Maya Train Passengers Stranded for Over Five Hours After Company Mismanagement

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Passengers aboard two Maya Trains were stranded for more than five hours Wednesday night without power, air conditioning, or information from staff, after a series of poor decisions by the operating company left them arriving at Cancún station at 3 a.m. — six hours behind schedule.

The ordeal began when a train that departed Mérida at 3 p.m. bound for Cancún suffered an apparent loss of power and came to a halt between Leona Vicario and Cancún.

According to passengers, the company then made a critical error. A second train that had left Mérida at 4:20 p.m. was just 500 meters from Cancún when it was ordered to turn back to rescue the first train. Instead of transferring passengers to safety, the plan was to couple the trains and tow the disabled one. The maneuver failed, leaving both trains — with passengers aboard — stranded about 10 kilometers from the Cancún station.

Throughout the incident, crew members failed to inform passengers of what was happening, leaving them in darkness and without ventilation.

Emergency services, including National Guard officers and security personnel, responded and maintained communication with the drivers. Firefighters and civil protection units also arrived but were denied access to assist by Maya Train authorities.

No injuries have been reported. Officials are expected to release information on the technical cause of the failure.