Playa Del Carmen Destination Guide
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Trains - Playa Del Carmen
Rail travel is generally less than half the price of the bus in Mexico, but it's also far less common, much slower and rarely on time - that's hours late, not minutes. The few services which do exist are infrequent, with only one a day or three a week on most lines. Most services have been cut since privatization in 1995. In general, train travel is only recommended in northern and central Mexico. The most popular journeys include those from the border to Mexico City (where sleeper services represent great value), Mexico City to Oaxaca, and the amazing Copper Canyon Railway.
There is now only one class of travel on Mexican trains (equivalent to the old first class), and there are no sleepers, though seats are comfortable and do recline. Tickets are sold only on the day of departure (in places with only one train a day, the taquilla may open for ticket sales just an hour or so before the scheduled departure time, which can of course be several hours before the train actually turns up). During holiday periods you may have to queue for the best part of a day in order to get your ticket. To be sure of a seat, it's an idea to turn up fairly early, since overbooking is normal.
Train schedules are hard to come by in Mexico, but are published each month internationally in Thomas Cook's Overseas Timetable (the blue volume), which can be consulted in most public reference libraries in North America, the British Isles, Australia and New Zealand.
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