Mexico eyes Quintana Roo infra projects to complement Maya train

The Mexican government has confirmed plans to develop four infrastructure projects in Quintana Roo state to complement the US$7.5bn Maya train, whose route includes 300km and eight stations in the state. 

The projects should be completed by 2023 when the 1,500km passenger and freight railway is due to start operating. 

Works involve a new airport, an almost 9km bridge over a 7,400ha lagoon, a new cruise dock for the Caribbean island of Cozumel and a light rail transportation system for vacation hub Cancún. 

Some of the projects were confirmed by Quintana Roo’s strategic projects agency Agepro earlier this year, others were included in the list of 39 infrastructure projects that the government presented this week and one was recently announced by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

Investment of over 40bn pesos (US$1.86bn) requires a mix of state, federal and private sector resources.

• Cruise dock in Cozumel: 511mn pesos
• Nichupté bridge: 4.7bn pesos
• Cancún’s light transport system: 32.9bn pesos
• Tulum airport: N/A

BNamericas takes a look at the projects, although more could be added.

TULUM AIRPORT

AMLO recently confirmed the construction of a new airport to serve vacation hub Tulum, which is about 130km from Cancún international airport. 

Work on the project is expected to begin early 2021 and  construction will be awarded to defense ministry Sedena, which is currently building the Felipe Ángeles international airport (AIFA) in Mexico state, the president said in his morning press conference on Tuesday. 

Planning for the project began some 10 years ago during the administration of Felipe Calderón (2006-12). The federal government still owns the rights to about 1,500ha of land in the city to build the airport, AMLO said.

He also said the project would be finished by 2023 and reduce traffic at Cancún airport given that the Maya rail line will boost tourism in Mexico’s southeastern region. 

Other plans to complement the Maya train include expanding and modernizing airports in Yucatán, Chiapas and Campeche states, AMLO said, without disclosing more details. 

It is still unclear how much investment the Tulum project will require, but given that Sedena will construct it, it is likely that the federal government will finance the work. 

COZUMEL CRUISE DOCK

Local operator Muelles del Caribe will begin construction of Cozumel’s fourth cruise dock in December, according to the presentation of Mexico’s new national infrastructure program (PNI) on Monday.

The program only disclosed the name of the company that would finance its development and the agreed investment, and more details are awaited. 

The expansion of the Cozumel terminal has been sought for some time given that it is one of the world’s most popular cruise destinations, according to a report Spanish news agency EFE published in August 2019. But environmentalists have fought to prevent its further growth. 

In September 2019, the environment ministry refused to grant a permit to SSA Mexico to expand the area, local media reported. 

The cruise terminal has been modified at least 12 times in recent years, EFE said. 

NICHUPTÉ BRIDGE

Another project included in the updated version of the PNI is the 8.7km bridge that will cross the Nichupté lagoon facing Cancún's hotel district. 

The bridge was proposed by Agrepo in its portfolio of strategic projects in 2018, but it was not until January that the state agency began to seek investment from the private sector to start construction in 2022. 

In July, Agrepo set a calendar to begin the bidding process in Q3 and start construction in Q4. But the recently announced PNI says the works will be launched by March 2021. 

Its costs, however, have remained fairly consistent, increasing only about 1mn pesos between the two announcements. The latest figure was 4.7bn pesos. 

The bridge will improve mobility by linking the Luis Donaldo Colosio and Kukulkán boulevards, which run parallel to each other. The original plan involves awarding a 30-year concession to design, construct, operate and maintain the bridge. 

Agepro invited Controladora de Operaciones de Infraestructura, a subsidiary of ICA, to submit a bid in May, according to local news site Luces del Siglo, but neither the company nor the agency has confirmed the report. 

BNamericas requested an interview with the state agency, but it has not responded. 

CANCÚN’S LIGHT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

Agepro also announced plans this year to launch a tender to construct a light transportation system to connect the urban area of Cancún with the city’s airport and one of the Maya train’s stations. 

Few details have been provided since, but the agency scheduled the submission of proposals for the almost 33bn-peso project for 1Q21. 

Agepro director Eduardo Ortiz Jasso told daily Milenio in August that five international consortiums had shown interest in building the system. 

The consortiums interested are based in Asia, Europe and Canada and they are currently developing their own studies, he said, although he did not mention their names.

The system is one of the goals of the state’s 2018-30 urban development program along with the Cancún-Tulum tourist train and the Nichupté bridge. It was first proposed in 2018. 

Early details show it will involve a 47km rail link to connect the main thoroughfare in the city's hotel district with Cancún international airport and the Maya train station that will be on stretches four and five of the network.

More technical details about the project can be read here. 

Photo credit: Pexels