Source by Protoplasmakid – Own Work, CC By –a 4.0
The project of Tren Maya (Maya train) is part of a large project in South America, aimed at revolutionizing the local tourism market. In particular, it is a large long interurban railway network 1,500 km which crosses the peninsula of Yucatán, By connecting cities to different regions (Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche and Quintana Roo), archaeological sites and tourist attractions.
The Tren Maya project and its path
From the engineering point of view it is a project that has brought with it several challenges for designers. First of all, as already anticipated, the path that the Tren Maya follows is well long 1,500 km, articulating itself through the Mexican regions of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The maximum speed that the convoys will touch is of 160 km/h. They are designed for the transport of goods and, above all, of people. These convoys, which are called “Xiinbal“, They are designed by the French Alfa company.
Initially, a diesel diet had been thought of, even if then it was subsequently opted to make more than half of the fully electrified path. From the point of view of infrastructure interventions, the construction of the Tren Maya will require the creation of a whole series of infrastructures such as bridges, viaducts, galleries, In the end the Tren Maya will provide for the presence of 36 stations, And 6 deposits.
The train is part of Mundo Maya: a cutting -edge tourist project
The Tren Maya project is part of a wider design concept, which takes the name of Mundo Mayawhich consists of a profound work of cooperation between countries that insist on the Mesoamerican area (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras) In order to promote local tourism with a view to sustainability, aimed at enhancing the historical and cultural heritage offered by the archaeological sites of the ancient Mayan civilization.
This important tourist project was wanted by Munda Maya Organization, which is a local organization that will manage and coordinate all the phases of conception and realization also of the important infrastructures that will be carried out on site.
Challenges and criticisms of the Maya train
Among the most significant engineering challenges, there are certainly those concerning the geological and environmental impact consequent to the realization of the mega project. The area on which the railway infrastructure will be passed is characterized by a highly unstable soil, characterized by inlets and underground cavities. In this sense, even some organizations for the protection of the environment would have accused the companies that work to the construction of the project of having thrown concrete directly into the caves and in the caves, and of having deliberately destroyed some rocky and speleological formations of undoubted naturalistic value. In addition, the Tren Maya project has been the subject of criticism relating to the deforestation necessary in order to build the route on which the railway will pass.
