Buenos Aires Metro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buenos Aires Metro Subte de Buenos Aires
Locale	Buenos Aires
Transit type	Rapid transit
Began operation	1 December 1913
System length	52.3 km (32.5 mi)
No. of lines	6
No. of stations	74
Daily ridership	1.3 million+
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Owner	Subterráneos de Buenos Aires S.E. (government corporation)
Operator(s)	Metrovías

The Buenos Aires Metro (locally known as Subte -Spanish for Metro-, from "subterráneo" -underground or subterranean-) is a mass-transit system that serves the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first station of this network was inaugurated in 1913, being the first of its kind in Latin America and in the entire Southern Hemisphere. The network expanded rapidly during the early decades of the XX century, but the pace of expansion fell sharply after the years following the Second World War. Towards at the end of 1990 began a new process of expanding, with the planning of four new lines.

At the present, Buenos Aires is the only Argentine city with a metro system, nonetheless there is a project to build an underground system in the city of Cordoba (Cordoba Metro) making it the second metro system in Argentina^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Current Network 3 Cultural Heritage 4 In popular culture 5 PreMetro light rail 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] History

The first station was opened on 1 December 1913 making it the oldest metro system in Latin America, the Southern Hemisphere, and the entire Spanish-speaking world. It grew rapidly in the early part of the twentieth century, but work on extending the network stagnated in the years following World War II. Initially managed by three different companies (Line A was managed by Anglo-Argentine Tramway Company, Line B by Lacroze Hnos. y Cia. and Lines C, D and E by CHADOP y F - Hispano-Argentine Company of Public Works and Finances-), the entire network was centralised and nationalised during the late 1930s under the management of the Transport Corporation of Buenos Aires (CTBA), which in 1952 was absorbed by the Buenos Aires Transport General Administration (AGTBA). In 1963 the administration was dissolved and the subway network became the property of the Subterráneos de Buenos Aires (SBA) company (later SBASE). In 1994 the service was privatised and is now managed by Metrovías S.A. with the stations remaining the property of SBASE.

[edit] Current Network

The current network comprises six underground lines, labelled "A" to "E" and "H" and which are further identified by different colours, covering a total track length of 52 km. There is also one surface PreMetro E2 light rail line. Daily ridership is 1.3 million and on the increase. With the current usage patterns, the entire system is overstretched, and during weekdays overcrowded and with insufficient services. An expansion program is planned, and it is expected to enlarge the network to 97 km by 2011.^[2]

Fares are cheap (ARS 0.90 (around USD 0.28) and are in fact cheaper than the city buses. While tokens have been used in the past, at present, riders purchase either single-use or multi-use cards (called SubtePass) with a magnetic strip or use Contactless cards called SubteCard which can be rechargeable with cash or linked to a bank account for automatic debit. Trains run from 5:00 until 22:20, every 3-6 minutes.

Buenos Aires Metro Lines

Line	Colour	Date opening	Original path	Current termini	Length /km	Number of stations	Daily passengers
Line A	Light Blue	1913	Plaza de Mayo-Plaza Miserere	Plaza de Mayo-Primera Junta	6.8	14	190,000
Line B	Red	1930	Federico Lacroze-Callao	L. N. Alem-de Los Incas/Parque Chas	10.2	15	345,000
Line C	Blue	1934	Plaza Constitución-Diagonal Norte	Plaza Constitución-Retiro	4.5	9	278,000
Line D	Green	1937	Catedral-Tribunales	Catedral-Congreso de Tucumán	11.0	16	385,000
Line E	Purple	1944	Plaza Constitución-Gral. Urquiza	Plaza de los Virreyes-Bolívar	9.6	15	104,000
Line F*	Maroon	2009-2010	Plaza Constitución-Plaza Italia**	*	8.6**	13**	*
Line G*	Orange	2009-2010	Retiro-Cid Campeador**	*	7.3**	11**	*
Line H	Yellow	2007	Once-Caseros	Retiro-Nueva Pompeya	11.0	5	7.000 (November 2007)
Line I*	Gold	2009-2010	Plaza Italia-Parque Chacabuco**	*	6.6**	9**	*
* Planned lines ** Anexo I from the law 670.

[edit] Cultural Heritage

The Buenos Aires Metro has been historically characterized by the presence of murals and other artistic works in its stations, constituting a true museum throughout its entire system. This work and a number of stations themselves are considered part of the cultural patrimony of the city and several of them were declared National Historic Landmarks in 1997^[3].

[edit] In popular culture

The metro is featured in the 1996 science fiction film Moebius directed by Gustavo Mosquera. In the film, the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a metro train are investigated by a topologist. The film is based upon the short story, "A Subway Named Möbius" that takes place in the Boston Subway^[4].

[edit] PreMetro light rail

Main article: PreMetro

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of Buenos Aires metro stations
• List of metro systems
• List of rapid transit systems
• Metro systems by annual passenger rides

[edit] External links

• http://www.metrovias.com.ar/
• Subterráneos de Buenos Aires (Spanish)
• Buenos Aires at UrbanRail.Net
• Best non-offitial site, in spanish

• Mapa interactivo del Atlas Ambiental de Buenos Aires

v • d • e Mass-Transit systems in Buenos Aires Metro List of Stations Line A • Line B • Line C • Line D • Line E • Line F • Line G • Line H • Line I Buses 60 Line • 64 Line Trains / Light-Rail Tranvía del Este • PreMetro E2 • Tren de la Costa • Línea Belgrano Norte • Línea Belgrano Sur • Línea Mitre • Línea Roca  • Línea San Martín • Línea Sarmiento • Línea Urquiza