Free Tren Maya Tickets: Routes, Schedules, How to Get Them

Free Tren Maya tickets are available from May 26 to June 15 as part of a push to get more people riding. However, the offer is for return tickets only, so it’s more of a twofer.

After 17 months of operation, the train has carried 1.2 million passengers but still isn’t turning a profit, according to its director.

How the free Tren Maya Ticket promotion works

To get the deal, buy a one-way economy ticket at a physical location, and they’ll give you the return trip for free. The promotion covers the entire Maya Train route, but you can only get it at Tren Maya ticket offices in the 34 stations or authorized sales points — not online.

Where to buy Tren Maya tickets:

Mérida: Tren Maya offices on Calle 50, Mérida-Progreso Highway (between Calle 25 and 27, Cordemex neighborhood)
Campeche: Plaza Galerías
Cancún: Plaza Puerto Cancún in the hotel zone

Ticket prices and schedules

Prices vary depending on where you’re going and whether you’re a local resident or tourist.

Mérida to Campeche

Locals: 323 pesos (residents of states along the route)
Domestic tourists: 484 pesos
Departures: 12:19 p.m. and 7:29 p.m.
Travel time: 2 hours 8 minutes to 2 hours 23 minutes (includes five stops)
Prices: 323 pesos for locals (people living in any of the states along the route). The fare for domestic tourists is 484 pesos.

For comparison, ADO bus tickets for the same route cost 197-360 pesos.

Mérida to Cancún Airport

Prices: 521 pesos for locals, 781 pesos for tourists
Departures: 7:00 a.m., 9:18 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1:05 p.m., 3:20 p.m., and 4:22 p.m.
Travel time: 3 hours 14 minutes to 3 hours 36 minutes (includes six stops)

ADO buses charge 346-522 pesos for Mérida to Cancún, train tickets to the airport cost 954 pesos and leave only once a day, at 6:15 p.m..

Ridership numbers

The Tren Maya, or Maya Train / Mayan Train, hit its millionth passenger milestone on April 7, 2025. The lucky rider was Wilbert Tomás Barbosa López, a 70-something Mérida resident traveling to several Campeche stations.

Recent figures show some growth. Ticket sales in April 2025 were up 171% compared to April 2024, according to Tourism Secretary Josefina Rodríguez.

Financial reality

The Tren Maya is bleeding money. In its first year, it lost over 2.5 billion pesos, bringing in only 275 million pesos from passengers and souvenir sales. Operating expenses hit 2.837 billion pesos, meaning the train only covered about 10% of its costs.

General Director Oscar David Lozano Águila has admitted that passenger service isn’t profitable. The plan is to reach break-even by 2030, but that depends on launching cargo operations. The freight component will include four multimodal stations and three branches in Yucatán connecting Umán, Hunucmá, Mérida, and the port of Progreso.

Why foreign residents pay tourist rates

Mexico’s ambitious Tren Maya project promised to revolutionize travel across the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting ancient Mayan sites with modern tourist destinations through a state-of-the-art railway system. But as the train has begun operations, one aspect of the pricing structure has sparked considerable debate among the expat community: foreign residents pay the same fares as international tourists, regardless of how long they’ve called Mexico home.

The Tren Maya operates on a straightforward but controversial three-tier pricing model based on per-kilometer rates:

Local residents — those living in the five states the train passes through (Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Campeche) with official Mexican identification (INE) — enjoy the most affordable rate at 2.32 pesos per kilometer.

Mexican nationals from other parts of the country pay a moderate rate of 2.90 pesos per kilometer when traveling as domestic tourists.

International visitors – and this is where it gets interesting for expats – are charged 4.35 pesos per kilometer, nearly double the local rate.

The expat dilemma

Here’s where the controversy begins. Foreign residents living in Mexico, whether on temporary or permanent visas, fall into that third category alongside vacationing tourists. This means a Canadian retiree who has lived in Playa del Carmen for a decade pays the same fare as a first-time visitor from Toronto.

The financial impact is significant. Take the popular Cancún Airport to Mérida route: local residents pay 489 pesos, while foreign residents and international tourists are charged 977.50 pesos – essentially double the price for the exact same journey and service.

More than just higher fares

The pricing disparity extends beyond base ticket costs. Senior citizen discounts, which might seem like a natural benefit for the many foreign retirees living in Mexico, are exclusively available to those with Mexican identification cards and official senior citizen credentials (INAPAM). Foreign residents, regardless of age, cannot access these reduced rates.

This policy has left many long-term residents feeling excluded from what was marketed as a transportation solution for the region’s communities. The irony isn’t lost on expats who contribute to local economies, pay Mexican taxes, and consider themselves part of the fabric of their adopted communities, yet are priced out of what was supposed to be an accessible regional transportation option.

Impractical for some

For foreign residents living on fixed incomes, the international pricing makes the Tren Maya financially impractical. When a bus journey between the same destinations costs roughly 100 pesos less and often provides more convenient connections to city centers, the train becomes a luxury rather than a practical transportation option.

The situation is particularly frustrating given that the Tren Maya was promoted as an economical and efficient way to travel between the region’s attractions and cities. For the expat community that has invested in calling this region home, the reality falls short of those promises.

As the Tren Maya continues expanding its network, the pricing structure remains a point of contention. While the railway undoubtedly offers a unique and comfortable way to explore the Yucatan Peninsula’s rich cultural heritage, foreign residents must weigh the experience against the significant cost premium they face simply for not holding Mexican citizenship.

For now, expats planning to ride the Tren Maya should budget for international tourist rates and consider whether the convenience and experience justify paying nearly double what their Mexican neighbors pay for the same journey. It’s a sobering reminder that residency and citizenship, even in one’s adopted home, can carry very different privileges.