Caracas Metro
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| Caracas Metro | |
 |
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| Locale | Caracas |
|---|---|
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Began operation | January 2, 1983 |
| System length | 51 km (31.6 mi) |
| Number of lines | 3 |
| Number of stations | 44 |
| Daily ridership | 1,320,000 (FY 2007) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) |
| Operator(s) | Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas |
The Caracas Metro (Spanish: Metro de Caracas) is a mass rapid transit system serving Caracas, Venezuela. Construction and operation of the system has been the responsibility of the C.A. Metro de Caracas [1], a government-owned company that was founded in 1977 by José González-Lander who headed the project for more than thirty years since the early planning stages in the 1960s. The Metro, as it is known among city dwellers, has been a source of pride since its opening in 1983. Built mostly underground, it is one of the greatest engineering accomplishments in the country. The system is well designed and its clean stations have become architectural landmarks in the city.
Its current motto is "Enlazamos nuevos destinos" (translated as either "Linking new destinies" or "We link new destinations").
Contents |
[edit] Lines
It currently has the following subway lines in operation:
| Line | Section | Extension | Stations | Train to Train Transfer Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Propatria ↔ Palo Verde | 20.4 km | 22 | 2 | The original 8 station line began operations on Jan. 2, 1983 and expanded 3 more times, the latest and final rail expansion of this line occurred on Nov. 19, 1989. The Capitolio station was redesigned to allow passenger transfer by way of a passageway to and from the El Silencio station. Also the Plaza Venezuela station was twice remodelled, first to accommodate line 3 transfer (1994) and later a passageway to the Zona Rental station (2006). |
| 2 | El Silencio ↔ Zoológico | 18.6 km | 11 | 9 | A short run service was opened Oct 4, 1987 and fully expanded to El Silencio on Nov 6, 1988. The original line use has changed, before Line 4 opened July 18th 2006 the train from the terminal station El Silencio served both Las Adjuntas and Zoológico terminal stations. |
| Las Adjuntas ↔ Zona Rental | 23.1 km | 14 | 10 | Shortly after Line 4 was opened, it was renamed line 2, at this time Caracas Metro makes no distinction between the 2 separate lines other than that they serve distinct terminal stations. | |
| 3 | Plaza Venezuela ↔ El Valle | 5.7 km | 5 | 2 | Line 3 opened on Dec. 18, 1994. |
| El Valle ↔ La Rinconada | 6.6 km | 2 | 1 | The El Valle station platform was expanded that allowed an additional train to stop and take on passengers, this addition allows transfers between trains. This service started on Oct. 15, 2006. |
These lines were built between 1978 and 2006, please note line 2 has 4 terminal stations. Part of Line 2 was constructed as Line 4, only after its inauguration it was renamed as Line 2. Also one must transfer on line 3 at El Valle station to continue the ride.
Construction of the first phase of Line 4 (now officially renamed line 2) started in 2001; this line runs parallel to Line 1 to the south, and connects Plaza Venezuela station on Line 1 with Capuchinos station on Line 2. It is expected to provide much needed relief to congestion along this segment of Line 1 where most of Metro's ridership is concentrated.
[edit] Commuter Rail Transfer Points
[edit] Los Teques Metro
Construction was intitiated from Caracas Metro Las Adjuntas station (now this expanded station with independent platforms connected by overhead walkways is common to both Metro systems) to the suburban city of Los Teques Alí Primera (formerly called El Tambor) station back in 2001 and completed November 3, 2006.
[edit] IAFE
The second phase of Line 3 with only terminal stations El Valle and La Rinconada operational was completed October 15, 2006, while the intermediate stations are expected to be finished by 2008. Line 3 station La Rinconada is the interchange station between the Caracas Metro and the Caracas Libertador Simón Bolívar IAFE train station where connections can be made to and from Charallave and Cúa.
Also a second train line (almost 100% tunnelled) 50 km (30 miles) long will connect from Caracas Libertador Simón Bolívar to the international Airport in Maiquetía, Vargas State and the seaport in La Guaira, this service will take 5 years to construct after the funding has been assigned.
