Six Firms Bid for Mayan Train Maintenance Contract

Six companies are competing for a contract to maintain more than 1,260km of Mayan Train rail infrastructure, a project that will be key to ensuring the system’s reliability, safety, and long-term operations across southeastern Mexico.

Mexico’s Mayan Train has received six technical and economic proposals for a contract to provide preventive and corrective maintenance across the railway’s first four sections, covering the route from Palenque, Chiapas, to Cancun, Quintana Roo.

The tender covers more than 1,260km of railway infrastructure and seeks to preserve the availability, safety and reliability of passenger and freight services along the corridor. The selected contractor would carry out the work over 365 calendar days.

According to the tender’s proposal-opening record, submitted bids ranged from MX$837.1 million (US$47.76 million) to MX$2.45 billion (US$139.79 million). Hemosa Ingeniería submitted the lowest proposal at MX$837.1 million (US$47.81 million), while Maquinaria y Equipos Recreacionales del Sureste presented the highest offer at MX$2.45 billion (US$139.8 million).

The other companies participating in the process were Construcciones y Maquinaria SEF, with a MX$1.04 billion (US$59.28 million) offer, Constructora Gallo Meda with MX$1.12 billion (US$63.73 million), Daniferrotools with MX$1.14 billion (US$65.05 million) and Construcciones Urales with MX$1.26 billion (US$72.12 million).

Tender Draws Wide Range of Bids

The gap between the lowest and highest proposals exceeds MX$1.6 billion (US$91.29 million), underscoring the scale and complexity of maintaining the railway infrastructure between Palenque and Cancun.

The contract includes preventive and corrective services for the railway’s infrastructure and superstructure. Mayan Train has stated that the objective is to maintain operational continuity, improve reliability levels and extend the useful life of track-related systems and materials.

For 2026, the project has MX$701.3 million (US$40.01 million) available to cover its obligations. Spending commitments for the following period would remain subject to budget authorization and resource availability. The process is being managed by Mayan Train, S.A. de C.V., the state-owned company attached to Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense.

China Communications Withdraws

China Communications Construction Company also showed interest in the tender but later withdrew from the process.

The company had requested that the two tendered packages be split into separate contracts, arguing that the combined scope required a significant level of human, material, and financial resources. It said dividing the packages could broaden competition, allow more specialized contractors to participate and reduce execution risks.

However, the request was not accepted, and the company submitted a formal letter withdrawing its participation.

The tender documents indicate that no citizen observers attended the proposal-opening event.

The maintenance contract comes as Mayan Train continues to consolidate commercial passenger and freight operations across southeastern Mexico. Maintaining track availability will be critical as the railway connects tourism hubs, regional communities and logistics routes across Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo.

The procurement process will now move into the technical and economic evaluation stage. While initial reporting referenced a June 12 award date, that date is inconsistent with the June 2026 bidding timeline. Earlier reporting indicated the ruling was expected in July, although the schedule could be adjusted within the legal time limits for the tender process.