Xochimilco Light Rail
Encyclopedia
The Xochimilco Light Rail (locally known as el Tren Ligero) is a light rail
line that serves the southern part of Mexico City
. It connects to, but is not considered a part of, the Mexico City Metro
. Rather, it is operated by the Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos
(STE), the authority that operates Mexico City's electric trolleybus
system and formerly operated the municipal electric tram
system.
line that dated from 1910. Many of Mexico City's tram lines were abandoned in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Xochimilco tramway's section between Avenida Tasqueña and the city centre was replaced by a new metro
line in 1970. With tramway closures that took effect in May 1979 the only lines left were routes 53 and 54, running from Tasqueña metro station
to Tlalpan
and Xochimilco
, respectively. These shared a common routing between Tasqueña and Huipulco, with the Tlalpan service branching off of the main line for only about 2 km to its terminus at Avenida San Fernando, in the historic centre of Tlalpan borough. Both lines ceased operation in September 1984, for rebuilding as light rail
. Changes to allow faster operation included replacing the simple tram stop
s with semi-enclosed estaciones (stations), which were spaced farther apart, fitted with high-level
boarding platforms
and set up as paid area
s, so that all payment of fare
s would take place before boarding. In between the stations the work included installing new tracks set in concrete; putting fencing along the line's right-of-way and closing some street crossings; and installing overhead catenary
designed for higher speeds. The fleet of 1940s PCC streetcar
s was also replaced by a fleet of new articulated light rail cars built partially using components from the old cars, including their PCC bogie
s (trucks) and propulsion
systems (see Rolling stock, below, for more details).
The 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) section between Tasqueña and Estadio Azteca
(Aztec Stadium), just short of Huipulco junction (for the branch to Tlalpan), opened as light rail on 1 August 1986, but ran for only three days before poor reliability with the heavily rebuilt rail cars led to a decision to suspend service. Service resumed in November 1986. Right-of-way work then shifted to the line's outer section, between Estadio Azteca and Xochimilco, with similar upgrading for higher-speed operation. This section opened on 29 November 1988. The old tram
line 54 had included a long loop through the historic centre of Xochimilco, along narrow city streets, but this was not included in the upgrading to light rail, and was permanently abandoned when closed in 1984.
The 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) branch from Huipulco junction to Tlalpan was also rebuilt, but in a different manner, changed from private right-of-way to street running (without separation from other traffic) in the middle lanes of Calle Ferrocarril (now known as Renato Leduc) and also shortened by about 125 metres (410.1 ft) at its outer end, no longer reaching Avenida San Fernando. Three high-platform stops were built, one being at the new terminus, which was referred to simply as "Tlalpan" on the rail cars' destination sign
s. Service to Tlalpan was reintroduced on 13 March 1990, now running only as a one-car shuttle to and from Estadio Azteca, no longer through to Tasqueña. Patronage was low, and service was discontinued only one year later, in March 1991, after an accident damaged the one car (No. 000) normally assigned to the Tlalpan route. Service was reinstated on 13 December 1991, as STE began to place new cars into service on the Xochimilco line, but ceased again on 6 October 1992 and has never resumed.
The overhead line
voltage was 600 Volt
s DC
until around the end of 1995, when it was raised to 750V.
and the town of Xochimilco
, south of Mexico City. It serves the Coyoacán
, Tlalpan
, and Xochimilco
boroughs, giving residents a fast link to the urban south of Mexico City. For the northern stretch of its run, it travels along the central reservation of the Calzada de Tlalpan, as does Metro Line 2 south of Metro San Antonio Abad
– for this reason, it is sometimes seen as a continuation of that line, albeit on a more modest scale. The light rail line has 18 stations: two terminals and 16 intermediate stations. Three of these stations were built later than the others; Huipulco, Periférico and Huichapan stations opened in November 1993. The travel time from one end of the line to the other is approximately 37 minutes.
