I just heard somewhere that the Mexican president is ordering all freight railroads to develop and run their own passenger rail network. Also, Mexico just took in some British Rail HST locomotives to run with former Amtrak cars. It's beautiful what's happening to Mexico's rail network, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for it.
Well there's your problem did an episode recently on the HSTs and the other things that are going on with that railway, if you're interested in more info.
🤔 🧐 Amigo !! Google Maya Train, it's a modern train that travels at 100 miles an hr,a 1554 km trip ,they are still working on certain areas but all the 1554 km will be ready by the end of February passing by Cancun, basically 5 Southeastern States of Mexico.It will be passing by the jungle by the way.Oh!! and it's being built here in Queretaro,Mex by a French Co. called Alston . It's a 29 billion US dollar project being built by 5 or 6 companies, more than 100k people working 3 shifts 24/7 since day 1. In the next coming yrs the Government wants to invest in connecting all Mex with high-speed trains. ✌️
A new passenger train was inaugurated in the south of Mexico, it is called the "Tren del Istmo" or interoceanic train because it crosses from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. I hope you go to that one too, you'll like it. And also the new Mayan train, but wait until the long trips with the restaurant train come out.
My mother is from a small town in central Mexico, she married my father who is from Ohio. When they were first married (sixty years ago!) they could take a passenger train from Columbus, Ohio direct to San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato. They loved traveling by train!
@@TheAdrianMc the Ohio meme artists maybe, and the average foreigner might falsely assume a subnational territory is a country when they hear "Phoenix, Arizona!" listed right before "Oaxaca, Mexico"
I travelled by train through the Copper Canyon close to 20 years ago starting my trip from Chihuahua and doing the return trip to El Fuerte. I had overnight stops in both directions stretching the trip out to about a week. Out of the 90 counties that I have been to Mexico is one of my favourites ( mainly because of the people) and this train trip was one of the most memorable things I have done.
There is a popular YT. motorcycle driver (she was driving from Argentina to Alaska) who drove through copper canyon in Mexico. During her drive, she is on a road where you can just about see a train which more then likely is this train. The episode - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lSssOgJQUcw.html
I love Mexico and visited many times but only the tourist destinations like Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta Acapulco and Cancun so its really refreshing to see the smaller towns and villages they're so beautiful and the people are awesome too ❤️ keep up the great work
Mexico City has an extensive subway rail line system. Before Mexico's passenger trains were mostly discontinued by a certain former president, I was able to fly from Houston to Cozumel, then take a multi-segment bus & train journey beginning in Cozumel by ship to Cancun, then by bus to Chichen Itza-Merida, then by train from Merida to Palenque to Mexico City to Guadalajara to Los Mochis to Chihuahua to Juarez. Then walked across the Rio Grande to El Paso & continued further on inter-city bus & Amtrak to various U.S. destinations on a multi-segment multi-stop Amtrak pass. At Chichen Itza, a Hollywood movie was being filmed: "Against All Odds". Mexico's "Tren Maya" project has been scheduled to refurbish the rail line between Merida & Palenque. There's an audio recording on RU-vid that features Mexican passenger trains called "El Tren Fantasma" - Chris Watson.
Another great video Mike. A college friend and I took the train in 1997. There were 2 classes, no AC, no restaurant, no bar car. There was a cart that went through the aisle with drinks and snacks. You could buy food from the venders at the various stops. We went into Creel and road part way down the canyon. We stayed 2 nights at Divisadero (the overlook) and the at Cerrocauhi for 2 nights. The train was extremely late for all stops and boarding, but all-in-all a great trip.
I remember my Mexican grandmother and uncle taking us on short train rides. When my grandmother passed I dreamt of her and I on a train and the sun beaming on her face. That day I got the news of her passing. I’ll forever miss those train rides.
my family is from Sinaloa and it was so cool to see you guys in Los Mochis! I also loved this different look into Mexico. Mexico is really beautiful and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! The weather is perfect around this time, it's not too hot
Next year, there’s going to be more trains in Mexico, Tren Maya in the Riviera Maya, Tren Veracruz~Oaxaca (beautiful small towns all long the way) and Tren Interurbano México City to Toluca, there’s a lot of tourist attractions.
