New Tren Maya Route Links Mérida and Playa del Carmen
The Tren Maya has inaugurated a new direct route connecting Mérida and Playa del Carmen, a long-awaited development in the ongoing project. Previously, passengers traveling between Mérida and Playa del Carmen had to transfer trains and endure long waits. Now, direct service is available from Solidaridad to the Yucatecan capital, significantly reducing travel time.
From the station, a transportation service connects the station with the city center in 20 minutes for 55 pesos.
Schedule and Travel Time
The five-hour direct route from Mérida to Playa del Carmen departs at 7 a.m. The return trip leaves at 5:30 p.m. and arrives at 9:31 p.m., which takes into account the one-hour time difference.
The train makes eight two-minute stops along the route, including at Izamal, Valladolid, and the Cancún International Airport.
That’s not a time savings, however. Google Maps estimates that a driver on four wheels can make it between the two cities in three hours and 15 minutes.
Ticket Prices
Fares for the direct Mérida-Playa route vary:
- International Premier: $1,879.50 pesos
- National Premier: $1,409.50 pesos
- Special Tourist: $441.50 pesos
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the official Tren Maya website.
Disappointing ridership
While still incomplete, progress on the overall rail system has been accelerated to fulfill President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s promise of completion during his administration, which is coming to a close in two-and-a-half months. However, construction on the rail line is only half finished.
The Tren Maya (also known as the Mayan Train or Maya Train) is a 966-mile intercity railway that loops around the Yucatán Peninsula. The rail system was designed for tourists in Cancún who wanted to explore Maya archaeological sites on the Peninsula and other underappreciated destinations.
About 1,200 daily passengers — about half of what was projected — use the train, mainly shuttling between Mérida, Cancún, and Campeche.
In its first six months of operation, only about 100 daily riders take the longest route, which stretches from Cancún to the ancient temples of Palenque. A bus or two could handle that many passengers far more cheaply, the Associated Press reports.
Lee Steele is the founding director of Roof Cat Media and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012.
