Mexico declares national security protection for Mayan tourist train

FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a news conference at the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection in Mexico City, Mexico March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's president said on Thursday that construction and operation of a tourist train project that could cost up to $20 billion is a matter of national security, offering new legal protections for the high-profile public work.

In a decree published in Mexico's official gazette, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador invoked government and national security prerogatives over "the construction, operation, maintenance ... execution and administration of the transport infrastructure" that makes up both the Mayan tourist train project as well as the transoceanic freight rail corridor.