Until 1995, the outer terminus was located just beyond Calle Francisco Goitia, at what is now named Francisco Goitia station; it was named "Xochimilco" station originally. In that year, the line was extended east by about 800 metre (0.497098189319845 mi) to a new terminus at the western edge of Delagación Xochimilco's centre, along a section of former tram line 54, closed in 1984. This new section was opened on 14 September 1995, and the new terminus was named Embarcadero. However, as the new terminus was now located closer to the centre of Xochimilco than was the actual station bearing that name, STE eventually renamed Embarcadero station as "Xochimilco", and the original "Xochimilco" station—now the line's penultimate station—became Francisco Goitia station.
The Xochimilco line's rolling stock currently consists of 20 articulated light rail
vehicles (LRVs) built by Concarril or Bombardier
/Siemens
. Each car is about 29 metres (95.1 ft) long and capable of carrying up to 300 passengers. These replaced older cars starting over the period 1991–95.
The line's original fleet consisted of semi-new articulated LRVs built by Moyada (Motores y Adaptaciones Automotrices, S.A.), incorporating the bogie
s (trucks) and some other parts from STE's large fleet of withdrawn 1940s-vintage PCC streetcar
s. A prototype
was numbered 000, and the remainder 001-016. The Moyada cars had all-new bodies and were equipped with pantographs
instead of trolley pole
s to collect current from the overhead wires
. Unlike the old streetcars/trams, they were also bi-directional, having operating cabs at both ends and doors on both sides. Perhaps because of their vintage running gear
or electrical components, these cars were found to be unreliable, even after the refurbishment of six in 1989–91.
In 1989 STE
placed an order with Concarril for 12 all-new LRVs with similar capacity, to the same design as LRVs Concarril had recently supplied to Guadalajara's light rail system. Numbered 017–028, the order's first cars arrived in January 1991 entered service on 6 December 1991, replacing all of the Moyada cars except on the Tlalpan shuttle service. When Tlalpan service was withdrawn again in October 1992, the Moyada cars were no longer used. However, in 1992–93 three Moyada cars (005, 010 and 016) were again fitted with all-new bodies, now to a design intended to resemble the Concarril cars, this work being undertaken by local firm Sintra S.A. The three "Sintra" cars, the fleet's last to use PCC
-type control systems, were withdrawn in late 1995, and shortly afterward the voltage of the line was raised from 600 V
DC
to 750V. The newer cars had already been able to operate at the higher voltage.
Four additional LRVs of the same type as the Concarril units were purchased later, in 1995, numbered 029–032. These were built by Bombardier
, which had acquired Concarril in 1992, but were built in the same factory (in Ciudad Sahagún) and were nearly identical to STE's 12 Concarril cars. Four more cars, numbered 033–036, have since been purchased from Bombardier, and these entered service on the Xochimilco light rail line in September and October 2008, increasing the fleet size to 20 cars.
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line that serves the southern part of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. It connects to, but is not considered a part of, the Mexico City Metro
Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro , officially called Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, is a metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City...
. Rather, it is operated by the Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos
Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos
Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos del Distrito Federal is a public transport agency responsible for the operation of all trolleybus and light rail services in Mexico City. As its name implies, its routes use only electrically powered vehicles...
(STE), the authority that operates Mexico City's electric trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
system and formerly operated the municipal electric tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system.
History
The light rail line was built in the 1980s, replacing the original Xochimilco tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line that dated from 1910. Many of Mexico City's tram lines were abandoned in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Xochimilco tramway's section between Avenida Tasqueña and the city centre was replaced by a new metro
Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro , officially called Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, is a metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City...
line in 1970. With tramway closures that took effect in May 1979 the only lines left were routes 53 and 54, running from Tasqueña metro station
Metro Tasqueña
Metro Tasqueña is a station on Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro system. It is located in the Campestre Churubusco neighborhood, within the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City, directly south of the city centre on Avenida Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes...
to Tlalpan
Tlalpan
Tlalpan is one of the sixteen administrative boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost all of it on the northern edge, has been urban since the mid 20th...
and Xochimilco
Xochimilco
Xochimilco is one of the sixteen delegaciones or boroughs within Mexican Federal District. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the pre-Hispanic period...
