Mexico ministry ordered to provide information about Maya train

Transport and communications ministry (SCT) will have to gather and release all information related to the costs, benefits, pre-investment studies and planning of the Maya train, Mexico's transparency agency INAI ruled.

In a press release INAI said the motion, submitted by the institute's commissioner Joel Salas, was based on a freedom of information request a third party filed.

The individual originally requested the ministry's transport undersecretary and the general direction of rail and multimodal transport provide the information, but the two offices said they could not find any relevant documents.

The transport undersecretary's legal department responded that the ministry is not involved in the development of the rail line, which led the individual to ask INAI to review the request.

"The current administration pledged to reaffirm transparency and promote citizen participation. This must imply a sense of accountability and co-creation," Salas said during the voting session.

Although the 1,525km railway in southeast Mexico is the responsibility of national tourism board Fonatur , INAI commissioners argued that different government entities, including the SCT, will be involved , based on previous government press releases.