The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, inaugurated the works for the Maya Train to also be used for cargo and merchandise transportation. This action aims to strengthen southeastern Mexico as an industrial hub, with an initial investment of 25 billion pesos. Additionally, Sheinbaum announced an additional investment of more than 12 billion pesos to expand the Progreso port in Yucatán, on the Atlantic, with the goal of attracting new investments and facilitating exports.
In her statements, Sheinbaum emphasized that these actions fulfill her promise to expand the Maya Train, a project of 1,553 kilometers of tracks prioritized by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to benefit five states in southeastern Mexico: Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Yucatán. The Maya Train will also connect with the Interoceanic Corridor train, another López Obrador project that aims to link the Pacific with the Atlantic.
Sheinbaum highlighted that the expansion of the Maya Train will not only benefit tourism but also enhance industrial development in the region. To date, the Maya Train has transported nearly 1.2 million passengers since its inauguration in December 2023.
The expansion project, managed by the Army, will include 10 cargo complexes, consisting of intermodal terminals, operation yards, and a fuel spur. This work will be carried out in two phases, generating 26,000 direct jobs and finishing in two and a half years, as detailed by Commander Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo.
Sheinbaum has also proposed the expansion of the Maya Train and the Interoceanic Corridor to Guatemala, aiming to create industrial hubs between the Mexico-Central America border. This measure seeks to help mitigate migration, thus responding to pressure from the United States Government. In total, the president announced a public investment of 150 billion pesos in 2025 for the construction of 3,000 kilometers of passenger trains during her administration (2024-2030).
The actions proposed by Sheinbaum aim to promote industrial development in the southeast of the country, leveraging existing railway infrastructure and promoting job creation in the region.
