Is Tren Maya Pet Friendly? The big question!

FURTHER UPDATE 23 February 2024 – The Tren Maya has made some changes to their website relating to traveling with pets. Unfortunately, While the page starts by stating that Tren Maya is pet friendly transportation, it appears that it really isn’t. It only allows service or emotional support dogs under 10kg with a maximum height of 30cm and a length of 56cm.

We’re pretty sure that this isn’t completely in line with the law relating to service animals as this would prevent anyone requiring a dog larger than a toy size breed, as a service dog, from using the service. We hope for further updates that will clarify this as it is concerning for those with service animals.

UPDATED 8 February 2024 – The Tren Maya has produced guidelines for traveling with your dog on the train. They state that dogs or cats under 10kg with a maximum height of 30cm and a length of 56cm may travel. It also states that service animals may travel with their owners. What is unclear is that it states that acceptance will be subject to the dimensions of the dog. They do not explain which dimensions apply to service animals, and, of course, many service animals are large due to the nature of the assistance they provide to their handler. We hope they will clarify this.

Additionally, emotional support dogs may travel with their owners with a certificate from a psychiatrist. They are, however, clear that the size restrictions apply to emotional support dogs. So, unless your emotional support dog is under 10kg, currently, they will not be able to travel with you on Tren Maya.

Other guidelines are mentioned regarding the type of pets that can travel, restrictions, and the behaviour expected from you and your pet with regard to consideration towards other passengers.

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Tren Maya is the new train service that commenced operations at the end of 2023. It has been a huge infrastructure project. costing hundreds of millions of pesos. The route covers 1455 km and, when complete, will connect 35 stations throughout Southeast Mexico.

Tren Maya has not been without controversy. There have been concerns about the conservation of the flora and fauna of the region, as well as the protection of ancient antiquities. Additionally, the train runs over the cenotes and limestone caverns that are the aquifers providing fresh water to the peninsula. Despite all of the concerns, construction is near completion, and passengers have been allowed to buy tickets and take part in the tests and training to bring the project to its conclusion.

While not all of the stations are complete, not all of the rails have been laid, the fencing protecting the line has not been built, and not all of the anticipated 42 trains are in service, Yucatecans, Mexican tourists from other parts of the country, and visitors from abroad all seem keen to find out more and use the service as soon as possible.

We live in Merida, so Beaux, our Pet Friendly Yucatan Ambassador went to explore the new tram track building programme that runs close to our home. This used to be a disused railway line, which we walked along regularly. Now, as you can see from the photo, it’s being repurposed to provide a route for the electric trams that will take passengers from Merida to Teya, just outside Merida, to the new train station.

But the big question, as you can see by these posts and the huge number of comments on The Maya Train Mexico Facebook page is whether or not the train will be pet friendly. In fact, the admin of the page has commented that this is the most popular question. Here are some examples from the page.

So, is the Tren Maya pet friendly? The truth is that we don’t know for sure. We know that many pet lovers have tried to find this information. We’ve tried through the government web address, through their social media and by asking ‘those in the know’. 

What we do know, is at the testing stage, the Tren Maya has not been pet friendly. While Mexico has laws regarding service dogs and we have no doubt those laws will be respected by the train operators, the situation for the average pet carer is still unknown.

Right now, the only public transport through the region available to those who depend on public transport services is the bus service. ADO bus service allows small dogs in carriers to be stored in the cargo area of the bus, but understandably, most dog guardians do not consider this an option.

As we know that Yucatan has been working towards becoming a leader in animal welfare and recognising the importance of the bond between people and their dogs, we are hoping that they have considered this issue. Certainly, we can share that there are rumours that the train will be pet friendly once it is operating fully. Whether there will be size requirements or restrictions or that dogs that can only travel in carriers remains a mystery.

We’re hoping that Tren Maya will demonstrate some forward thinking. Over 70% of households in Mexico have a dog and so many people have to travel to visit family and friends. If they have a dog, the only option available to them is to have their own car or to pay for private transportation. To make that situation more equitable, providing a service to dog owners in the region would not only make a lot of local people incredibly happy but would also boost tourism as a lot of snowbirds would love to be able to visit other parts of the peninsula with their pets while they here.

We believe that with pet friendly policies in place, it would be possible to have a train service that matches those in Europe, where dog lovers travel freely with their furry companions, enjoying the wonderful opportunity to enjoy access to public train services if they behave responsibly and considerately.

If you hear anything, please let us know and if you happen to work for Tren Maya and have some inside information, we’d love to hear from you.