CANCUN, Mexico — Mexico’s two-week-old Maya Train abruptly announced it was temporarily suspending service for four days on Thursday, announcing the move on social media less than an hour before the suspension took effect.
A post on the social media site X, posted at 10:15 a.m., said that the suspension was effective at 11 a.m. “due to the pre-opening of the new Cancún-Palenque route” and offered an email contact for those holding tickets.
A longer official statement, posted later in the day, offered no additional details on the reason for the suspension but said that those holding tickets would be given priority in scheduling on the new segment if they desired. It did not explain why the opening of another section of the line required operation to halt on the already-operating 298-mile section between Cancun and Campeche.
The controversial tourist-focused passenger operation was inaugurated by a trip including President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Dec. 15, with regular service beginning the next day marked by delayed trains, no completed stations at any of the planned intermediate stops, and other technical issues [see “Long delays, late trains mark start of Maya Train service,” Trains News wire, Dec. 17, 2023]. Six of the planned 14 stations are reportedly now open on the Cancún-Campeche segment.
They opened the line when they had enough working for a few trains running at slower speeds per day. In the US, such a line would remain closed until all testing was finished.
Personally, I do prefer the soft opening with a few trains at slower speeds as issues are worked out. Expectations are lower and you’re testing a system that is closer to the final product. (assuming all safety systems are working, of course).
They constructed the route with an obvious defect. To please the local (corrupt) politicians, they opened it anyway to much fanfare since it was behind schedule, scaled back from its original scope, and highly over budget. Now they have to close it to make the necessary safety repairs.
Oh wait, that’s in Boston, sorry.
Sounds like there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Did they open too early and miss some safety tests?