, respectively. These shared a common routing between Tasqueña and Huipulco, with the Tlalpan service branching off of the main line for only about 2 km to its terminus at Avenida San Fernando, in the historic centre of Tlalpan borough. Both lines ceased operation in September 1984, for rebuilding as light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
. Changes to allow faster operation included replacing the simple tram stop
Tram stop
A tram stop is a place designated for a tram to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, but because trams operate on rails, they often include railway platforms, especially if stepless entries are provided for accessibility...
s with semi-enclosed estaciones (stations), which were spaced farther apart, fitted with high-level
Railway platform height
On a railway the platform height refers to the height of a platform above the rail. The value varies between railway systems. A related term is "train floor height" which is the height of the floor of the rail vehicle. There are a wide number of standards for platform heights and train floor heights...
boarding platforms
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
and set up as paid area
Paid area
In rail transport, the paid area is a dedicated "inner" zone in a railway station sealed by barriers. A system using paid areas is often called fare control. Passengers are allowed to enter or exit only through a faregate...
s, so that all payment of fare
Fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger allowing him or her to make use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used.-Uses:...
s would take place before boarding. In between the stations the work included installing new tracks set in concrete; putting fencing along the line's right-of-way and closing some street crossings; and installing overhead catenary
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
designed for higher speeds. The fleet of 1940s PCC streetcar
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
s was also replaced by a fleet of new articulated light rail cars built partially using components from the old cars, including their PCC bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s (trucks) and propulsion
Vehicle propulsion
Vehicle propulsion refers to the act of moving an artificial carrier of people or goods over any distance. The power plant used to drive the vehicles can vary widely. Originally, humans or animals would have provided the propulsion system, later being supplemented by wind power...
systems (see Rolling stock, below, for more details).
The 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) section between Tasqueña and Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
(Aztec Stadium), just short of Huipulco junction (for the branch to Tlalpan), opened as light rail on 1 August 1986, but ran for only three days before poor reliability with the heavily rebuilt rail cars led to a decision to suspend service. Service resumed in November 1986. Right-of-way work then shifted to the line's outer section, between Estadio Azteca and Xochimilco, with similar upgrading for higher-speed operation. This section opened on 29 November 1988. The old tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line 54 had included a long loop through the historic centre of Xochimilco, along narrow city streets, but this was not included in the upgrading to light rail, and was permanently abandoned when closed in 1984.
The 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) branch from Huipulco junction to Tlalpan was also rebuilt, but in a different manner, changed from private right-of-way to street running (without separation from other traffic) in the middle lanes of Calle Ferrocarril (now known as Renato Leduc) and also shortened by about 125 metres (410.1 ft) at its outer end, no longer reaching Avenida San Fernando. Three high-platform stops were built, one being at the new terminus, which was referred to simply as "Tlalpan" on the rail cars' destination sign
Destination sign
A destination sign or destination indicator is a sign mounted on the front or side of a public transport vehicle, such as a bus, tram/streetcar or light rail vehicle, that displays the vehicle's route number and destination, or the route's number and name on transit systems using route names...
s. Service to Tlalpan was reintroduced on 13 March 1990, now running only as a one-car shuttle to and from Estadio Azteca, no longer through to Tasqueña. Patronage was low, and service was discontinued only one year later, in March 1991, after an accident damaged the one car (No. 000) normally assigned to the Tlalpan route. Service was reinstated on 13 December 1991, as STE began to place new cars into service on the Xochimilco line, but ceased again on 6 October 1992 and has never resumed.
The overhead line
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
voltage was 600 Volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
until around the end of 1995, when it was raised to 750V.
Route
The line runs between Metro TasqueñaMetro Tasqueña
Metro Tasqueña is a station on Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro system. It is located in the Campestre Churubusco neighborhood, within the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City, directly south of the city centre on Avenida Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes...
and the town of Xochimilco
Xochimilco
Xochimilco is one of the sixteen delegaciones or boroughs within Mexican Federal District. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the pre-Hispanic period...
, south of Mexico City. It serves the Coyoacán
Coyoacán
Coyoacán refers to one of the sixteen boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City as well as the former village which is now the borough’s “historic center.” The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means “place of coyotes,” when the Aztecs named a pre-Hispanic village on the southern shore...
, Tlalpan
Tlalpan
Tlalpan is one of the sixteen administrative boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost all of it on the northern edge, has been urban since the mid 20th...
