Tren Maya’s Chichén Itzá Station Has Yet to Catch On

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 intercity railway also known as the Mayan Train, was initiated in June 2020 and traverses the Yucatán Peninsula. It aims to connect major cities and tourist attractions, including ancient Mayan sites, to boost tourism and economic development in the region. The project has been celebrated for its potential economic benefits and criticized for its environmental impact and potential disruption of local communities.  

Despite the ambitious goals of the Tren Maya project, the Chichén Itzá station’s performance has been underwhelming. Most visitors continue to arrive by alternative means, such as buses or private vehicles. The federal government had initially projected an increase in visitors, benefiting local artisans, tour guides, and service providers, with the construction of the Visitor Service Center, including the railway station.

However, the anticipated increase in visitors has not materialized. Even the Maya Museum, inaugurated a few months ago by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has not experienced a surge in visitors.

Still work to do

The new Visitor Service Center, located on the road connecting the city with Pisté, remains under construction. Its completion has been delayed by over a year.

The entrance to the archaeological zone remains unchanged, situated west of the zone. Accessing it involves navigating the free federal road until the access road junction and continuing for a little over a kilometer. 

The parking situation has been insufficient for years, with many visitors resorting to parking on the federal highway’s shoulders or utilizing makeshift parking spaces on ejidatarios‘ lands.