kilometers (965 miles) around the Yucatan Peninsula, an area rich in flora, fauna and archaeological ruins. The others will be operational in the first quarter of 2024.

The route includes parts of the Mayan Riviera, which covers a jungle region considered the second-most important forest reserve in Latin America after the Amazon, as well as cenotes -- freshwater caves -- and underground rivers.

Activists and environmental organizations said the project caused massive damage to the region's ecosystem, dubbing it an "ecocide," and succeeded in temporarily halting work through legal appeals.

But Lopez Obrador issued a decree declaring the infrastructure works a matter of "national security" and construction resumed.

Greenpeace and other NGOs have warned that the train threatens to contaminate cenotes and underground rivers in particular.

They also point out danger of the ground collapsing due to the weight of the structure, in addition to affecting flora and fauna.

The Mexican president has called the protesters "pseudo-environmentalists" and has defended the work on several occasions, promising to plant millions of trees in the area.

A.AlHaj--SF-PST