Tren Maya Information:

There are lots of recent comments & posts popping up on various expat FB groups here, inquiring about the details of next year’s upcoming Tren Maya services for Yucatan, Q. Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas & Oaxaca … but the information offered is scattered-though & buried-in so many comments & replies, that it’s difficult to suss it all our, or to even ken a little bit of it.

Here’s a summary of what’s currently known:

There will be 5 different types-levels of train services under the Tren Maya program umbrella.

The highest profile Tren Maya trenes are called “P’atal” … Express trains for “tourists” that run fast (100 mph) … have reclining seat options, dining cars, and sometimes even some sleeper cars for the longer stretches … Yet the P’atal trenes will only be stopping at the major “Estaciónes” – stations … AND there will be only limited numbers of these fast, luxurious, express P’atal trains every day.

The next level of Tren Maya trains are slower trains called “Xiinbal” of “Servicios de pasajeros” trens with lots of local smaller stops (“Paraderos”) for local people to get from point A to point B.

Next … There’s a slightly-more luxurious yet-still-slow trains called “Janal” that have high-levels of services, a coffee shop on board, but with slower speeds and lots of stops at Paraderos and Estaciónes …

Then … There’s Merida’s internal loop of trams, called “IETRAM” or “IeTram”, of smaller electric trains (trams) transporting passengers from stations (Estaciónes) out on the main Tren Maya line running south of Merida, shuttling passengers in and out from downtown Merida’s “La Plancha” station (Calle 47 & Calle 50) out to the eastern Hacienda Teya mainline station & western mainline station outside of Uman.

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Continuing on: There will also be yet another whole different group of trains, running on the second set-pair of rails along the Tren Maya routes, are called “Trenes de cargas” … Freight trains that are scheduled to start in Sept. 2024 … efficiently carrying cargo from Oaxaca to Merida & Cancun …

So, hopefully, these descriptions of the 5 kinds of trains that will be running along the Tren Maya system helps lift a little of the current confusion … along with this fun map of all the small stops (Paraderos) and the main stations (Estaciónes).

The Rest of the Story:
And yes … The Tren Maya program of 5 different kinds of trains doesn’t formally enter Oaxaca … yet, when we consider the Tren Maya’s freight train system, the Tren Maya system really does have direct rail links to Oaxaca …

The key is to look at the overall Mex Gob. Tren developments.

Remember the Tren Maya link under construction to the big important Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec (FIT) terminal over on the Gulf of Mexico.

I hope this map is helpful, for people who don’t know Mexican geography … and those who don’t know the current Mex. Federal Gob. Tren projects under construction

Foto courtesy of El Financero*


* * * * * * *
This Tren Maya rail connection over to Oaxaca is SUPER important, because the Panama Canal has been FAILING.

The recent years of Global Warming & Global Climate Change have mostly killed-off the rainfall in the Panama highlands, meaning almost NO WATER to operate the Panama Canal …

Panama has scrambled to try to pump massive amounts of water up to those high locks in the mountains of Panama … but it’s been a huge money-losing struggle.

IOW … Mexico’s big new … ” Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec (FIT) ” route to efficiently & cheaply transport massive amounts of good & freight from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico … appears to replace the Panama Canal in the future.

With all that massive amounts of the world’s ocean freight-cargo traffic moving through the upcoming Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec (FIT) rail system … the Tren Maya’s connection to the FIT system has the potential to drive really positive, beneficial economic growth for our poor Southeast Region of Mexico

… aka big future help for the poor people of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche & Yucatan`.

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and yes, I suspect all the nay-sayers, grumps & critics are unaware-of, or are ignoring this huge part of the plans. ???

Cheers! … Steven Fry

Sources:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tren_Maya
Mexican national news broadcasts on Canal 14
and
* https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/nacional/2023/05/23/ferrocarril-del-istmo-de-tehuantepec-cuales-seran-sus-rutas-y-estaciones/#:~:text=El%20Ferrocarril%20del%20Istmo%20de,Guatemala%20y%20el%20Tren%20Maya.

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Read-on, MacDuff …