With the Maya Train gearing up for a December launch, potential passengers have been given a sneak peak at ticket prices from the director of the company.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Fórmula Digital, General Óscar Lozano Águila of Tren Maya S.A. de C.V. revealed details about how much it will cost to ride the train through the southeastern states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Chiapas, Tabasco and Campeche.

The director said travelers will pay at least 2.32 pesos per kilometer traveled, although there will be different rates for local residents, Mexican nationals and tourists from outside the country, with discounts for seniors, disabled people and students.

The train will cover a distance of approximately 1,500 km (932 miles), and it is estimated that it will carry around 32,000 people per day.

For now, all tourist routes are designed to begin and end at the Cancún Airport station. Multiple-day packages will include visits to over 100 paid or free attractions, including 46 archaeological sites, 14 Pueblos Mágicos, six World Heritage sites and 18 “Indigenous Paradises,” along with nature parks, cenotes and more.

Basic, gold and platinum packages of one, two and three nights will be sold, Lozano Águila said, and prices will go up for business-class seats, dining plans and sleeping cabins with a private bathroom.

“For a [local resident], there is a [basic] cost factor of 2.32 pesos per kilometer, [for] a national tourist 2.90, [and for] an international tourist 4.35 pesos per kilometer,” he added. He also said prices might be more during “high season” and cautioned that prices are still subject to changes by the federal government.

The seven sections of the Maya Train, five of which are expected to be operational in December, are Cancún to Tulum, Quintana Roo (121 km); Tulum to Chetumal, Quintana Roo (254 km); Chetumal to Escárcega, Campeche (287 km); Cancún to Izamal, Yucatán (257 km); Izamal to Calkiní, Campeche (172 km); Calkiní to Escárcega (235 km); and Escárcega to Palenque, Chiapas (228 km).

A trip from Cancún to Tulum, for example, would have a cost of 281 pesos (US $16.50) for locals or 526 pesos (US $30.93) for international tourists. The longest route would have a basic cost of 665 pesos (US $39.10), more than triple the minimum wage in Mexico of 207.44 pesos ($12.20) per day. 

“It’s not like the subway where you get on and you can move through all the infrastructure,” Lozano Águila told Radio Fórmula. “This is a differentiated transport that attends to other types of needs and that also operates with much higher operating costs.”

With reports from Radio Fórmula and El Financiero