Although it was announced that cargo movement by the Maya Train would begin in September of this year, its proponents have now indicated that it will not start until 2026.
Brigadier General Alejandro Gómez Vargas, head of the Maya Train Coordination, Delivery, and Reception Center, stated that they will seek to transport fuel, steel, cement, grains, perishable goods, and automobiles.
“The train service alone would not provide all the resources for its maintenance, and of course, cargo service is considered to enhance the efforts of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to boost this transport from the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz, to and from the Yucatán Peninsula,” he mentioned.
He reiterated that cargo service will begin in 2026 and will be integrated into the ports of Progreso and Lerma.
It is worth noting that T21 published in April 2023 that Óscar David Lozano Águila, General Director of the Maya Train, stated that cargo would circulate on this infrastructure’s tracks in September of this year.
“We will gradually develop cargo capacity, but by September 2024 we will have everything necessary. We are interested in boosting the cargo coming from the Trans-Isthmus Corridor, and if we can join forces with the Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, we will certainly generate business for the rest of the companies,” he commented at the time.
Gómez Vargas revealed that the project will include four multimodal terminals in Palenque, Progreso, Cancún, and Chetumal, as well as a corresponding number of yards in Escárcega, Pomuch, Valladolid, and Xpujil, and a railway operations center in Poxilá.
“For the service, it has been considered to generally provide 12 main locomotives, seven yard locomotives, and 550 cars. This infrastructure will constitute a robust system for transporting goods that will generate development and increase employment in the communities along the Maya Train route,” he said.
For his part, Rear Admiral Alan Tarcisio Cruz Saba, Director of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway (FIT), stated that when the Maya Train begins cargo operations, transshipment will occur in Bacalá, a municipality near Palenque.
He mentioned that by September, the railway line from Ciudad Ixtepec to Tonalá will be ready, so they will start transporting cargo from Coatzacoalcos or Salina Cruz to Tonalá.
Regarding the exchange of goods between Mexico and Guatemala, he said that meetings have already been held with representatives from this country.
“We have had conversations with the Guatemalan government and will be able to establish interconnection through the border. They have Tecum Uman and we have Ciudad Hidalgo. Guatemala’s tracks are now standard gauge, so we will be able to connect. The Tecum Uman yard has capacity for 17 cars, so we recommended expanding it to 65 cars,” he detailed.
He mentioned that the tracks dismantled from Line K will be donated to Guatemala to be installed along the 230 kilometers of tracks needed for the connection from Tecum Uman to Puerto Quetzal.
He reported that from September 19, 2023, to August 14, 2024, 102 trips have been made, moving 138,061 tons of various types of cargo, including sand, cement, clay, hydrofluoric acid, and corn, among others.
During an event organized by the Mexican Association of Railways (AMF), Alejandro Gómez Vargas detailed that the Maya Train will have 1,554 kilometers of track, 34 passenger stations, and various complementary business lines.
Additionally, the railway will feature 663 kilometers of double electrified track, seven electrical substations, confinement areas, service roads, viaducts, bridges, wildlife crossings, pedestrian and vehicular walkways, as well as grade separations.
He mentioned that there will be three types of trains: regular, long-distance, and tourist. Currently, the regular trains are already in operation, while the long-distance train is expected to start service in September or October.
He revealed that for passenger operations, they will offer packages on specific routes including those close to beaches, a colonial route, the Wonders route from Cancun to Mérida, the Caribbean route from Cancun to Chetumal, and the Archaeology route, among others.
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