A new stretch of the Maya Train railroad opened in Mexico on the weekend, allowing travellers to ride from Cancun to Palenque in the state of Chiapas.
Section 1 of the 1,554-kilometer-long railroad – a 228 kilometer stretch between Palenque (a UNESCO heritage site) and Escárcega, Campeche – is now operational, Mexico News Daily reports. Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the railroad, which link Cancún to Escárcega, were inaugurated 15DEC 2023.
Four of the seven train sections are now open. Section 5 will run between Cancún and Tulum and will be particularly attractive for Canadians and other visitors. Section 6 will go between Tulum and its new airport and Chetumal in southern Quintana Roo; and Section 7 between Bacalar and Escárcega. The entire railroad, built by private companies and the Mexican army, is slated to be operational by the end of next month.
The new Tulum airport currently serves only domestic flights but will welcome international flights, including Air Canada, in March of this year, marking another major change for tourism in the region.
The BBC reports that Mexico President Andrew Manuel Lopez Obrador has called the Maya Train “the greatest construction project in the world.”
When fully open to the public, the $38 billion train line will connect tourist hotspots like Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum to lesser-visited towns, biosphere reserves and inland archaeological sites across the Yucatán Peninsula through a mixture of direct stops and complementary bus transfers, the BBC said.
Passengers will be able to choose from different classes of train service, including economy and premier-class. Some trains will have dining cars and others will feature sleeping cabins.
The website Trains.com reports the Maya Train will feature different prices for local residents, tourists from within Mexico, and foreign tourists. Fares for the full Cancún-Palenque route will be 2,850 pesos (about $223) for foreign tourists.
Published reports say the trains could reach 160 kilometers per hour. Mexico News Daily said López Obrador’s trip between Cancún and Palenque on Sunday, a journey of close to 900 kilometers, took just under 11 hours.
Critics have said the railroad is a threat to wildlife, the Mayan jungle and underground rivers or cenotes.