[edit] Guarenas / Guatire Metro
A new line with the intention of providing access to the eastern suburban communities. The project consists of 2 parts: First 4 new metro stations within Caracas; Second a 6 stationed light rail service, where both subsystems will transfer at the Guaraira Repano (Petare North) station. In December 2006 the government awarded a 2 billion dollar contract for the construction of a new line between a soon to be built Caracas Metro Parque del Este II station and the nearby twin cities Guarenas / Guatire with completion set for July 2012.
[edit] Services
Other than human transportation itself, the Caracas Metro system also provides diverse services to public:
[edit] Metrobus
The system possesses a complementary bus transit network called the Metrobus, which covers 20 urban routes and 4 suburban routes, with the aim of transporting users to other popular destinations in the Greater Caracas area that are not reached by subway, including bedroom communities close to the city.
[edit] External ticket sale
A modality implanted by the enterprise that consists in the wholesale of tickets used in the subway and in the Metrobús. An amount of tickets is sold to some middlemen, and these to authorized points of sale, such as kiosks and other commercial establishments. This allows subway users to buy tickets when not being inside a station, thus making them more widely available. The points of sale formally authorized for these operations are identified with the Metroseñal (Metro-sign). Tickets sold at such locals have a price discount of 3%.
[edit] Fares and types of tickets
The values for tickets depend mostly on the number of travels the user has planned. Thee are also special issues for students, and fares differ for the Metrobús usage. The types of tickets and their pricings are listed below.
| Type | Coverage | Fare | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | One Way | One ride | 500 bolívares (0.5 bolívar fuerte, 0.23 USD) | Valid for all stations |
| Return Trip | 2 rides | 900 bolívares (Bs.F 0.9, 0.41 USD) | All stations | |
| Multi-Abono | 10 rides | 4,500 bolívares (Bs.F 4.5, 2.09 USD) | Not available for external sale | |
| Metrobús | Simple Integrated | Subway and one urban Metrobús route ride | 700 bolívares (Bs.F 0.7, 0.32 USD) | |
| Subway and one of the sub-urban Metrobús route ride | 900 bolívares (Bs.F 0.9, 0.41 USD) | Guarenas, La Rosa, San Antonio and Los Teques. | ||
| Multi-Abono Integrated | 10 rides, for subway and Metrobús |
6,000 bolívares (Bs.F 6, 2.79 USD) | Not available for external sale |
[edit] Future expansions
Immediate plans include the completion of the second phase of Line 3, which runs from the El Valle station to La Rinconada, the latter being opened on October 2006, and now requires the addition of the intermediate stations (Los Jardines, Coche and Mercado) which will be constructed and opened by 2008.
The next phases of Line 2 extension (also known as Line 5 during construction phase) will be constructed and opened by 2012. The first project a 7.5 km extension includes 6 new stations Bello Monte, Las Mercedes, Tamanaco, Chuao, Bello Campo and Parque del Este II station. A separate project to be carried out simultaneously , a further 6.7 km Line 2 extension (also known as Line 5 or Metro Guarenas-Guatire Urban Route during the construction phase) with 4 additional stations will include the following stations Montecristo, Boleíta, El Marques and terminal/transfer station La Urbina (Petare Norte).
The La Urbina station will be also be Caracas Guarenas-Guatire light rail transfer point. This 31.4 km long has already been assigned funds and is expected to be completed by 2012.
Long range plans contemplate expanding the system with two more lines: Line 5 (15 km long) to southeast Caracas, and Line 6 (17 km) that would run parallel to Line 1 to the north.
[edit] Accident
On July 30 2007, after 24 years without a single accident, a collision took place that took the life of 1 person and injured 11 others. It was on Line 1 at Plaza Sucre station at 9:09 a.m. when a train headed in the Propatria direction stopped on the platform. It was hit from behind by another travelling in the same direction. Although there has been much speculation about the cause of the accident, it is clear that there was a defect in the emergency braking system; the operational control centre from the La Hoyada station never activated the automatic braking mechanism when a train approaches a second train.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Metro de Caracas, C.A.
- UrbanRail > America > Venezuela > Metro de Caracas
- Allen Morrison Early Tramway systems in Caracas
| Urban Rail Systems in Venezuela | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Caracas Metro | Guarenas / Guatire Metro | Los Teques Metro | Maracaibo Metro | Valencia Metro |
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