Wow. You just keep doing trains better and better. This is one for the bucket list, along with the tequila train. 🚂 I’m such a fan of trains and you are indulging my adventurous spirit. Thank you so much for sharing your journey
I've been on that train quite some years ago and it was awesome. We also stopped in Creel and did some touring around, getting to know the traditions of the local tribe, the Tarahumara and an awesome frozen waterfall (we went a bit later in the year ;-) ). I also remember we had a stop in some place where we could get off the train for half an hour or so because it had this breathtaking view of the canyon. i later learned that Copper canyon is actually larger than the Grand Canyon (I don't remember if that was in total area, depth, length or what. I just remember that detail). At that time the train continued on from Creel to the city of Chihuahua (The capital of the state with the same name and yes, that little dog is from there). If you come to the Baja peninsula next, contact me if you need anything.
My buddy Malcolm and I did the trip in March 2017 before the dome and lookout bar was added. Our train didn't even have a bar car for first class passengers so I am very impressed with the upgrades even though prices have skyrocketed since I rode El Chepe almost seven years ago. Thanks for sharing a fun trip.
Glad you got a chance to ride El Chepe. My wife and I did it back in 2020, and had a blast. There was even an episode being filmed for Britain's "Worlds Most Scenic Railway Journeys" narrated by non-other than Bill Nighy. The dome car once ran on a tourist train I operated in Maryland, called, "The EnterTRAINment Liine" (Pretty good play on words...) It has been VASTLY upgraded since then, (mid-90's) and seen service in several areas. It was a joy to ride in, and enjoy our lunch in the dome, of this historic car. We took the regional train from Chihuahua, Chihuahua to the Copper Canyon. Spent a few days there, (HIGHLY recommended) and then down the mountain to Los Michos on El Chepe. We are gonna do it again. Luckily for me, I didn't have to give up my seat at the end of the train for the ENTIRE TRIP. Love your videos.BONUS: "Didja know", the Netflix series OZARKS, shot a short scene in Creel, Mexico. If you've been to downtown Creel, and you watch the episode, you'll know.
There used to be a train called La Bala (the bullet) that used to leave from Mexicali to Guadalajara. My family would take it for vacations with family in a small town about 45 miles away from Guadalajara. It would roll through Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and even pass the town of Tequila in Jalisco. It was an adventure
Yes, I remember that train very well. That is the train my mother and my brother used to take going to visit our family in Mexico. Going through the Sonora desert was a B### to much sand going through the windows. I hated the ticket, pillow, coffee man, they would wake us up around 1 and 3 in the morning. There was also a much slower train called el burro, the donkey. That train would run at donkey speed and would stop at almost all cities. Great memories, fun times.
I WAS ON THAT ONE 27 YEARS AGO.. I WAS 16 OR 18 AT THAT TIME, IT HAD A BAR , FOOD CART .. I GOT DRUNK ... WAS I IN TRUBLE WITH MY MOM...Mexicali to Guadalajara. .. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY...TIME PASSES TO FAST....MEXICO THE MOON S BELLY BUTTON ...
I first read about this train when I was a kid. At the time it was considered a fairly dangerous ride through fairly dangerous territory, but also one of the world’s most scenic railways. The train and the territory both appear to be considerably upgraded since then, and safer. It is disappointing to find out that apparently the train no longer runs clear to the Pacific coastal town of Topolobampo. As a kid, that town’s name totally intrigued me.
Oh the joy I felt watching you guys and this video! That is one very classy looking train. I love the farm house at 11:19. Thank you always for sharing your adventures. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone~ we all have a lot to be thankful for!!!
Thank you for showing us this beautiful ride. I’m from chihuahua Mexico and I hear lots of stories from my family about that canyon but I’ve never gotten to see it.
wow! I noticed... you're about to hit 1 million subscribers. I was here when your channel was not even at 25 000. It's great to see how big this youtube channel. Nice video ! 🙂
WOW! The scenery is awesome! And the fact that you have open air at the back of the train .... amazing! Definitely a ride I would enjoy taking, even though it has a LOT of tunnels!
Beautiful video. When I was a kid i did this travel during the rain season. At that time it was Los Mochis-Chihuahua. It has been one of the most beautiful trips in my life.
