Best Train Rides in Mexico lonelyplanet.com

Even if you’ve been to Mexico before, chances are you have yet to experience its passenger rail network. The country isn’t known for train travel, certainly not the way Europe is, but it does have a small yet ambitious network that’s rapidly expanding with scenic routes worth adding to your itinerary.

Historically, Mexico’s rail system went through its Golden Age during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911), when the network grew significantly as part of his modernization agenda. Thousands of miles of track were laid connecting major cities and ports, largely funded by foreign investment. Gradually, they fell into disrepair following the Mexican Revolution as the government prioritized highway development and bus transportation.

Train travel in Mexico is not about speed, it’s more about the experience in itself – looking at you, Tequila – but it can also be about convenience. What Mexico’s passenger rail network lacks in size, it makes up for in scenery and cultural immersion. In the north, El Chepe crosses canyons and weaves through the expansive Sierra Madre mountains, while further south, the newly opened Tren Maya traverses the jungle connecting less explored destinations across the Yucatán Peninsula.