, and Xochimilco
Xochimilco
Xochimilco is one of the sixteen delegaciones or boroughs within Mexican Federal District. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the pre-Hispanic period...
boroughs, giving residents a fast link to the urban south of Mexico City. For the northern stretch of its run, it travels along the central reservation of the Calzada de Tlalpan, as does Metro Line 2 south of Metro San Antonio Abad
Metro San Antonio Abad
Metro San Antonio Abad is a station on Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro system. It is located in the Colonia Tránsito and Colonia Obrera neighborhoods of the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, to the south of the city centre, in the median of Calzada San Antonio Abad.The station logo depicts Saint...
– for this reason, it is sometimes seen as a continuation of that line, albeit on a more modest scale. The light rail line has 18 stations: two terminals and 16 intermediate stations. Three of these stations were built later than the others; Huipulco, Periférico and Huichapan stations opened in November 1993. The travel time from one end of the line to the other is approximately 37 minutes.
Until 1995, the outer terminus was located just beyond Calle Francisco Goitia, at what is now named Francisco Goitia station; it was named "Xochimilco" station originally. In that year, the line was extended east by about 800 metre (0.497098189319845 mi) to a new terminus at the western edge of Delagación Xochimilco's centre, along a section of former tram line 54, closed in 1984. This new section was opened on 14 September 1995, and the new terminus was named Embarcadero. However, as the new terminus was now located closer to the centre of Xochimilco than was the actual station bearing that name, STE eventually renamed Embarcadero station as "Xochimilco", and the original "Xochimilco" station—now the line's penultimate station—became Francisco Goitia station.
Rolling stock
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
vehicles (LRVs) built by Concarril or Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
/Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
. Each car is about 29 metres (95.1 ft) long and capable of carrying up to 300 passengers. These replaced older cars starting over the period 1991–95.
The line's original fleet consisted of semi-new articulated LRVs built by Moyada (Motores y Adaptaciones Automotrices, S.A.), incorporating the bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s (trucks) and some other parts from STE's large fleet of withdrawn 1940s-vintage PCC streetcar
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
s. A prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
was numbered 000, and the remainder 001-016. The Moyada cars had all-new bodies and were equipped with pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
instead of trolley pole
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....
s to collect current from the overhead wires
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
. Unlike the old streetcars/trams, they were also bi-directional, having operating cabs at both ends and doors on both sides. Perhaps because of their vintage running gear
Running gear
The term running gear is used to describe the wheels, suspension, steering, powertrain & chassis/bodyshell of a motor-car or automobile, or the tracks and road wheels of a tank or similar tracked vehicle....
or electrical components, these cars were found to be unreliable, even after the refurbishment of six in 1989–91.
In 1989 STE
Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos
Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos del Distrito Federal is a public transport agency responsible for the operation of all trolleybus and light rail services in Mexico City. As its name implies, its routes use only electrically powered vehicles...
placed an order with Concarril for 12 all-new LRVs with similar capacity, to the same design as LRVs Concarril had recently supplied to Guadalajara's light rail system. Numbered 017–028, the order's first cars arrived in January 1991 entered service on 6 December 1991, replacing all of the Moyada cars except on the Tlalpan shuttle service. When Tlalpan service was withdrawn again in October 1992, the Moyada cars were no longer used. However, in 1992–93 three Moyada cars (005, 010 and 016) were again fitted with all-new bodies, now to a design intended to resemble the Concarril cars, this work being undertaken by local firm Sintra S.A. The three "Sintra" cars, the fleet's last to use PCC
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
-type control systems, were withdrawn in late 1995, and shortly afterward the voltage of the line was raised from 600 V
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
to 750V. The newer cars had already been able to operate at the higher voltage.
Four additional LRVs of the same type as the Concarril units were purchased later, in 1995, numbered 029–032. These were built by Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
, which had acquired Concarril in 1992, but were built in the same factory (in Ciudad Sahagún) and were nearly identical to STE's 12 Concarril cars. Four more cars, numbered 033–036, have since been purchased from Bombardier, and these entered service on the Xochimilco light rail line in September and October 2008, increasing the fleet size to 20 cars.
