Mexican Government Deploys Marines for Temporary Occupation of Private Rail Line

The administration of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has sent marines to occupy a segment of a privately operated railroad in the country’s southern region. Described as a “temporary” measure in the “public interest,” the government is taking control of the rail section as part of its efforts to modernize the rail-to-sea network on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The government’s project, known as the Inter-Oceanic Corridor, aims to enhance Mexico’s economy and compete with the Panama Canal in facilitating trade.

The unexpected takeover of the railroad on Friday surprised Grupo Mexico Transportes, the private transportation conglomerate managing the rail line. Grupo Mexico Transportes released a statement expressing its analysis of the “surprising and unusual takeover” by the armed forces. In response to the development, the company’s shares experienced a more than four percent drop on Friday afternoon.

The Mexican government has assured Grupo Mexico Transportes of compensation for the seizure, affecting approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) of rail between Medias Aguas and the port city of Coatzacoalcos. Trains continue to operate on the line under the surveillance of the armed forces.

This incident follows a previous accusation against the López Obrador administration, where the United States-based company Vulcan Materials claimed that Mexican police and military members forced their way onto docks at a port operated by Vulcan Materials. The soldiers allegedly facilitated the unloading of materials for the government’s Mayan Train project on the Yucatán Peninsula.

President López Obrador has been a strong advocate for the Mayan Train project, a 1,500-kilometer rail line circling the Yucatán Peninsula. Despite opposition from various groups, including Indigenous, environmental, and archaeological concerns, López Obrador aims to complete the project before the end of his term in September 2024.

In a recent setback, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that the government lacked the right to designate the Mayan Train and other infrastructure projects as “national security” issues to expedite construction. However, López Obrador responded by issuing an order reinstating the “national security” designation, covering projects like the Mayan Train and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec rail-to-sea network.

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