In a ceremony held at Chetumal on Sept. 29, the outgoing President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, marked the completion of the Mayan Train project to build or upgrade 965.6 miles (1,554 kilometers) of railway to serve the Yucatán peninsula. He was accompanied by then President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
At that time, the final sections of the Mayan Train project to be completed were the 42.1-mile (67.7-kilometer) Section 5 South between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, the 159.1-mile (256-kilometer) Section 6 from Tulum to Bacalar and Chetumal, and the 159.1-mile (256-kilometer) Section 7 from Bacalar to Escárcega.
López Obrador said that completion of the section to Chetumal would enable visitors to Cancún and other coastal resorts in the north of Yucatán to reach archaeological sites in the south of Quintana Roo state and Campeche.
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, who took office Oct. 1, said on Dec. 5 that “she will return to the Yucatan Peninsula for the opening of section 7,” according to Riviera Maya News. “During a morning press conference, Sheinbaum reported that she will inaugurate the section of Palenque to Chetumal Maya Train on December 15. She says that section remains pending from the previous term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. This section passes through Chiapas, Campeche and Quintana Roo and will close the Maya Train circuit.”
In an English translation, media outlet Almomento.mx reported that “this section is already operational and tickets will begin to be sold to the general public,” according to Sheinbaum, who also discussed freight services on the Mayan Train network.
“‘The Maya Train, in addition to being a passenger train, will be a cargo train. In the next two years, 2025 and 2026, all the necessary work will be done on intermodal spaces, everything that is required for it to be a cargo train, she said,’” Riviera Maya News reported.
Sheinbaum in November “announced the start of studies for the construction of cargo tracks to connect Tren Maya as a transport route,“ according to Riviera Maya News. “The project is forecast to cost 35 billion pesos” or $1.72 billion.
As rolling stock supplier for the project, Alstom in September delivered the first of three long-distance P’atal trains, each accommodating 260 riders in preferential and tourist class. There are 238 standard seats, four spaces for passengers with reduced mobility, and 18 seats in nine cabins that convert to a single sleeping berth.
The P’atal train also has a restaurant car and a cafeteria car, which will enable passengers to enjoy a wide variety of dining options, according to Alstom.
Following the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, Alstom has more than 1,600 employees working at 14 sites in Mexico, including the Ciudad Sahagún plant in the state of Hidalgo that specializes in passenger rolling stock.
A total of 42 X’trapolis trains are being built at Ciudad Sahagún for the Mayan Train project. As well as the three P’atal trains, they include 31 standard Xiinbal trains, and eight Janal trains with dining facilities enabling passengers to enjoy regional cuisine.
Further Reading:
- Mexican President Confirms Passenger Rail Revival
- Alstom Delivers First Tren Maya Long-Distance Trainset
- Dates Set for Mayan Train Completion
- Alstom Consortium Wins Mayan Train Rolling Stock and Systems Contract
- Mexico’s Next President Continues Passenger Train Revival
- Mayan Train Full Opening Delayed to Late August
- Next Section of Mexico’s Mayan Train Opens
- Report: Tren Maya Inauguration Pushed to June
- Alstom Delivers First Tren Maya Equipment
- Mayan Train Extended to Palenque
- Mexican President Opens First Section of Mayan Train
- First Section of Mayan Train to Open Dec. 15
Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak contributed to this report.
