NGO, BRT operator, Mexico City squabble over court ruling

The Mexico City government and local environmental group AMDA have different interpretations of a court ruling in favor of an appeal filed by the NGO against construction of the 7th line of the local BRT system.

The appeal, filed in 2017 prior to construction of the line, argued that the project violated constitutional rights and international environmental treaties. It also cited alleged irregularities in the development of the project, including a lack of permits from the national anthropology and history institute (INAH), as well as an environmental impact assessment.

AMDA's founder Ramón Ojeda told a press conference on Thursday that the ruling mandates that the entire line be dismantled, including the kiosks and shelters at the stations and bus stops along with the advertising spaces, local press reported.

Ojeda urged mayor Claudia Sheinbaum to comply with the ruling and halt operations on the line.

However, Sheinbaum told reporters that the line is not at risk, although she said the city government will consider removing the advertising spaces and would work alongside INAH to comply with the measure.

Meanwhile, the government-run operator of the system released a statement saying that the ruling "in no way mandates Mexico City authorities to suspend service on line No. 7."

The sentence "shows that the court has ratified the corresponding works, validating them even from an environmental perspective," the document adds.

The operator said the ruling is contradictory and fails to provide legal certainty to the parties involved.

The ruling can be appealed, which the operator confirmed it plans to do.

Opened in March last year, the line serves 130,000 passengers a day on average and runs for 15km from Indios Verdes to Campo Marte, along the emblematic Reforma avenue and near the Chapultepec park.