Mexico City Metro – Mexico City, Mexico

The Mexico City Metro (formally: Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro or STC Metro) is a rubber-tyred metro system that serves the metropolitan area of the Mexican Federal District (this includes some municipalities in the State of México). It is the second-largest metro system in the Americas after the New York Subway. In 2006 the system served an average of 1.417 billion passengers per year, the fifth highest ridership in the world.

The first Metro line relied on 16 stations, and was opened to the public in 1969. It has expanded since then in a series of fits and starts; it currently comprises eleven lines and 177 kilometres of passenger track. Trains feature rubber tires (also called pneumatic traction), instead of traditional steel wheels, decreasing noise and making the system more tolerable to Mexico City’s unstable soils.

The Metro has 175 stations, 24 of which serve two or more lines. It has 106 underground stations (the deepest of which are 35 metres below street surface); 53 surface stations and 16 elevated stations. Eleven stations are located in the State of Mexico. This area where the stations are located is part of the metropolitan area of Mexico City, while the rest are within the limits of the suburbs with State of Mexico.

By the end of 2007, Mexican Federal District government announced the construction of the new metro line: Line 12. Line 12 will run towards the southeastern part of the city, with connections with Line 2, Line 3, Line 7 and Line 8. In the connection with Line 8, a new station Axomulco Station will be built. This station will be for Line 8 and Line 12.

History

Background

By the second half of the twentieth century Mexico city had serious problems of public transport and congestion in its principal highways, especially in the downtown zone where 40 percent of the daily trips done inside the city are concentrated. In this area 65 of the 91 lines of bus and electric transport circulated. With four thousand units in addition to 150 thousand personal automobiles in the critical hours of traffic, the circulation speed was less than a person walking.

The principal promoter of the construction of Mexico City Metro was engineer Bernardo Quintana, who was in charge of the construction company “Constructores Civiles y Asociados” (in Spanish). He made serial studies that permitted a draft and lately the construction of the Mexico city Metro, which was shown to different authorities of Mexico City. However it was not until April 29, 1967 the official diary of the nation (in Spanish) “Diario Oficial de la Nacion” published the presidential decree through which it creates a public organism decentralized, the “Sistema de Transporte Pùblico” with the proposal to build, operate and run a rapid transit with subterranean course for the public transport of Mexico City.

Months later on June 19, 1967, in the crossroad of Chapultepec avenue with Bucareli Street the inauguration ceremony of Mexico City Metro took place. Two years later on September 4, 1969, one orange train made the inaugural trip between Zaragoza Station and Insurgentes Station.

1st stage

The first stage of construction took place between 1967 and 1972 with Lines 1, 2 and 3. This stage involved engineers, geologists, mechanics, civil engineers, chemists, hydraulic and sanitation workers, electricians, archaeologists, and biologists; specialists in ventilation, statistics, computation, and in traffic and transit; accountants, economists, lawyers, workers and laborers. Somewhere between 1,200 and 4,000 specialists and 48,000 workers participated, building at least one kilometer of metro per month, the fastest rate of construction ever for a subway.

During this stage of construction workers uncovered two archaeological ruins, one Aztec idol, and the bones of a mammoth (under exhibit in Talismán Station).

Line 1 was built from the Zaragoza Station, in the east of the city, to the Chapultepec Station, Line 2 from Tacuba Station in the west, to Tasqueña Station in the south and finally Line 3 from Tlatelolco Station in the north, to Hospital General Station, in the south. The Metro began operation on September 4th, 1969 with 48 stations and a total length of 42.4 km.

2nd stage

The second stage began with the creation of the Executive Technical Commission of Mexico City metro (in Spanish) “Comision Ejecutiva del Metro”, the commission in charge of extending the Mexico City metro in the metropolitan area. This stage took place between 1977 and 1982.

The stage began with the extension of Line 3 towards the north from Tlatelolco Station to La Raza Station and towards south from Hospital General Station to Zapata Station. It also began the construction of Line 4 from Martín Carrera Station to Santa Anita Station and Line 5 from Pantitlán Station to Politécnico Station.

Line 4 was built as an elevated track, due to the smaller density of big buildings. The height of this elevated track is 0.00075 km. (0.0004660 mi.)

3rd stage

This construction stage took place from the beginning of year 1983 through the end of 1985. On record of the extensions to lines 1, 2 & 3. It began the construction of lines 6 & 7, the length of the network increased by 35.2 km. (21.8 mi.) and the number of stations increased by 105.

Line 3 was extended from Zapata Station to Universidad Station, and was inaugurated on August 30 1983. Line 1 was extended from Zaragoza Station to Pantitlán Station, and Line 2 from Tacuba Station to Cuatro Caminos Station between the limit with State of Mexico but still in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. These two last extensions were both inaugurated on August 22 1984, with this extensions. the lines 1, 2 & 3 reached their current stroke.

Line 6 from El Rosario Station to Instituto del Petróleo Station was built in subterranean way and in supercial way. Line 7 from Tacuba Station to Barranca del Muerto Station runs on the bottom of the mountain “de las Cruces” that surrounds Mexico’s valley by the west wind, the stroke it’s away from the dried lake zone. because of the high heights, it was built with deep-tunnel.

1985 Earthquake

On the morning of September 19 1985, at almost the end of third stage, an earthquake struck Mexico City at 7:19 a.m (local hour), with a magnitude of 8.1 on Richter Scale. The earthquake caused several buildings such as old houses and hotels and even a Televisa television office to collapse. Many buildings as well as streets were left with major damage making the transportation on the ground difficult, but the metro was not damaged because rectangular structure was used instead of arches, making it resistant to earthquakes thus giving the people a safe means of transportation in a time of crisis.

