Following President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s inaugural ride on Friday, the Maya Train project in Mexico, which connects tourist destinations and archaeological sites across five southern states, encountered a few setbacks during its inaugural weekend.
The 473-kilometer section between Cancún airport and Campeche, which takes about 5½ hours to travel and has stops at 14 stations, is the first operational portion of the 1,554-kilometer route, inaugurated by President López Obrador.
The train needs to pause in a siding to allow the passage of another train since the current route is only partially constructed, featuring only one of the two planned tracks.
As a result, there will initially only be two trains daily, each way.
The first trip out of Cancún at 7 a.m. on Saturday was delayed by 23 minutes.
A delay of up to five hours was reported by some outlets for the 11 a.m. train from Cancún, leaving passengers in line for a very long time before it arrived from Campeche.
Hundreds of people arrived early for the historic event despite the rain and cold. Some slept on the station’s concrete floor as the minutes turned into hours. The station is reportedly 85% complete, but it lacks bathrooms at the moment; instead, there are two portable toilets.
Authorities apologized for the extended wait and explained that the trains were being “reconfigured.”
“It is important to make it clear that this delay problem originated from a technical failure by Alstom, which is the company that provides us with the Maya Train,” a spokesman said. “We, the Tren Maya company, are not responsible for this breakdown. However, we apologize.”
Archaeologists, cave divers, and environmentalists have all expressed opposition to the Maya Train project. It travels through numerous ecologically delicate regions of the jungle that are filled with caves and cenotes. Some of North America’s oldest human remains can be found in this delicate ecosystem.
According to Lopez Obrador, the railway’s second phase will begin operation on December 30 and the remaining portion will be completed by the end of February. In contrast to the other two-thirds, a train line already existed on much of the route in the section of the line that was inaugurated on Friday.
The first runs of tickets went on sale on December 1st, with prices ranging from 1,166 pesos (roughly US $68) to 1,862 pesos (roughly US $108). It takes about the same time and costs about US $58 for a first-class coach, though there are many less expensive options.
Foreign visitors will pay a higher price for Maya Train tickets than local residents. Mexican nationals will receive discounted fares. However, only first-class and tourist-class prices were provided for the inaugural trip.