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Within a matter of weeks, the new highly anticipated Maya Train has already seen upwards of 15,000 passengers using the service during the busy winter high season.
After years in the making, the Maya Train finally launched in December 2023 to a somewhat rocky start, with sold-out train rides and cancellations already taking place within the first week.
Thankfully, the huge infrastructure project has begun to find its feet as more and more people book journeys as part of their vacation, with some routes already taking the lead as most popular.
Set to take the Yucatan Peninsula by storm, and transport both tourists and locals alike all over the region, the Maya Train is due to be fully operational no later than February of this year.
While the majority of users of the Maya Train are currently domestic tourists, that is all expected to change as more and more people begin to trust the service and see just how much the Yucatan Peninsula has to offer.
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The Maya Train Routes Most In Demand
With only the first sections of the Maya Train currently available to passengers, the main four stations that are proving the most popular are:
- San Francisco de Campeche
- Cancun Airport
- Merida Teya
- Valladolid
@yucatanhermoso El Tren Maya llegó a Mérida #trenmaya🚂 #amlo #amlopresidente #fypシ #esperanza #yucatan ♬ sonido original – Yucatán Hermoso
The route from San Fransisco de Campeche to Cancun Airport had already sold a total of 1929 tickets from Monday 8th January, making it the busiest route for the train.
That comes as no surprise, as during the peak winter season, Cancun Airport is inundated with passengers leaving and arriving for vacations, seeing up to a whopping 700 flights a day in some instances.
Both Merida and Valladolid are stand-out Magical Towns on the Maya Train service, given the coveted status for being historically, culturally and/or environmentally significant to the region.
The Maya Train is already accomplishing what it set out to do from the very beginning: to unlock and open up the hidden gems of the Yucatan Peninsula that people would otherwise never choose to travel to when staying in popular tourist hotspots like Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
With the affordable ticket prices and the convenience of the services, it is only a matter of time before the Maya Train becomes the most used public transport service in southeastern Mexico.
Confirmed Launch For Final Sections in February
You have the word of the Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez, that the Maya Train will be fully operational by the end of February, with the 5th, 6th, and 7th sections allowing travelers to see more wonders of the Yucatan Peninsula in all their glory.
Perhaps the most anticipated section of the Maya Train is Section Five that connects Cancun International Airport to Tulum, which is seeing its popularity soar among tourists thanks to its new international airport which also began operations last December.
Section Six will then connect Tulum with the state capital of Quintana Roo – Chetumal, which is a vibrant cultural hotspot, lesser known among international visitors but definitely still worth a visit.
And finally, Section Seven will complete the inauguration of the Maya Train by connecting the capital with Escarcega, Chetumal, making the entire region fully accessible as it promised.
With the Mexican Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula welcoming more tourists year in and year out, the need for the region to become more connected had become all too apparent.
Now set with the huge public transport system, as well as the new Tulum International Airport, places that had once slipped under the radar or not experienced the success of somewhere like Cancun finally have the chance.
Tickets for the Maya Train can be purchased on the official website, and as demand for the service grows, we recommend that you plan to book ahead of your trip to guarantee your seat.
With the routes in and out of Cancun Airport, as well as the stations in Merida and Valladolid being extremely busy with passengers, you don’t want to be left disappointed when you arrive.
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