Over 90% in support for train development in Mexico

By Sierra Juarez

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AA) – The Mexican government announced on Monday that over 90% of people polled who live in communities surrounding a proposed railroad are in support of the development.

The project is known as the Mayan Train, a 1,400-kilometer railroad that will connect several touristic regions in the southeast part of the country. The government hopes the plan will help promote tourism in states like Chiapas and Campeche.

The plan is expected to boost employment in the region, as well.

Over the weekend, the government conducted public assemblies throughout the region to find out how the communities affected by the project feel about the possible development.

At the public assemblies, a little over 100,000 people in five different states submitted their opinion on whether they were in agreement with the project. Only about 7% of people surveyed were against the plan.

Because of the positive results in the public assemblies, the Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced in a press conference on Monday that the government would begin bidding for the project in early January.

In the past, the project has sparked controversy, especially in indigenous communities. There have been concerns that the project construction will affect indigenous land, the environment and endangered animals.

Since the beginning of the proposal, the Mexican president has said he would not go through with the project if the local communities were not in support.