“Maya Train: Why Domestic Tourists Love It!”

The Maya Train, which began operations in the southeast region of Mexico in mid-December, is predominantly used by domestic tourists. The local population, along with a special segment of elderly people, teachers, students, and people with disabilities, also frequently use the train, outnumbering foreign visitors. Since its inception, the Maya Train has transported nearly 277,000 passengers along a 941-kilometer route from Palenque, Chiapas, to Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.

Analysis of press conferences held by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reveals that international tourists are the least likely to use this significant government project. The number of users has steadily increased since the train routes opened on December 15th. The first operational segment was from San Francisco in Campeche to Cancún, Quintana Roo, which saw 10,680 users in its first 13 days.

In the new year, the routes expanded to run from Cancún to Palenque and vice versa, boosting the user count to 15,579 people in the first week, averaging 800 users per day. These passengers were transported on one of the four standard trains, each with a capacity of 221 passengers, making a total of 144 trips.

Initial data shows that the majority of these passengers were domestic visitors (8,368) and local residents (4,824). They were followed by special users (1,986), a term used to refer to elderly people, teachers, students, minors, and people with reduced mobility, and finally, foreign visitors (401). The most popular routes were Campeche-Cancún, Campeche-Mérida, Mérida-Campeche, Cancún-Campeche, and Mérida-Cancún. The most frequented stations were Cancún Airport, Campeche, Mérida Teya, and Valladolid.