Valparaíso Metro
| Valparaíso Metro | |
|---|---|
| Background | |
| Locale | Gran Valparaíso |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 1[1] |
| Number of stations | 20[1] |
| Annual ridership | 17.2 million (2011)[2] |
| Website | Metro Valparaíso |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | November 2005[3] |
| Operator(s) | Metro Valparaíso |
| Technical | |
| System length | 43 km (27 mi)[1] |
| Track gauge |
5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) (Indian gauge) |
Metro Valparaíso (also called "Merval") is the metro system serving the urban conglomeration of Gran Valparaíso, Chile. It consists of one line, 43 kilometres (27 mi) long, serving 20 stations,[1] connecting the cities of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache[1] (outside the Valparaíso conurbation). It is administered by Metro Regional de Valparaíso S.A., a subsidiary of the Chilean state-owned train company Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado. It was inaugurated on November 23, 2005 and began operations the following day.[3] The Valparaíso Metro carried 17.2 million passengers in 2011.[2] Together with the much bigger Santiago Metro, it is one of the only two subway systems in Chile.
History
Valparaíso has had an interurban passenger train system since the 19th century, but it could not be called a metro due to infrequent service and other shortcomings. In 1999 construction began on the current system, tearing down the old stations and building new ones with an homologous design. In Viña del Mar, a tunnel over 5 kilometers long was constructed. New trains arrived in Chile on February 22, 2005 and the old system was decommissioned on June 30 that year.
Architecture
Between Puerto and Recreo the line runs at street level, bordering the coast, parallel to Errázuriz and España Avenues. It descends into tunnel below Viana and Álvarez Avenues, with four underground stations. The line leaves the tunnel at the industrial area of El Salto, and continues along a winding path to the inner metropolitan area.
Fleet and operations
27 single-deck multiple-car X'Trapolis train sets manufactured by Alstom, France operate the service, in a blue and white livery.
Services operate 06:30-22:30 on weekdays; 07:30-22.30 on Saturday, and 08:00-22:15 on Sunday and public holidays. Services between Puerto and Sargento Aldea are most frequent, at 6-minute frequency,[4] with 12-minute frequency elsewhere, 18 minutes on weekends and public holidays.
Ticketing and fares
Metro Valparaíso uses a smart contactless card, costing Ch$1.200 (USD 2,40) in September 2010 and sold at all stations. It is scanned both entering and leaving stations, since fares depend on the length of the journey and the time of day. There are five Zones and three time-of-day fares. Tickets cost from Ch$204 (US$ 0.40) in low-usage hours within Zone 1 to Ch$716 (US$ 1.50) in rush-hour travelling through five zones, e.g. from Valparaíso to Limache. Entering and leaving the same station result in charging the highest fare.
There are concession cards for students, senior citizens, and disabled or handicapped people. Children below one metre in height travel for free.
A customer service and information office is in Viña del Mar station.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Red - Metro Valparaíso" [Network - Metro Valparaíso] (in Spanish). Metro Valparaíso. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Viajes en tren crecen a cifra récord y EFE afina inversiones para duplicar pasajeros a 2016" [Trips on metro train grow to number record and EFE sharpens investments to double passengers by 2016] (in Spanish). Plataforma Urbana (Plataforma Networks). February 27, 2012. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Historia Metro Valparaíso - El servicio ferroviario del siglo XXI" [History Valparaíso Metro - The railway service of the 21st Century] (in Spanish). Metro Valparaíso. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
- ↑ "Valparaíso Metro". UrbanRail.net.
External links
- Valparaíso Metro Official site (Spanish)