Mexico's costly Maya Train draws few passengers in its first six months of partial operation

The pet rail project of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador could wind up costing as much as $30 billion. The Maya Train is only half finished as he heads into the final two months of his term and it has wreaked major damage on the environment. But the most damning judgment on a tourist train that runs in a loop around the Yucatan Peninsula are the ridership figures on the stretches that are now open. Government figures released Monday show that only about 1,200 people per day use the train. Most ride it only on short stretches between the city of Merida and Cancun or the nearby city of Campeche.