Environmental activists are warning that structural damage to columns that support the tracks of the Maya Train endangers the operation of the railway and presents a risk of environmental damage that was foreseen but not addressed.
The environmental collective Selvame MX, comprising activists, divers and specialists dedicated to protecting the Yucatán Peninsula’s biodiversity, with particular focus on the Maya Forest and its aquifer, had elicited assurances from a construction company that it would repair the damaged columns.
Lo que especialistas advirtieron en 2024 hoy es una realidad alarmante
Imágenes exclusivas obtenidas por @SelvameMX el pasado 15 de enero de 2026, revelan que las camisas de acero de los pilotes que sostienen el Tramo 5 del #TrenMaya se están desintegrando.
Pepe Tiburón nos… pic.twitter.com/GQE0ivJH9O
— Fuerza Informativa Azteca (@AztecaNoticias) January 23, 2026
The activists published a video of the damage on social media and included a message that said: “We did a dive to check if they had repaired the damage as promised, but we found that [a previously discovered damaged] column …from which tons of concrete spilled, is still there.”
Other fractured pilings with visible signs of deterioration were documented underwater. Selvame MX says the metal cladding of the columns has detached, exposing the structures and allowing the dispersal of contaminants.
The columns in question pierce the aquifer system of the Maya jungle in the state of Quintana Roo and have been the source of considerable criticism from the outset of the Maya Train project.
Last year, the Environment Ministry confirmed that construction of the Maya Train had indeed caused environmental damage, particularly to Section 5, where at least eight caverns and cenotes were significantly compromised to accommodate the train.
Selvame MX claims that surrounding the damaged column are others that reflect the poor construction and low-quality materials used. The organization maintains that the documented situation represents only a fraction of the problem, since they are only able to supervise the areas to which they have access.
They allege that the contamination of the aquifer by the corrosion of these metal cylinders meant to contain the concrete was foreseen and accepted by the promoters of the Maya Train project.
“These cylinders are corroding away,” they explained. “They serve no support function; they were destined to disappear.”
As a result, Selvame MX insists, the concrete poured inside the cylinders will eventually be exposed to water and will degrade, without any possibility of repair, due to the inaccessibility of the columns.
With reports from Infobae and Palco Noticias
