The Largest Metro System of the Americas | Mexico City Metro Explained
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
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The Mexico City metro is massive and surprisingly modern, and the city has far more transit to explore, from suburban rail to gondolas! Check out the latest explainer to learn more!
Special shoutout to Guido Enriquez for providing help & the footage used in this video!
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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!
Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.
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Why, yes! I am interested in owning a cat!
I didn’t know you were a fan of the good place tv show
can you please make a video of the budapest trams, metro or the train?
Could you talk about the tehran metro.
Hey RM could you possibly make a video on the Luas system in Dublin?
Mexico City's metro is a great case study in overcoming terrain-based challenges with modern technology and creativity. What's that? You can't build tunnels because there's an underground lake? Build the metro on elevated tracks instead! Oh, you can't run a metro to the northern hills because the hills are too tall? Build a gondola system! Wait, it turns out Mexico City got a magnitude 8 earthquake in 1985? Use giant concrete pylons and flexible track to make the whole metro earthquake-proof! You found yet another pyramid where a station was supposed to be? Just build around it put it on display!
There is no underground lake, the city is built on top of the extinct Texcoco lake and resulted being an unstable sinking city because of the lake sands. The northern hills are high but the góndola system does not go high, it just surrounds them, is just that they are very densely populated.
And about the pyramids theres a lot of buried ones and many others that we're totally destroyed.
The Mexico city transport system is Indeed very dense and surprising in many aspects, but i don't think is to be set as an example in terms of how they executed it. Plus, it heavily contributes to the economic centrilization as many people from the south go there thinking theyll find job and housing and not actually gettinf anything, then just half-building a house on the hills.
Also, the metro is not earthquake proof. A couple of years ago, there was an incident in which people died. They are just now opening that specific route once again, but ofc people no longer trust it.
Mexico 🇲🇽 really does it better than a lot of other cities that are Internationally recognized, and is honestly MY favorite city in North America (Central America if you use weird American maps) but it doesn’t get nearly enough recognition. It has gotten a lot safer than it was in the 1980s and on, and although there are still issues politically and socially in CDMX, things have improved a lot. Not for everyone, but for most, thankfully. I hope 🤞🏼 everyone soon can benefit from the new technology and the added stations and lines coming soon! The Metro is the best way to get around, because you can actually see things and be to your destination in under an hour or more, and not have to breathe NEAR as much smog!
@@miltonflores6499 , what a negative f’n comment brother, but yeah keep that negative promo coming. 🙄
@@7919AEM he's right tho, although i do disagree with his take that the city itself contributes to Mexico's centralization lmfao, that's policy fault.
It's a shame how much Mexico City's metro is overlooked; in contrast to the New York City subway which is constantly featured in popular culture. I definitely wouldn't know as much about it if it weren't for you. The system is seriously impressive and serves the continent's largest city very well. Great video as always, Reece!
I mean, American Pop Culture is exported everywhere. You don’t really see scripted TV shows & Movies in English talking positive about Mexico since it’s usually tinted in yellow and about crime. And if they do talk about Mexico, it’s about Cancun or Tijuana.
Also, I’m pretty sure there might be pop culture about the Mexico City Metro but it’s in Spanish and probably exported to Spanish-speaking countries and communities.
Like Madrid, Bilbao or Barcelona Metro
Mexico is too big a city for the few economic means it has. It's a mess, dangerous and dirty, and its subway system is overcrowded.
And Mexico City is North America's largest city and even pre-colonization was huge!
The NYC subway and London Underground are really the only metro systems that feature heavily in pop culture (and occasionally the Paris or Tokyo Metro). The reason is simple really, they're both very old systems whose design elements and typography have become iconic brands in their own right. English-language culture is also exported more across the world than any other, so it's more likely these will feature.
Another thing people tend to overlook about Mexico City is its sheer size, the metro area has almost 22 million people making about the same or slightly larger than NYC.
