Mexican army to continue involvement in infra projects – defense minister

Despite the requests of the private sector to stop the Mexican army’s involvement in infrastructure projects, new defense minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said the military will continue to support the federal government in the area during the new Claudia Sheinbaum administration.

On Monday night, the army held a ceremony to transfer the leadership of the ministry from Luis Cresencio Sandoval González to Trevilla Trejo. 

“We will continue to be a strategic ally in the development of infrastructure and priority projects of the federal government, with total honesty and accountability,” said Trevilla during his first speech as minister, according to daily El Universal.

The private construction sector repeatedly asked the previous administration to “have the military return to security-related tasks, instead of being involved in infrastructure projects,” said the president of construction chamber CMIC Luis Méndez Jaled.  

On Tuesday morning, Sheinbaum gave her first speech before congress as Mexico’s first female president, where she stressed the importance that passenger rail projects will have to her national development program. 

“[Passenger rail services] were privatized but we are bringing them back with pride, because they mean regional development, jobs, tourism and shared responsibility,” she said, adding that her government will build the Mexico City-Pachuca project, the Mexico City-Nuevo Laredo link and the Mexico City-Nogales line. 

Sheinbaum said she will not only finish the Maya train, but “expand it to Puerto Progreso in Yucatán. It will also be a freight rail line.” Despite being inaugurated twice by her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Maya train remains incomplete, as stretches 6 and 7 are still under construction. According to statements from the former president, they will be finished around the end of this year. 

The interoceanic corridor was also mentioned by Sheinbaum, and she promised that her administration will finish line K of the project. Hours earlier, she announced on her social network accounts the appointment of Juan Carlos Vera Minjares as general director of the project.