Tren Maya Freight Complex in Chetumal to Break Ground in 2027

Mexico City — The second phase of the Tren Maya’s freight conversion will begin next year, adding a multimodal cargo complex in Chetumal along with four secondary terminals in Valladolid, Pomuch, Xpujil and Escárcega, a senior military engineer said Tuesday.

Gustavo Vallejo Suárez, who commands the Mexican Army’s “Felipe Ángeles” Engineer Group, said the first phase of the freight project is 67 percent complete. That stage includes a cargo complex in Cancún and a four-lane highway bypass.

Speaking at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily morning press conference, Vallejo Suárez said the work represents a total investment of 42.357 billion pesos.

The current phase covers four intermodal cargo complexes — Cancún, Palenque, Mérida and Progreso — with a combined 100 kilometers of track in their interior yards, as well as offices, workshops and warehouses.

The upgrade also includes a connection to the Interoceanic Corridor train at Palenque, the renovation of 26 kilometers of aging rail lines in Mérida, the construction of 49 kilometers of new track toward Progreso, and the road bypass in Cancún.

Vallejo Suárez said the Cancún bypass will run 9.6 kilometers and carry four lanes of traffic, linking the cargo complex to Cancún and to the highways leading to Mérida and Chetumal. It is also expected to ease congestion in the southern part of the city.

Officials expect to deliver some of the intermodal complexes this year, ahead of the second phase’s launch in 2027, when construction begins on the Chetumal cargo facility.