Stations
- TasqueñaMetro TasqueñaMetro Tasqueña is a station on Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro system. It is located in the Campestre Churubusco neighborhood, within the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City, directly south of the city centre on Avenida Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes...
– Terminal. Connects with Metro Line 2 and the city's southern intercity bus station, which serves cities like AcapulcoAcapulcoAcapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, CuernavacaCuernavacaCuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
, and the entire Republic south of the capital. Its logo is an eclipsing moon / crescent moon.
- Las Torres – Station. Its name comes from Avenida Las Torres ("The Towers"). Its logo is a picture of two high-voltage pylons.
- Ciudad Jardín – Station. Its name is given from nearby residential estate with same name. (Ciudad Jardín means Garden City). Its logo is the shape of an apartment block.
- La Virgen – Station. Its name is given from nearby Calzada de La Virgen ("Virgin Avenue"). Its logo is a stylised depiction of the Virgin of GuadalupeOur Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
.
- Xotepingo – Station. Its logo is a tree.
- Nezahualpilli – Station. Its logo is NezahualpilliNezahualpilliNezahualpilli was ruler of the Mesoamerican city-state of Texcoco, elected by the city's nobility after the death of his father, Nezahualcoyotl, in 1472....
's head. Near the station is Mexico City's automobile museum.
- Registro Federal – Station. Its name is given from nearby former offices of the federal automobile registration department. Its logo is the front of a car.
- Textitlán – Station. Its logo is a plant like a maguey or agaveAgaveAgave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
.
- El Vergel – Station. Its name is given from El Vergel neighbourhood, near the station. Its logo is a grapevine (vergel means grapevine).
- Estadio Azteca – Switching station and repair workshops for the light rail line. The station stands in front of the Aztec Stadium sports arena, and its logo is a side view of the stadium. This was also the starting point of the service to Tlalpan, along Calle Ferrocarril (Renato Leduc), which opened as light railLight railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
in 1990 (having closed as tramTramA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line 53 in 1984) but ran for only one year and then later for another ten months before closing for good in October 1992. Some tracks are still visible (others are buried under asphalt), and the platforms of the stations still remain.
- Huipulco – Station. Named after the nearby district of Huipulco. Its logo is a pre-Hispanic glyph.
- Xomali – Station. Its logo is the shape of something like a flower.
- Periférico – Station. Its name comes from the city's nearby outer ring-road (Nearby are the facilities of the Tecnológico de Monterrey private university. The station's logo depicts a road junction.
- Tepepan – Station. Its name is given from a hill and a town with the same name. There was once a tramway destiny. One of the best (and last) pulquePulquePulque, or octli, is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, and is a traditional native beverage of Mexico. The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to...
rías of Mexico City, "Nomás no llores", is near. Its logo is the Aztec representation for a hill.
- La Noria – Station. Its name comes from the zone where the station is. Noria means water well; its logo shows a well.
- Huichapan – Station. Its logo is a river with trees at its sides.
- Francisco Goitia – Station. Its name is given from a street and a zone nearby. Francisco GoitiaFrancisco GoitiaFrancisco Bollaín y Goitia García was a realist painter from Fresnillo in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico.Goitia studied at the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City from 1898 under the direction of German Gedovius, Jose Maria Velasco, Saturnino Herran and Julio Ruelas...
was a painter. The station's logo is an artist's palette. From the opening of the Tren Ligero between Estadio Azteca and Xochimilco, in 1988, until September 1995, this was the line's terminus and was named "Xochimilco" station.
- Xochimilco (previously known as Embarcadero, opened in 1995) – Terminal. Named after the town of Xochimilco, famous for its boat rides in boats called trajineras. Also, for the wide river zone, where so many representatives of the different flora and fauna that once existed throughout the Valley of Mexico can be found. The terminal's logo is the ancient glyph for Xochimilco.
See also
- Light rail in North AmericaLight rail in North AmericaLight rail is a commonly used mode of rapid transit in North America. The term light rail was coined in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place in Europe and the United States...
- List of rapid transit systems
- Transportation in Mexico CityTransportation in Mexico CityTransportation in Mexico City is managed by the government of the Mexican Federal District through several public companies that administer the different means of transportation...