Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Ministry (Semarnat) approved on Monday the construction of the Maya Train cargo terminal in Cancún, with 260 hectares of jungle expected to be cleared for its development.

The approval represents a step toward the completion of the state-owned Maya Train’s freight network, which is expected to be operational next year. 

The approval of the Environmental Impact Statement, submitted in March, will allow for the construction of the Cancún Multimodal Terminal, south of the city’s international airport and east of the passenger Maya Train station. 

Mexico’s Defense Ministry will have 18 months to complete the project, with a reported public investment of 7.76 billion pesos (US $415 million). 

The new terminal will house 28 facilities, including warehouses, a hazardous waste storage site, housing for National Guard officers and train crews, a customs inspection area and other cargo service infrastructure. 

It will connect to Section Five of the Maya Train, which runs south to Playa del Carmen and Quintana Roo, as well as to Section Four, which connects with the Mérida and Campeche stations. 

Semarnat has said that an additional permit will be required from the Safety, Energy and Environment Agency (ASEA) for the installation of two diesel storage tanks for locomotive fueling, with a combined capacity of 240,000 liters. 

The new terminal will cover approximately 261 ha (645 acres), with 259.5 ha of forest to be cleared for its construction, according to the MIA. 

Environmentalists around the globe have expressed concern over Mexico’s Maya Train development in recent years, as the railway traverses some of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems, including thousands of subterranean caves as well as extensive jungle. 

Semarnat’s assessment of the new terminal development showed that 12 at-risk wildlife species are present in the area, including the endemic ocellated turkey. 

With reports from El Economista, Mexico Business News and Reuters