July 9, 2023 - TRA Newswire -

Tren Maya, also known as Mayan Train, is scheduled to open by the end of December this year. This major 965 mile Mexican intercity railway project will traverse through five states in the Yucatan Peninsula and culminates years of planning and funding roadblocks.  

The first of the Alstom designed railcars to run on the Cancun-Merida section of the Maya Train arrived Saturday. The passenger railcars, designed and built in Mexico, are being house in a workshop located behind the Cancun International Airport. 

The Riveria-Maya-News reported that Governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, was at the site with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as both watched the first car arrive. President Obrador said “It is a stellar moment because the first train has arrived. It is a historical fact. Thanks to all the people who are participating, from workers, engineers, officials.” 

The massive Maya train project was announced in September 2018 by President Obrador and will connect tourist destinations in the Yucatan Peninsula with historic Mayan sites and other cities and towns.

A previous proposal to construct a smaller 560 mile line failed to obtain funding in previous presidential administrations. When Obrador took office he was able to push the larger project through on a public referendum in 2019. Construction Started in 2020. Funding for the project comes primarily from a tourism tax and funds from other programs.

The Mayan line starts in Palenque, Chiapas and ends in Cancun, taking two routes that encircle the peninsula. There will be 34 stations, nearby connections to seven airports and 26 archeological zones. The Maya line covers the states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo in Mexico. 

Test runs between Cancun and the Yucatan city of Merida are expected to begin in mid-August. Governor Lezama recently toured the Cancun Airport Maya Train station and said “From here, the more than 31 million passengers who visit Quintana Roo annually will be able to start a fascinating journey through the tourist, cultural and archaeological destinations of our Mayan World” . 

Lezama said that more tourists visiting Quintana Roo will increase the possibility of new businesses which represents the creation of new sources of employment “and an opportunity to achieve the profound transformation that we proposed at the beginning of my government eight months ago.”

Earlier this month, Maite Ramos Gómez, Director of Alstom Mexico, said that the first cars were being readied for shipment to Cancun. By July 17, the static tests will be carried out in the area.

The line is also designed to handle freight rail shipments throughout the region. 

Photo credits: Riviera-Maya-News.com, Cancun Sun