The Maya Train is a mega-project that will boost tourism and economic development in the southeast region of Mexico. Construcciones Urales, Azvi’s subsidiary in the country, has become one of the main players in the development of the new railway infrastructure being built in this region and has taken charge of the construction of Section 3 (Calkiní-Izamal), in the Yucatán peninsula. Construction of Section 3 of the Maya Train, linking Calkiní in Campeche with Izamal in Yucatán. The section consists of 100 km of single track and 60 km of double track. Along the section, the project includes the construction of six stations in key towns of the ancient Maya civilisation. As well as the terminals in Calkiní and Izamal, stations were also built in Maxcanú, Umán, Tixkokob and most significantly, the Mérida-Teya station. To minimise the impact of the infrastructure on the landscape, the project contemplated a minimum gradient with limited earthworks. 950,000 tonnes of ballast were used to complete the construction of the superstructure. These were extracted from eight pits located in Veracruz and Tamaulipas, in Mexico, and Tarragona in Spain. 100% of the route runs on embankments meaning the 7 million m3 of material necessary for their construction had to be sourced from borrow pits. The material was divided between four strategically placed storage pits along the section to facilitate supply. Section 3 involved the assembly of 238 kilometres of Works also included 96 switches and crossings, designed and manufactured specifically for the coexistence of passenger and freight rolling stock, as well as 16,447 electrical and 1,466 aluminothermic welds. The entire electrification system was installed by Cupisa, the subsidiary of Construcciones Urales which specialises in technological and electromechanical systems. The electrification system used for the catenary was type AVE C-350 for speeds of up to 160 km/h. The following were installed along Section 3: To guarantee the supply of sleepers and keep to deadlines for the section, a factory was built onsite with a production capacity of 80 sleepers/hour and a maximum output of 1,600/day. The factory posed a challenge as both its design, construction and operation and the design and approval Along the route of the Maya Train there will be six strategic points for storing and maintaining its rolling stock in top condition. In June 2021, Fonatur and the consortium made up of Bombardier, Alstom, Gami Ingeniería, Construcciones Urales and Cupisa signed the “Multi-annual contract for the procurement of rolling stock and railway systems for the Maya Train” worth €1.6 billion. This resulted in the construction of six modern facilities with state-of-the-art equipment to house and maintain 42 trains in different formations. Three of these buildings are depots located in Campeche, Mérida and Tulum, while the other three are workshops and a depot located in Cancún, Chetumal and Escárcega. In addition to emphasising the economic benefits in terms of tourism, by attracting millions of visitors to the Yucatan from Cancun and the Riviera Maya, the Maya Train will also function as a freight railway, increasing the state’s competitive advantages in manufacturing and reducing the carbon footprint of road transport. In addition to emphasising the economic benefits in terms of tourism, by attracting millions of visitors to the Yucatan from Cancun and the Riviera Maya, the Maya Train will also function as a freight railway, increasing the state’s competitive advantages in manufacturing and reducing the carbon footprint of road transport. The Maya Train will be connected to the Transisthmian Railway project, which will enable companies setting up in Yucatán and importing raw materials from Asia to reach Salina Cruz (Oaxaca) and transport these goods using the Maya Train, and then transform and export them to the east coast of the United States via the port of Progreso. This provides the opportunity to turn Yucatan and the southeast into a new gateway to the east coast of the United States. As part of the Maya Train project, the Maintenance Base for section 3 was developed using BIM methodology to obtain the 3D design and construction coordination models, framing them within the asset’s design, construction and maintenance life cycle, in order to obtain the final As-Built model. Maya Train | Section 3
Description of the work
Railway Platform
Construcciones Urales
Track Assembly
track, with 25,000 tonnes of rail:
Catenary
Construcciones Urales
Sleeper factory
of the manufactured sleepers were carried out with our own resources, making it one of the most state of the art in Ibero-America. Workshops and depots
Main achievements
BIM methodology
Construcciones Urales
Related projects
160
KM
Mexico
COUNTRY
€1.2
BILLION
Fonatur
Client
Design, construction and maintenance
Contract type
