Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Once finished, the Maya Train route will provide access to twenty-six archaeological zones and traverse forty municipalities in five states. The General Director of the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur), Javier May Rodrguez, stated in a statement.
He reported that once completed, the train will travel 1,554 kilometers across five states, 40 municipalities, and 181 communities, offering tourism services, local passenger transportation, and freight transport.
“It has created more than 100,000 jobs in the southeast and 11,000 in the production of trains in Ciudad Sahagn, Hidalgo, using cutting-edge technology,” he added.
Rodrguez confirmed that the December 2023 opening date for the Maya Train will be met, as it is a significant project for the Mexican people. According to him, the first train will be delivered in July 2023 so that bearing tests can begin in the Cancun, Quintana Roo, workshops.
Rodrguez emphasized that the Maya Train represents the largest public investment made in the southeast of Mexico to address the region’s historical inequalities, adding that the project will also protect and preserve the country’s archaeological heritage in Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo.
“Manufacturing has begun on the 42 trains, which will be modern, comfortable, safe, and environmentally friendly because the majority will have a hybrid system and be able to use electric power to reduce polluting emissions or UBA diesel, a fuel with a lower sulfur content,” he explained.
“Production began in September of this year. “The first box will be completed in November, and the first train will be delivered on July 9, 2023,” he declared.
Rodriguez explained that there will be short trains with four wagons for 230 passengers and a length of 98.5 meters, and long trains with seven cars for 450 passengers and a length of 169 meters.
In order to electrify the Mayan Train, the Federal Electricity Commission is executing 53 projects consisting of 43 electrical substations and 10 transmission lines, which will increase the Yucatan Peninsula’s power supply capacity by 150 percent, from 3,000 megawatts in 2022 to 4,521 in 2024.
“This increased capacity will ensure that the required supply in 2024, which will be 2,642 megawatts, will be met. By 2024, the supply of electricity from CFE will be 42 percent greater than the demand, thanks to the new projects, and this will provide a solution for this region, which is prone to blackouts.
The Maya Train also supports the Sembrando Vida Program, which reforests the southeast with 500 million trees with the help of three military nurseries in Tabasco, two in Chiapas, and one in Quintana Roo, and more than 140 million plants produced by community nurseries.
Additionally, he announced that there will be new Protected Natural Areas, including the Jaguar Park in Tulum, Neuvo Uxmal, and Calakmul.
Additionally, the Maya Train incorporates the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones, which improves 26 archaeological zones, and the construction of nine Visitor Service Centers.
He reported that the projects for the construction of hotels along the Maya Train route are already underway.