MEXICAN president Mr Andrés Manuel López Obrador officially inaugurated the second phase of the Mayan Train project on December 31, extending the Cancún Airport - San Francisco de Campeche service to Palenque for a total of 892km.
Passenger services officially commenced on January 1 with the following stations added to the route: Edzná, Carrillo Puerto, Escárcega, Candelaria, El Triunfo, Tenosique, Boca del Cerro, and Palenque.
Operation was suspended on the existing 473km service, which was inaugurated on December 15, from December 28 to December 31 in order to facilitate the introduction of extended operation. Refunds were offered to passengers who had booked to travel on these days.
The Mexican government says that more than 10,480 passengers had used the service before the extension opened.
López Obrador was accompanied by the governors of Quintana Roo, Ms Mara Lezama, and Campeche, Ms Layda Sansores, as well as members of his cabinet on the inaugural journey, which departed Cancún at 06.40.
Six trains are now operating on the Mayan Train route per day. Two services depart from Cancún Airport station both at 07.00 and 09.00, with one bound for Mérida, and the other operating on the full route to Palenque. Tickets are priced at Pesos 735 ($US 43.20) in tourist class and Pesos 1173.50 in premier class on the Mérida service, and Pesos 2123.50 in tourist and Pesos 3391 in premier on trains to Palenque. Return trains from Mérida depart at 15.00 while the return train from Palenque leaves at 16.55.
Tickets are currently only available for journeys on the complete route. However, General Óscar Lozano, director of the Mexican military-led company Tren Maya, which is operating the service, told La Jornada that tickets between intermediate stations would become available later this year. He also says that local residents would pay a reduced fare of Pesos 1199 in tourist class on the Palenque service and international visitors a premium rate of Pesos 2850.
Work between San Francisco de Campeche and Escárega has been undertaken by Grupo Carso of Mexico under its contract to build Section 2 of the Mayan Train project. Work on Escárega - Palenque, which is designated Section 1, was completed by Mota-Engil Mexico and China Construction CC. Both sections 1 and 2 involved the renovation of a former freight line.
The remaining sections 5, 6 and 7 of the project from Cancún Airport south to Chetumal and then west to Escárega are new build. They are scheduled to open on February 29, a self-imposed deadline set by López Obrador for the delivery of major infrastructure projects ahead of the Mexican general election on June 2.
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