I took a tour to the Copper Canyon and got to stay at the famous Barrancas Hotel overlooking the canyon. We took this train in two stages. We were supposed to be in first class both times but the second day the rail road didn’t feel like loading the first class car so we were placed on business but the bathrooms weren’t cleaned so instead they loaded all the trash bags in there. Had to go to tourist class and plug our noses to use their bathrooms. They also had chickens and pigs in the aisles…passengers were also cooking with butane stoves. In the bakery back was an open car with loose chairs to sit in…no safety precautions at all. Quite an adventure….train is not reliable at all, specially not on time
AMLO has started to renew the train travel and its freight services! The T-MEC train line will traverse from Transisthmic line to connect Mexico to the U.S. and on to Canada. Also the Transisthmic train will connect the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and offer an alternative route to that offered by the Panama Canal! Plus the train Maya which will create an easier way to discover the archeological sites to be found all along the route! The train Chepe goes from Chihuahua city to Los Mochis and Creel is a stop along the copper canyon!
MayanTren will start service December 15 2023. All electric service in Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche. Stopping at all the major tourist towns and archaeological sites. Playa, Cancun, and the Cancun airport, Tulum and the new Tulum airport. Merida, Chetumal, Valladolid, Palenque. Coach, First class, sleeping cars, dining and lounge car.
Just a few weeks ago, the opened a brand new high speed route from Cancun to Campeche. I was in Campeche less than a year ago before the tracks were even built.
Seems like your blood alcohol might have been a little lower on this train compared to the Tequila Sunrise train.... Haha. Very cool Mike and Ben! Another thing to add to my bucket list. You've extended it a LOT since I started watching....way back when you had 50k subs. Now almost 750k!! Wicked cool!!
Beautiful! 🤩 That looks like a great train ride. But as someone from europe I just cannot imagine someone who has never been on trains before for transportation 😅 So many things in my country are done by train, from daily work commute to vacation since it is so crowded here . You cannot park and will only stand in traffic jam if you go by car 😝
Same here! I've been riding train several times a year since I was baby. It's just so often best way to get places. I hope, that some day North American countries will have passenger rail network similar to Europe, to allow people take train more often. Mexico is doing good progress, alredy having one of best commuter rail lines in North America and aiming to open several new intercity -routes soon, so there most definetly is hope!
I love your train videos. I have never had the pleasure of being on a train. This makes me wish I. Old ride the rails even just once. The closest Amtrak is hours away from my home and I do not drive.
I live in Scotland and I earn a decent wage but I don’t own a car. I travel by bus and train all the time, whether it’s going to work, getting shopping, going to cinema or the gym. I just can’t imagine living somewhere where you must have a car. I live in the Scottish Highlands, where people outside believe you need a car here.. I have a very enjoyable life and go out exploring places all the time.. though I am lucky to have some beautiful train routes in my area (Kyle line and Far North Line)
The US used to have them but the industry that made tires bought them up, tore up the tracks and people had to ride buses or get a car. Then President Eisenhower had interstates built instead of improving the railway system.
Mike ! You did it again! I am amazed, though , that this is the only passenger train in all of huge Mexico. Is there any history behind this lack? By the way, your haircut is great! You look far younger and handsome !
I remember riding on the Aztec Eagle from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City many years ago. The toilet opened to the track bed, so basically the track was the sewer.
I’d love to get to Mexico someday. Rail journeys are fun but our passenger rail service shut down in Tasmania well over 40 years ago. I did go from Hobart to Wynyard in the late 70s on the old Tasman Limited(yeah, limited speed! 😉), it took forever! It took too long so passenger numbers became unviable. There are a couple of tourist trains, like the ABT railway on the west coast which is absolutely spectacular though. I’ve done Melbourne to Perth via the Overlander and Indian Pacific once though. The airline pilots were on strike in 1989…
