The Tren Maya has unveiled its plans for a dining car, named Janal, and with it, its own brand of beer, which will be served on all of the railway’s routes. But, as with much news regarding the Tren Maya, the official opening of the restaurant car Janal, its menu, and opening hours have not…
Since its inaugural trip in 2023, the Tren Maya has encountered delays, engine failures, derailments, lawsuits, and ongoing protests. Direct service to Palenque has disappeared. Consequently, the train has too many empty seats to make the rail line successful. So what ideas could the Tren Maya borrow from successful passenger rail services in other countries?…
It’s no secret that the Tren Maya has not exactly been the soaring success the government and Secretariat of National Defense (which operates it) had been hoping. Government data projects a loss of roughly MX$5.8 billion / US$314 million during the first half of 2025 alone. This deficit is due to lower-than-projected ticket sales and…
Mexico’s environmental ministry has authorized clearing 47 hectares (116 acres) of forest in Yucatán to build a major Maya Train / Tren Maya freight depot. The authorization came with strict conditions and environmental safeguards, but critics say it’s another blow to the region’s fragile ecosystems. Massive Forest Impact The Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural…
The Tren Maya Cancún station was meant to help exhausted air passengers reach their final destination with ease. The system, however, still needs some fine-tuning. I recently traveled to several European countries and then flew over the Atlantic Ocean back to the Yucatán Peninsula from Paris. But getting from the airport to the train station…
Tren Maya tickets for passengers returning home are free until June 15. Will this promotion boost the money-losing train system?
Construction on the Mérida-Progreso highway has led some media outlets to speculate that the recently announced Tren Maya connection to the port city will follow a path directly from Mérida. However, the announced route is set to cut roughly through 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the outskirts of the largely industrial city of Uman to…
In the Ateneo Peninsular, the new Tren Maya Museum showcases archaeological artifacts recovered during the construction of the Maya train. Though this new museum comprises three good-sized exhibition rooms, it takes up just a fraction of Mérida’s grand Ateneo Peninsular, which is adjacent to the Cathedral and across from the Plaza Grande. It is also…
Maybe this will give the Tren Maya the buzz it desperately needs. Internet sensation Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has reportedly been hired to promote Mexico’s struggling Maya Train, or Tren Maya in Spanish, during his visit to the Yucatán Peninsula, according to Diario de Yucatán. The 26-year-old YouTube phenomenon, often dubbed the “King…
Just days before the Easter holidays begin, the Tren Maya, or Maya Train, is registering an average of only two people per day taking advantage of tourist packages, the newspaper Reforma reports. This low turnout comes despite significant promotion from the federal government for Tren Maya tourist packages paired with Mexicana de Aviación flights and…
Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceño presented a formal plan to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for a two-phase expansion of the Tren Maya into the Central American nation. The plan’s first phase would involve extending the Tren Maya rail network just 7 km to the border between Mexico and Belize. The second and more ambitious part…
Mexico’s postal service, Correos de México, has issued a new commemorative postage stamp celebrating the year since the Tren Maya was officially inaugurated. The first commemorative sheet has 25 stamps that, when in a single sheet, depict a Mayan Train collage and will have a circulation of 750,000. Ariadna B. Gómez and José Briseño led…
Local authorities in Campeche have announced the commencement of construction on the new Light Rail project, which will link the city’s Historic Center to the Tren Maya station. Spanning 15 kilometers with 14 planned stations, the project aims to enhance transportation infrastructure in the region and drive economic and tourism growth. Monterrey is the only…
Despite being only a 40-minute drive from Mérida, the town of Tixkokob does not attract many tourists, which is a shame as it has plenty to offer—including the nearby archaeological site of Aké. Tixkokob’s origins can be traced back to the pre-Columbian era when it was part of the province of Ceh-Pech. The town’s name,…
It has only been days since Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was sworn in as Mexico’s new president, but she has certainly hit the ground running. Among the initiatives proposed by President Sheinbaum is the expansion of the Tren Maya rail network, especially when it comes to key logistical hubs. One of these hubs is the port…
Starting Friday, Sept. 20, the Tren Maya, or Maya Train, will begin operating sections 5 and 6, connecting Playa del Carmen with Felipe Carrillo Puerto. This new rail service is designed to improve regional transportation and offers a range of fare options, including local and premier classes. Tickets are now available through the official Maya…
MEXICO CITY – President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to address unfinished aspects of the Tren Maya, or Mayan Train, and the Interoceanic Train projects following a meeting with Morena governors from the south and southeast of Mexico. She committed to an investment of 83 billion pesos to complete both initiatives within the next two years. Sheinbaum…
Chichén Itzá receives 4,000 daily visitors. But tour guides told local media that fewer than 30 of them arrive via the Tren Maya on any given day. They deem the project a failure due to the lower-than-expected visitor numbers at the archaeological zone’s railway station, which opened a month ago. The Tren Maya, a 1,554-kilometer…
The Tren Maya now links Mérida and Playa del Carmen in five hours without transfers, but there are pain points to consider.
Mexico’s environmental protection agency, PROFEPA, confirmed serious damage to five cenotes in the path of the Tren Maya.
Originally scheduled for completion in February, then delayed to April or May, Mexico’s Tren Maya (Mayan Train) project now faces a September target due to revised construction plans. The decision to use a cable-stayed bridge instead of concrete pilings to protect underground caverns along the Cancún to Tulum section of the 950-mile tourist route adds…
A first-hand account of a problem-plagued trip to Chichén Itzá.
It is too early to argue whether or not the Tren Maya will be able to live up to its promise, but as things stand now, it is evident that it still has a long way to go.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia will be the first royal passengers on the newly inaugurated rail line
That’s all for now
That’s all for now