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More than 3,200 homes to be demolished for Maya Train project

Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) has identified more than 3,200 homes that need to be demolished to make room for the Maya Train.

The homes that will be affected first are located in the communities of Pénjamo, Tenosique, El Faisán and Icorsa, in the state of Tabasco and El Naranjo, Haro, Candelaria, Escárcega and Pixoyal in Campeche, as well as some in Yucatán.

Agreements were reached in early August for the first round of families moved to make room for train tracks. The relocation of the families is in coordination with the financing committee of the National Housing Commission (Conavi) as well as the Social Housing Program.

Fonatur has identified 2,294 properties with buildings for a total of 3,286 homes that must be (re)moved, which the agency says, adds up to 489,640 square meters for the Right of Way of the Maya Train.

Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (Fonatur) indicated that during the process, the families are offered homes in a relocated area and are economically supported during their move.

For the train, the federal government will require property relocation in all five state that the train will run through. Residents along the planned track in Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo will be asked to make adjustments, however, the government of Mexico says that “at no time will it generate displacements or forced evictions.”

“Various actions of housing and community are being contemplated in terms of development, which will give legal certainty to those who live on the Right of Way,” the federal government pointed out.

To carry out the relocation of homes, Fonatur entered the Acquisition Program for the relocation of human settlements in the Right of Way of the Maya Train Project to the Ministry of Finance, through which it requests a budget in excess of 3.5 billion peso.