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The Tren Maya is complete: where it changes something for buyers in Quintana Roo
The 1,554 km Tren Maya loop closed on December 15. What really changes for buyers in Playa del Carmen, Tulum or the south of the state.
For whom
Anyone considering a purchase in Quintana Roo with the Tren Maya in mind.
On Sunday, December 15, President Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated the last section of the Tren Maya, from Chetumal to Escárcega. That closed a 1,554 kilometer loop of seven sections crossing Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas. The Chetumal station opened with routes to Cancún and Campeche.
In the Riviera Maya, the change started earlier. Since September 20, the Playa del Carmen to Felipe Carrillo Puerto route has been running, with stops in Tulum and at the Tulum airport. Playa to Tulum takes about 48 minutes, and a tourist-class ticket costs between 78 and 209 pesos depending on the type of passenger.
One year after the first section opened, it is worth looking at where buyers can feel the train and where they cannot.
Where something does change
- Moving between cities. Playa del Carmen, Tulum and the Cancún airport are now linked by rail, which widens where someone who works in another city can live.
- Vacation rentals near a station. A guest can arrive from the airport without renting a car, as long as the last stretch, from the station to the property, is easy.
- The south of the state. Chetumal and the towns along the way are now connected by rail to Cancún. The change in connectivity is bigger there than in the Riviera Maya.
Where nothing has changed yet
- A property far from the stations with no transportation to them.
- A pre-construction deal that already charged for "train appreciation" before the train has enough passengers.
- Legal certainty. The train does not regularize ejido land or fix a badly drafted deed.
What we will watch in 2025
- Frequencies and passengers per route, which are the numbers that show whether people use the train.
- Transportation between stations and town centers. In Playa del Carmen, the first passengers arrived at a station with little transportation downtown.
- Which developments are announced near the stations, and with which permits.
Our take
In 19 years we have seen that infrastructure helps an area when it arrives together with services, jobs and safety, and that on its own it does not hold prices up. The train adds something. It does not replace checking the deed, the land use and the price against what has already sold in the area.
If you are looking at something because it is close to the train, send us the location and we will check it against the nearest station.
Sources
- La Jornada, December 15, 2024: Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurates the last section of the Tren Maya (in Spanish)
- Heraldo de México Quintana Roo, December 15, 2024: the Chetumal station begins operations (in Spanish)
- La Jornada Maya, September 18, 2024: the Playa del Carmen to Felipe Carrillo Puerto route begins (in Spanish)