I think you need more information . Mexico already have two more trains in the south of the peninsula (TREN MAYA)or maya train . Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, The Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Spanish: Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec), abbreviated as CIIT, is a trade and transit route in Southern Mexico, under the control of the Secretariat of the Navy, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through a railway system, the Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, for both cargo and passengers, crossing through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This project also consists on the modernization and growth of local seaports, particularly the ports of Salina Cruz (Oaxaca) and Coatzacoalcos (Veracruz), and of the Minatitlán oil refinery [es] and the Salina Cruz oil refinery [es]. In addition, it plans to attract private investors through the creation of 10 industrial parks in the Isthmus area, as well as two other parks in Chiapas. The project has the goal of developing the economy and industry of the Mexican South through encouraging economic investment, both national and international, and facilitate commerce and transportation of goods internationally. The Tren Maya (sometimes also Mayan Train or Maya Train) is a 1,554-kilometre (966 mi) intercity railway in Mexico that traverses the Yucatán Peninsula. Construction began in June 2020 and the Campeche-Cancún section began operation on December 15, 2023, with the rest of the line to open later. The railway begins in Cancún International Airport and travels southwest towards Palenque, Chiapas, via two routes that encircle the peninsula. The project aims to connect tourist destinations in the Caribbean with lesser-known sites inland, including historic Mayan sites from which it derives its name.[6][7] Mayan Train The routes of the Tren Maya Overview Native name Tren Maya (Spanish) Tsiímin K'aák (Yucatec Maya) Owner Mexican Armed Forces Locale Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo; Mexico Termini San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche Palenque, Chiapas (after December 31) Cancún Airport, Quintana Roo Stations 15 Website trenmaya.gob.mx Service Services 3 Rolling stock 42 X'Trapolis Tsíimin K'áak multiple units History Commenced December 16, 2018 Opened December 15, 2023[1][2] (Campeche-Cancún) January 1, 2024[3][4] (Palenque-Cancún) Extended (planned) End of January 2024[5] (Cancún-Tulum) February 2024[5] (Tulum-Escárcega)
not missed, sadly our former presidents cared shit about the rail system and sold everything to the private sector and we were left with nothing until recently, our current president is bringing back the whole rail system
we have a former president corrupt as hell who sold the railway to an american company. yes that's why. but our current president already announced a new train network.
Me acuerdo cuando era un niño para mi adolescencia, desde Michoacan asta Sinaloa y agarrábamos el tren y era una grata experiencia. Ahora estoy en usa y extraño esas experiencias.
It used to go further we took it all the way to chihuahua back in 2001. Spent a few nights in Creel though and got on the train headed north a few days later. Beautiful place as you showed, just don't go into the mountains.
I've been there before when i was working with holland america line cruise. They were the only one (at that time) that docks in topolobampo and passengers will board the bus to los mochis then take that train ride to copper canyon. Los muchis is beautiful. It bring back memories.
Brings back memories! I did chihuahua to los mochis, stopping at Creel and I stayed with a local family near divisadero and spent the next morning on the canyons edge. Fabulous trip.
Oh, TERRACE bar! I thought you said something else... that probably can't be typed on RU-vid. LOL! Open windows - YES! That is the only kind of train trip I would want to take. If I was going through beautiful landscapes and couldn't actually FEEL the wind and sun and/or cold, I would cry. Fun bunch of folks. I love it!
Ive always wanted to do this but in the snowy season but I dont have the 4 days to actually do it....the grand canyon of mexico is the sumidero canyon in south mexico
I took this train ride back in 1977, of course the train was not as nice as this one. It was the best trip ever!! As a 12 year old, I enjoyed the scenery, the tunnels and the waterfalls. You should go to Cerocahui - I don't know what it looks like now, but back then it was amazing. My grandma's cousin owned the house which is now the hotel. Great video!! I need to go back! You brought me some great memories - Thank you!!
In the early 90’s I rode first class from Nuevo Laredo to cdmx in first class. Old style with red velvet seats and an amazing dining car. So much fun and so cheap.
YEARS AGO, You used to be able to drive down to Mx & load your Rv onto a rail flatcar and stay inside it as the train traveled thru Mx famous COPPER CANYON but for reasons unknow the Mx RR cancelled the Rv part. !
"This canyon system is internationally known for being four times as extensive and almost two times as deep as the famous Colorado Grand Canyon in Arizona" 😊😊😊😉😉😉 Welcome to Chihuahua State, at the North of México...👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
"The only train in Mexico." Except for the Tequila Express out of Guadalajara and a couple commuter lines in Mexico City. Try "Brazil's only passenger train" between Belo Horizonte and Vitoria.
Hey hermano! Muchas gracias por enseñar a tus compatriotas estadounidenses un tren de lujo mexicano, veo que a muchos estadounidenses les gusta Mexico y eso es bastante padre!! BIENVENIDOS A MI CASA!!🇲🇽🇺🇲
A dome diner is not a new concept. The Union Pacific has a dome diner in the sleeper section of their City of Los Angeles. (Although the pre-1968 train left Chicago with equipment from the City of San Francisco.)
I took a similar trip near that same location over 20 years ago. I was very little & I don't remember much; but what I do remember was the train ride. I was so excited & yes especially for the tunnels.