Minister Fonseca: ‘No Formal Agreement Yet on Belize Joining Tren Maya’

A single car of the Tren Maya derailed near Mérida’s Izamal station on Tuesday, with no injuries or deaths reported. Director Óscar David Lozano said it was not a derailment but a “track error,” adding that “Just car 3 [of four] is off the track, so … it is leaning slightly on the MC1 of train 307, which is stationary. Car 4 is completely positioned on track 2.”

Authorities activated safety protocols, and passengers were taken to their destinations on company buses. The train, which operates between Cancún and Mérida, is still providing service at other stations. Lozano added he will coordinate with companies responsible for the railway’s safety and traffic systems.

This is the second incident near Izamal, after March 25, 2024, when a car went off the tracks due to “inadequate mechanical fastening of the track clamps.”

This incident adds to growing concerns over the massive interoceanic project, which has faced criticism for its environmental impact and ballooning costs. Meanwhile, supporters continue to hail it as a boost to the region’s tourism sector and economic growth in Central America.

Although Foreign Affairs Minister Francis Fonseca describes the project as being in its “very preliminary stages,” it is evident that Belize plays a crucial role in connecting the project’s railways to the region.

Those preliminary stages were still part of Friday’s trilateral meeting agenda between Prime Minister John Briceño and Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum and Guatemala’s president Bernardo Arévalo.

“What was done at the meeting was that a presentation was made by Mexico about the status of that project. We agreed that the technical teams would follow up to discuss a way forward,” Fonseca told News 5. “So, there’s a lot of work to be done there. There is no formal agreement that Belize will join the Tren Maya; that has not been made.”

Fonseca stated that Belize will conduct an analysis and engage in further discussions before “reaching that point.”

“But it’s something that we are looking at, we are interested in, but of course we have to take into account all of our environmental circumstances and many other issues,” he added.