Cancun, Q.R. — The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the National Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonatur) have signed an agreement to draw up a collaboration route in order to modernize and adapt the electrical networks that will supply the electrical energy necessary for the railway infrastructure of the Maya Train in the southeast.
Rogelio Jiménez Pons, Director of Fonatur and Manuel Bartlett Díaz, General Director of the CFE, finalized the collaboration agreement with which they will implement the project’s electrification strategy. In adherence to the commitment of the Government of Mexico regarding protection of the environment, Fonatur modified the Maya Train project so that 40 percent of the route will operate on electrical energy.
“I am pleased that this agreement with the CFE has been finalized. I am sure that working hand-in-hand, the Maya Train could be an avant-garde technology project. In addition, it will be able to demonstrate that with the electrification of 40 percent of its route, large-scale work can be carried out in the country that fulfill the responsibility of governments to be more environmentally friendly,” said Jiménez Pons.
The CFE will provide its experience and technical and human capacity to carry out the engineering, supervision and construction work of the electrical infrastructure in the states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Chiapas, while Fonatur will provide the resources, as well as the facilities and information for the development of the project.
CFE Distribución, CFE Transmission and CFE Basic Supply, Subsidiary Productive Companies of the CFE, will participate in the planning, development, implementation, installation and operation of the electrical infrastructure for the Tren Maya.
In their statement, the agencies explained that the sections corresponding to the Mérida-Cancún-Chetumal route will be electrified. This represents 680 kilometers of route, including double lanes for multiple services.
The design for these sections with the expected higher demand, was modified to incorporate electric traction in the rolling stock and in the railway infrastructure. For the rest of the route, there is the possibility of electrifying in the future, however, according to the original project, the remaining 60 percent of the section will be powered by diesel.
