Mexico’s Riviera Maya — According to the CEO of Fonatur, the Maya Train will be among the best in the world thanks to cutting-edge technology. The National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism’s (Fonatur) chief, Javier May, delivered a thorough report on the railway on Monday.
According to May, who spoke at the morning press conference for the president, the Maya Train will be among the best rail systems in the world thanks to its cutting-edge equipment and highly skilled crew.
He added that the Maya Train would be more than just a track and a few trains; it would be a complete railway network, strengthened by the southeast’s improved air connectivity.
He emphasized that in addition to the existing airports in Villahermosa, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mérida, and Cancn, the new airport in Tulum is being built, and the air terminals in Chetumal and Palenque are being modernized.
“To ensure safe and peaceful travel experiences, there will be land and air surveillance along the entire Maya Train route, with elements on board the wagons, patrols of the tracks, and overflights of drones and aircraft, in addition to surveillance at stations, whereabouts, archaeological zones, and strategic facilities like airports,” he said.
He described the Maya Train as a historic undertaking that is being constructed in the southeast of Mexico. It will span 1,554 kilometers and connect the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo via 34 stations and stops that include popular tourist destinations, historical sites, and locations of exceptional natural beauty.
The production of the 42 trains and their 219 wagons is progressing in Ciudad Sahagn, Hidalgo, thanks to Mexican labor, he said, so we are on schedule to launch the Maya Train in December 2023.
It was also discussed at the morning press conference that there will be a ticketing system with different prices for visitors, locals, and senior citizens. Prices weren’t disclosed, though.
Six Maya Train hotels are being built close to the archaeological sites of Palenque, Edzná, Nuevo Uxmal, Chichén Itzá, Tulum, and Calakmul, according to Blas Andrés Nez Jordán, head of Sedena’s operations.
Along the Maya Train route, tourists can visit more than 20 archaeological sites. One from Chiapas, four from Campeche, ten from Quintana Roo, one from Tabasco, and ten from Yucatán.
The route will allow access to the archeological sites of Palenque in Chiapas, Moral-Reforma, and El Tigre in Tabasco.
Section 2 provides a description of the Edzná and Xcalumkn regions of Campeche. Section 3 of Yucatán will include Uxmal and locations along the Puuc Route like Dzibilchaltn, Kabah, Oxkintok, Sayil, Chacmultn, Labna, and Xlapakt.
Chichén Itzá and Ek’ Balam will be covered in Section 4, while Tulum, El Meco, Muyil, Paamul II Eco-archaeological Corridor, and Xel-Há will be covered in Section 5.
The INAH is still working on recovering the archaeological zones of Ichkabal in the municipality of Bacalar, as well as Dzibanché, Kinichná, Chacchoben, and Oxtankah of section 6.
Section 7 will cover both Calakmul in Campeche and Kohunlich in Quintana Roo.
