CANCÚN, Mexico — The second section of Mexico’s Maya Train was launched on the last day of 2023, with public, albeit it “soft-launch” service, beginning on Monday, Jan. 1.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the Cancun-Palenque segment on Dec. 31, accompanied by officials including Cancún’s mayor and the governor of the state of Quintana Roo. The initial trip took 10 hours, 40 minutes to cover 860 kilometers, or 534 miles; as was the case with the opening of the initial segment between Campeche and Cancún [see “Long delays, late trains mark start …,” Trains News wire, Dec. 17, 2023], large portions of the newly opened route are not yet finished. Twelve of the planned 22 stations are not yet complete, according to Diario de Chiapas.
Meanwhile, General Oscar David Lozano, the director of Maya Train operations, also announced on Sunday that as of Jan. 1, the train would operate on a three-tiered fare system, offering different prices for local residents, tourists from within Mexico, and foreign tourists. As reported by the website SDP Noticias, fares for the full Cancún-Palenque route will be 1,199 pesos (currently $70.27) for residents of the five states the system runs through; 2,123 pesos ($124.44) for other Mexican residents, and 2,850 pesos ($167.05) for foreign tourists. The report did not specify if similar rate differences would apply in the train’s Premier Class.
Lozano also said the rail company had terminated its contract with its food provider after complaints about poor service during early trips, and that work continues to address problems with internet service, as well as to add curtains to train windows.
While regular rail service was scheduled to resume on Jan. 1 after a four-day suspension [see “Maya Train suspends operations …,” News Wire, Dec. 29, 2023], online ticket sales have yet to resume as of today (Jan. 2), although news reports say tickets are being sold at stations.
The final portion of the looping Maya Train route — covering approximately 621 kilometers, or 386 miles — is not expected to be completed until the end of February.
How do you say, “I’m a Mexican citizen” in Spanish?
“Soy ciudadano Mexicano”, but I would assume you would also need to produce some sort of local I.D.