Travelling through Ecuador by train [closed]

I saw a documentary about tren ecuador and was so fascinated that I decided to add this to my itinerary when I travel to South America later this year. A little research showed that this company offers the train rides. Unfortunately, it seems that there are only two travel options: Either you take the crucero or you do an excursión. Since I would like to start in Guayaquil/Durán and take the train to Quito, my only option seems to be the crucero - but it is quite expensive and has a fixed schedule, so I would like to take the normal trains and go to Quito little by little. The problem with the excursión trains is that they don't cover the whole route but only parts of it.

Has anyone done this train ride and knows if it is possible to bridge the gaps of the excursión trains? Or is there another train company in Ecuador which offers more standard train rides? Any ideas or advice appreciated!