MEXICO CITY — A court in Mexico on Monday halted the construction of two controversial train lines that critics said could damage the environment. But the decision comes so late that the lines are already built and surrounding ecosystems are feeling the impact, critics say. Lines 5 and 7 of Tren Maya in southern Mexico are supposed to stop construction because of risks to important rainforests and cave ecosystems, and the failure of officials to comply with basic precautionary construction measures. One of the lines is already operational and the other is scheduled to begin service next month, making the court’s decision largely symbolic. “For many people it is too late,” Jose Urbina, an environmental activist fighting Tren Maya, told Mongabay. “The train has already been built and the damage has already been done, and we can’t fix what they have already destroyed.” The nearly $30 billion Tren Maya is divided into seven lines traversing 1,554 kilometers (966 miles) of the Yucatán peninsula and southern states like Campeche and Chiapas. Some of the lines have provoked protests and dozens of lawsuits because they cleared forests, drilled holes through caves and forced communities to relocate. Line 5 connects Cancún with Playa del Carmen and Tulum, traveling 111 kilometers (69 miles) along the Caribbean coast where cenote and cave ecosystems have been perforated by metal pilings. The caves contain freshwater for the region and support the forest ecosystems above ground. Activists in the area said construction is polluting the subterranean waters and that…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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