4th stage

This stage began in 1986 and ended in 1987. It began with the extensions of Line 6 from Instituto del Petróleo Station to Martín Carrera Station & Line 7 from Tacuba Station to El Rosario Station, and with the construction of line 9 from Pantitlán Station to Tacubaya Station. On Line 9 a circular deep-tunnel and an elevated track were used.

5th stage

This stage began in 1988 and was completed in 1994. In this stage began the first extension of metro to State of Mexico with the name of Line A from Pantitlán Station to La Paz Station. This line was built in a superficial way and to reduce the cost of maintenance, a metro rail was used instead of pneumatic traction.

The draft for Line 8 planned the correspondence in Zócalo Station the very center of the city, but because this could damage the colonial buildings and the “pre-Hispanic” ruins, it was changed and now it passes from Garibaldi Station, which is still downtown, to Constitucion de 1917 Station to the southeast of the city. The construction of Line 8 began in 1994 and was completed in 1994.

With this, the length of the network increased 37.1 km (23 mi), adding two lines and 29 more stations. Giving the metro network at that point a total of 178.1 km (110.6 mi), 154 stations and 10 lines.

6th stage

This stage began at the end of 1993 with the studies for Line B and in October of 1994 began the construction of the subterranean track between Buenavista Station and Garibaldi Station. In December 1997 the Mexican Federal District government received 178 kilometers of Metro network in operation and the extension of Line B in construction process from Buenavista to Ecatepec which is in the the neighboring state of Mexico bust still forms part of the city, with a global advance of 49% it was completed in 2000

This stage is divided in two parts, it will begin in 2008 and will be completed in 2011. Part one will start in 2008 and will be completed in the same year with the creation of the future Line 12 from Mixcoac Station to the future station Axomulco Station and the aggregation of this station to Line 8. Part two will start in 2010 and will be completed in 2011 with the extension of Line 12 from Axomulco station to Tláhuac Station and the end of this line.

Station Logos

Each station is identified by a unique logo related to the name of the station or the area around it. This is because at the time of building the first line, the illiteracy rate was extremely high, so people would find it easier to guide themselves with a system based on colors and visual signs. The designs of the icons, as well as the typography, are a creation of Lance Wyman, who also designed the logotype for the 1968 Summer Olympic Games at Mexico City. The logos are not assigned at random, they are designated by making a study of the area they are in, so they are related to:

• The reference places that are located around the stations (Salto del Agua);
• The topology (Coyoacán) and
• The history of the place (Pino Suárez)

The logos’ background colors reflect those of the line the station serves. Stations serving two or more lines show the respective colors of each line in diagonal stripes, like Salto del Agua. This system is also used in the Monterrey Metro, and Guadalajara Metro both in México.

Fares and Pay Systems and Network

Fares and Pay Systems

• As of 2005-2007, the Mexico City Metro is the cheapest rail system of the world a ticket to travel from one station to another costs MXN $2 (EUR 0.15 or USD 0.20 in 2006).
• The Metro offers free service to the elderly and the physically impaired.
• Tickets can be purchased at booths. Special cards, good for 150 trips, are also available for MXN $300 (around EUR 25 or USD 30 in 2007). When the amount of trips on the card are used up, the card can be recharged for as little as MXN $2 (one trip), up to a maximum of MXN $620 (around EUR 45.50 or USD 65.60 in 2007) for 310 trips.

Network

• Mexico City Metro currently has 11 lines, numbered from 1 to 9 and the letters A and B. All lines, with the exception of Line A, operate with pneumatic traction. The total length of the network is 201.388 km and a total of 175 stations.
• Of the 175 stations, 41 are commuting stations and 22 are terminus, in addition 11 are terminus stations as well as commuting stations. The metro is built three ways: underground, superficial and elevated. 106 stations are underground, 53 are superficial, and 16 elevated.
• For easier identification each line has a characteristic color assigned to it, so Line 1 has the color pink, Line 2 color blue, Line 3 is olive green, Line 4 is light blue, Line 5 is yellow, Line 6 is red, Line 7 is orange, Line 8 is green, Line 9 is brown, Line A purple and Line B is silver-green.Commuting stations belong to two or more lines that cross at such point, and a user can move between lines without having to leave the station or buy another ticket.

Additional Notes

The book “Los Hombres del Metro” mentions that there are plans for the construction of the Line 12, in the book there is the map where it can be seen that this line will depart from Mixcoac and the Atlalilco and Constitución de 1917 stations of Line 8 will become part of Line 12. It also shows that Line 8 will finish at Acoxpa and it will not start at Garibaldi, supposedly it will start at Indios Verdes and it will run through Villa-Basílica and Misterios until reaching Garibaldi. In addition the map shows that Line 7 will finish at San Jerónimo. The only plan that has been officially confirmed by now is Line 12 which will be built starting June 2008 and it will start at Mixcoac station leading all the way to Tlauac, a zone that has little public transportation far in the south/east of the City. Neither the plans of Line 8 nor the plans of Line 7 have been confirmed by the Maxico City Government.

According to the official web site of the Mexico City Metro, construction of Line 12 is due to start in 2008 to be ended in 2010. The line will run from Mixcoac to Tláhuac, with 23 stations, 4 of them linking with another lines, and with the Mexico City Metrobú.

Other Information

• Name: Mexico City Metro
• Locale: Mexico City, Mexico
• Transit type: Rapid transit
• Began operation: September 4 1969
• System length: 202 km
• No. of lines: 11
• No. of stations: 185
• Daily ridership: 3,882,000 passengers per day (not per week day) (2006)

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