These cabins are meant to serve as daytime spaces for work and relaxation but convert into sleeping bunks for nighttime journeys.
For dining, the train includes both a restaurant and a cafeteria car.
The train has 238 standard seats, four spaces for passengers with reduced mobility, and 18 seats across nine cabins, with room for up to 260 passengers.
This configuration offers 17% more capacity than previous models.
Maite Ramos, Managing Director of Alstom Mexico, said: “We are creating a milestone in Mexico’s mobility with the Tren Maya, a project that reflects Alstom’s ability to lead the future of transportation.”
However, there has been plenty of controversy surrounding the project.
The new train line was initially meant to connect tourist hotspots like Cancun and Tulum and ancient Mayan sites like Palenque.
However, the train’s path has raised environmental and social concerns.
Critics of the project argue that it risks disrupting fragile ecosystems, like the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, home to endangered species such as jaguars and tapirs.
Environmentalists also worry about habitat fragmentation, water pollution, and deforestation.
On top of that, some local tourism experts like Sergio González Rubiera question its tourist appeal.
Rubiera suggested that the train may serve more local passengers and freight than tourists.
Other critics also point to the rushed construction and lack of transparency, with even the United Nations raising concerns about poor consultation with Indigenous communities.
Valdivia Navarro, an environmental advocate, said: “Economic development can and must be balanced with environmental conservation.”
