Monterrey Metro

Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey
Info
Owner Nuevo León state government
Locale Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
Transit type Rapid transit
Number of lines 2
Number of stations 31
Daily ridership 370,600
Operation
Began operation 1991 (line 1)
1994 (line 2)
Operator(s) Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey
Technical
System map

The Monterrey Metro (also referred to as Metrorrey) is a fully grade-separated light rail, or metro, system in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. It is the newest of Mexico's metro systems, with operation beginning in 1991. As of October 2008, the system operated 40 high-floor electric trains along 31 km of routes. The system's two lines transported approximately 136.6 million passengers in 2009 and an average daily passenger load of 370,600 passengers in the fourth quarter of 2009.[1]

Contents

Lines

The Monterrey Metro, officially known as Metrorrey has two lines with 31 stations.

Line 1, which opened on April 21, 1991 has 19 stations, runs through the center of the city from the north-west to the eastern part of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area. The line is 18.5 km long, runs parallel to the former 1887 Topo Chico tramline and is grade-separated as it runs on an elevated structure. A complete ride along this line takes about 27 minutes. Line 1 is linked to line 2 at Cuauhtémoc station, located downtown.

Line 2 has 13 stations and is also fully grade-separated, partially on an aerial structure and partially subterranean. The first six-station segment opened in 1994, was 4.5 km long and runs underground. Construction on a USD 200 million expansion of Line 2 began in August 2005. The first segment of the expansion opened in October 2007 and added an additional three stations to the line. The second segment of the expansion was inaugurated on October 9, 2008 by Nuevo León Governor Natividad González Parás and Mexican president Felipe Calderón and added an additional four stations to the line. This last segment runs on an aerial structure in the center of Avenida Universidad. The completed 12.5 km route runs from Sendero to the Macroplaza with a station at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.[2]

Line 1 of the Monterrey Metro
 
Line 2 of the Monterrey Metro
 

Passengers

According to Mexico's National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics, Metrorrey carried 136.6 million passengers in 2009 and an average daily passenger load of 370,600 passengers in the fourth quarter of 2009.[1] Metrorrey is therefore the most widely used light rail system in North America, surpassing even Calgary's C-Train and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line in Boston.[3]

Transmetro

Metrorrey also has a bus system that uses exclusive and obligatory stops during its course. It has nine lines. On Metrorrey Line 1 there are four Transmetro lines, three in Talleres station and one in Exposición station. On Line 2 there are five more Transmetro lines, two at San Nicolas (Santo Domingo and Las Puentes) and three more at Sendero (Montreal, Fomerrey, and Apodaca). There is no additional fee, other than the standard Metro Ticket, to use Transmetro.

Travel Fare

The following are the travel fares as of 2010.

Currently the entrance is for free on Sundays.

Metrorrey also offers "Boletos Multiviaje" (multitrip tickets). These tickets are intended for recurrent users and they are sold in denominations ranging from 15 to 85 trips.

Since the opening of the extension of the Line 2, Metrorrey began offering the "Mia" Card, a rechargeable card that can be loaded with multiple trip credits. The "Mia" card can be initially purchased for MXP30 (including 8 trips) and can be recharged in increments ranging from MXP1 to MXP300.

From January 2010, the card has a cost of MXP20 and MXP100 top recharge.

On May 16, 2009, Nuevo León governor Natividad González Parás announced that Metrorrey would be free for the next 60 days, as part of a program to reduce the effects of the economic downturn on citizens.[4]

Line 3 and various projects

In an interview with Mario Guerrero on January 28th, 2010, Guerrero announced that Line 3 will most likely be headed to Apodaca. The initial plan shows 14 elevated stations, starting from the Félix U. Gomez station.

Line Line 1A will link from Mitras station along Lincoln Avenue to García.
Line Line 1B would extend to Juárez.
Line Line 1C would depart from the Y Griega station running though the Miguel Alemán Avenue, linking with Rómulo Garza Avenue in San Nicolás
Line Line 2A would link with the San Nicolás station to Santo Domingo. A Transmetro is currently on that track.
Line On January 28, 2011, the Nuevo León Government announced that according to urban studies, line 3 would depart from the Gynecology Hospital in Félix U. Gomez avenue to la Fé in San Nicolás de los Garza. The project is still being analyzed by the Nuevo Leon State Government authorities.
Line Line 4 would link with the Edison station to downtown Santa Catarina.

Gallery

See also

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monterrey_Metro Monterrey Metro] at Wikimedia Commons