News updates, and a request
Written on December 30, 2009, by Richard
Well, I haven’t written anything here in a long while, I know. When the metro shooting in September 2009 happened, I was so discouraged by it and by the immediate reaction afterwards (which called for the installation of metal detectors in all stations, which I consider to be an extreme over-reaction), that I decided not to write for a while. Well, 2009 is almost over, so I’ve decided to start writing again. I will briefly give some updates here, and in the coming days, I will write a more detailed post on each topic.
Also, I have a favor to ask of you, kind visitor. As you can see, the site itself is yet to be finished; most stations do not yet have any information about them yet, and there are lots of little details still to be fixed up (entering the correct map coordinates for each station, for example). So, if you’d like to help me, here are some things that I need:
- someone to help me write blog posts
- someone to help me re-design the look of the site (I consider myself good on technical aspects of websites, but not much of a designer)
- someone to help me fill in the information on each station (history of the station, the meaning of the logo, what can be found around it, etc.)
If you are interested in helping me out, I will gladly link to your site/blog/whatever in return for your help. Please contact me if interested.
Now, on to some of the news stories to have come out recently (in no particular order):
- Major maintenance on Line A closes some stations
- Fares will go up in 2010 for all systems (including the metro, for the first time in a long time)
- Metrobus finally modernizes their website (somewhat)
- There is talk of finally having a unified fare system for the various public transit systems sometime in 2010 (no more having to bring a card for the metro, one for the metrobus, one for the suburban train, etc)
- The new Master Plan (“Plan Maestro”) will be made public soon (the current one dates from 1996 and is woefully inadequate); there is talk of a new line to Santa Fé, and several needed extensions
- Construction on Line 12 is proceeding at an uncertain pace
- There will be a new tramway (Tranvía) built in the Centro Histórico
- Metrobus Line 3 will be built on Eje 1 Poniente, from Tenayuca to metro Etiopía
So, as you can see, lots to talk about (and I may even have forgotten some!). I’ll do my best to write each one up soon, one or two per week at least!
Thanks for reading!
Richard
Flood!
Written on September 8, 2009, by Richard
Because of torrential rainfall in the night of Sunday September 6th to Monday September 7th, several metro stations were flooded and closed yesterday and today. Unfortunately, the official site has no information regarding these station closures, as usual. Here is the information I have for the moment:
Stations closed:
Agrícola Oriental (line A)re-openedPantitlán (line A)re-openedPantitlán (line 5)Terminal AéreaHangares
Flood in Line 5, September 2009
Cleaning the metro after the flood, September 2009
40th Anniversary!
Written on September 4, 2009, by Richard
On September 4th, 1969, the first of the current 11 lines of the Mexico City Metro system opened. Today, small celebrations were held, and a commemerative metro ticket was revealed.
Maintenance work on Line 1
Written on April 22, 2009, by Richard
As posted on the official STC site here, there will be maintenance work done on Line 1, from April 30th to May 3rd. This will cause certain stations to close early, at 10 pm. The stations affected are those located on the section from Cuauhtémoc to Observatorio:
The STC recommends that users affected by these early closures use Line 9 to make their way to the eastern part of the city. The Metrobus may also help some users, but I pity those who need to go to Chapultepec or Juanacatlán, as these are far from any other stations on the network. I guess that micros or taxis will be the way to go for them.
New Metrobús map available
Written on April 21, 2009, by Richard
I’ve finished my map of the Metrobús system, including the station logos. I’ve based it off the work of Hook89, on Wikipedia. Any errors, however, are mine.
You can find the map on my “Maps” page.
Direct download: http://mexicometro.org/Map-of-the-Mexico-City-Metrobus.pdf
Post-accident video
Written on April 21, 2009, by Richard
I just came across this Youtube video, by Grupo Reforma. In it, various witnesses talk about the accident that took place on Saturday night.
Also, according to an article in La Jornada (which appears to no longer be available online), the accident seems to have not been the fault of the train conductor, but of the communication and traffic control systems. It appears that the conductor was given the go-ahead by traffic-control to continue his route to Lechería after making a stop in San Rafael, even though there was a train that was stopped on the tracks, and even though there was a red light telling him not to go.
Metro ticket to stay at 2 pesos
Written on April 21, 2009, by Richard
The price of a mtetro ticket in Mexico City, the cheapest in the world at 2 pesos (about 15 cents US, or 18 cents Canadian), will remain at 2 pesos for another year, according to a report.
Is this a good thing? Of course, for the metro user, it’s a great dea, and for those making the minimum wage (54.80 pesos per day), any increase would hurt their economic standing. However, if there were a modest increase (say, 50 cents, to 2 pesos 50), and if the new funds were to be invested in the system (for things other than useless name changes!), then I would support it.
So my question to everyone is: where would you invest a theoretical fare increase? Extending Line B to Normal or Colegio Militar? Extending Line 8 to La Raza? Any other ideas?
Accident on the Tren Suburbano
Written on April 19, 2009, by Richard
I just saw this, so forgive the lateness of this post.
There was an accident on the Tren Suburbano last night (April 18th). Apparently, one train had two or more prolonged stops of several minutes, presumably due to mechanical problems. During one of these stops, it was hit by another train from behind. From what I can gather, there are around 100 people hurt, with no fatalities, thankfully. I will update this post with more once I have read the news sources, but meanwhile, I have one question: shouldn’t safety and communications systems have prevented an accident of this kind? So why did it happen? Hopefully, the investigation will get to the bottom of this, and quickly.
UPDATE: Here are some pictures of the accident (click to see the large versions):
(note: the first picture came from here, the others are from El Universal.)
The local newspaper, El Universal, reports that more than 100 people were injured, 36 of them seriously, but that there are as of yet no fatalities. Currently, the train’s conductor is being held by the authorities, but from what I’ve read on a few forums as well as in anaonymous comments left on the article linked above, it appears that the accident may have been due to security systems being malfunctional and therefore shut off, and operations being run only through radio communications. However, these are only unverified comments, please don’t take them as gospel.
Another name change!
Written on April 3, 2009, by Richard
I can’t believe it. Have a look here, on the official site. They’re also changing the name of Garibaldi to Garibaldi / Lagunilla. Umm.. There already is a Lagunilla stop, on the same Line B. So, what’s the deal? Are they going to rename that station as well? or will they close it for some reason? Who knows. I’ll update when more info comes in.
Name Changes
Written on March 27, 2009, by Richard
The STC has formally announced several months after the decision was taken and approved) that the Line 3 stations Etiopía and Viveros have officially changed name to Etiopía-Plaza de la Transparencia (like the Metrobús station), and Viveros-Derechos Humanos.Their logos will also be modified; I will post pictures of the modified logos as soon as I can find some (if anyone reading this can take a picture for me, please let me know!).
These name changes are horrible, and obviously politically motivated. They might as well change all the other stations as well, and name them all after current sitting senators while they’re at it. I will continue to refer to these stations by their original names, and I hope that one day, someone in charge will recognize the error of their ways.
UPDATE: See a picture of the change in Etiopía here, and a picture of the new logos here.
