The Tren Maya has opened a new direct route from Mérida to Playa del Carmen and vice versa, an ongoing work that is advancing at a rapid pace, as Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised it would be completed during his presidency, but now it seems increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, learn about the prices, schedules, and how long the journey takes on the route from Mérida to Playa del Carmen, since although there was already an existing route, it did not function directly, as passengers had to transfer and wait for several hours before continuing to another point.
The new direct service began operating last Wednesday, July 17th, offering tickets without transfers between the head of the Solidaridad municipality in Quintana Roo and the Yucatecan capital. The journey from Mérida to Playa del Carmen takes approximately 5 hours, with a departure at 7:00 am and arrival at 12:46 pm. The return trip from Playa del Carmen to Mérida has a departure time of 17:30 hours and an estimated arrival time of 21:31 hours (which appears to be four hours but is actually five due to the difference in time zones).
The Tren Maya makes 8 stops along the direct route from Mérida to Playa del Carmen, including:
1. Tixkokob
2. Izamal
3. Chichén Itzá
4. Valladolid
5. Nuevo Xcán
6. Leona Vicario
7. Cancún Aeropuerto
8. Puerto Morelos
The tickets for the direct trip Playa del Carmen-Mérida and Mérida-Playa del Carmen are already available and their prices vary according to the category:
Premier Internacional: $1,879.50 pesos
Premier Nacional: $1,409.5 pesos
Turista Especial: $441.50 pesos
The Maya Train is still an incomplete work
It is necessary to specify that until now, and despite having enabled this route, the Maya Train is still an incomplete work, since from Playa del Carmen it is not possible to arrive directly to Palenque or Campeche, so the user looking for train travel would have to get to Cancún Airport and wait for the departure of the next day at 9:30 am.
The network of 1,554 kilometers, still with construction tracts, has been heavily criticized for its significant environmental impact, profitability -with an investment that exceeds half a billion pesos- and because its construction, as well as that of stations and nearby hotels, is in charge of the Army, and lacks accountability mechanisms.
On Monday, July 15th, the director of the Maya Train, General Oscar David Lozano, said that there are 17 trains in operation that have transported almost 250,000 people since mid-December, some 1,200 per day, but only a fifth part opted for long-distance travel, which is one of the goals of the incomplete project.
Where to buy Tren Maya tickets?
Now that you know everything about the new direct route Mérida-Playa del Carmen of the Maya Train, price, schedule and duration of the trip, you should know that you can buy tickets at station and stop ticket offices along the railway route, although you can also do it online through the website activated for this purpose by the military company: just click on this link.
Where does the Tren Maya start and where does it end?
The Maya Train covers a 1,554-kilometer circuit that starts from Tramo 1 of Chiapas to Campeche: Palenque- Escárcega. Then Tramo 2 Campeche: Escárcega-Calkiní. Next is Tramo 3 Campeche to Yucatán: Calkiní-Izamal. Then Tramo 4 Yucatán to Quintana Roo: Izamal-Cancún. It continues on Tramo 5 Quintana Roo: Cancún-Tulum. Then Tramo 6 Quintana Roo: Tulum-Chetumal; and ends at Tramo 7: Quintana Roo to Campeche: Chetumal- Escárcega.
What are the sections of the Tren Maya?
Tramo 1: Palenque – Escárcega (228 km approx.)
Tramo 2: Escárcega – Calkiní (235 km approx.)
Tramo 3: Calkiní – Izamal (172 km approx.)
Tramo 4: Izamal – Cancún (257 km approx.)
Tramo 5 Norte: Cancún – Playa del Carmen (49.8 km approx.)
Tramo 5 Sur: Playa del Carmen – Tulum (60.3 km approx.)
Tramo 6: Tulum – Bacalar (254 km approx.)
Tramo 7: Bacalar – Escárcega (287 km approx.)
Source: Diario de Yucatan