It's worth noting that the 5-peso metro fare isn't just low compared to other countries--it's low for Mexico. I live in Morelia, Michoacán, where the cost of living is noticeably lower than CDMX, but our buses cost 10 pesos.
Hi Anschel, I live in Morelia too, I still remember when the fare was 7 pesos when I was in my first years of college, it has increased exponentially in comparison to wages and we have not seen an improvement at all, quiet the opposite, the amount of combis has reduced in various routes
moreover the blue trolleybus that cost only 2 pesos is probably the cheapest in the entire country; in queretaro is 11; in tijuana the price usually starts from 15 🥴
15 pesos olv
In Aguascalientes it's 11 pesos, also growing exponentially with salaries.... shrinking if we wanna be honest. In 2017 it was like 7.50, then they raised it to 9.50, then 11. Oh, and the service? Constantly getting WORSE. There were more buses in 2017, less wait time, better bus conditions, more bus STOPS, and more and better drivers. We have also had ONLY 50 bus routes for DECADES, while the city is one of the fastest growing in Mexico. I used to live in the outskirts and now they're ANYTHING but outskirts. And still the same 50 routes. It feels like the system is collapsing but nooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pinchis hidrocálidos a huevo quieren su teresita jimétete esta en el gobierno. Mientras más jodidos, más felices al puro pinches parecer ughhhhhhhhhh this drives me SO mad, since it's the #2 reason I lost my university career 1 semester before finishing. Yes, urban transportation effectively destroyed my future.
The only thing that has improved in Aguascalientes, at least for the bus routes that I used, which is NOT most of them, is that these days they don't ignore my stopping the bus as much anymore. But I guess it has to do with me not using the bus that often anymore and not at the same schedule I used to.
I used to go to Mexico City about once a month in the nineties and I remember the metro system as a wonderful, efficient system to go around and I am happy to learn it has improved so much in size and variety. Now, for a silly anecdote your video brought to my mind: the tall building shown in your first panoramas of the city, the Torre Latinoamericana had a mural in its main entrance claiming it was the tallest building in the continent, and to prove it it showed it towered well above the Empire State Building. The trick was that the height of the two buildings were considered from sea level, not from the ground level of each building. Since Mexico City is already more than two thousand meters in elevation, even the base of the building was well above the top of the Empire State. BTW, a tip to improve your Spanish pronunciation, which is already pretty good. I mention it because you consistently missed on this one. The syllable with the tilde is the one you have to stress, thus Lázaro is LAzaro, not LazAro. Just like in México, which you pronounce MExico, not MexIco. You did OK with all the names without tilde. Another tip is: you never pronounce the U after a Q, simply ignore that U. Cheers!
Torre Latino the tallest of the continent? bollocks, It's the tallest of the world!
@@RodrigoMera 🤣🤣
@@RodrigoMera Tallest in the universe I've heard 🤯
As a resident of CDMX, I still learned a lot from this video! I'm very excited about the future possibilities of rail connections. I also think you managed to speak on some delicate issues (like the airport and line 12) with delicacy but still giving an honest opinion. Even with our great system, mexicans spend the largest % of their salary getting to work, compared to other countries, so there's always room for improvement.
The CDMX train system is almost non-existent.
The CDMX train system is almost non-existent. When most of the big cities in the world have several alternative quality systems, CDMX only has one meter over saturated, very small for the number of Mexicans who live there.
@@Atreas1845 yes, I think the % of transport/salary is driven really high because of the (enormous) population in Estado de México that need more transit options. Not to mention the rest of the Republic, which is badly connected (although you would be surprised at the praise our bus transportation gets from foreigners). I think the metro is still a good example that Mexico CAN solve big issues, in amazing and even fun ways.
@@Construyendoaishtar Intercity bus travel in Mexico is hands-down several times better than in the US and Canada. I suppose the buses do get stuck in traffic, but the buses (at least from certain companies) themselves are so much nicer than Greyhound and Megabus’s buses.
@@Atreas1845 well let me tell you something…LA is over saturated and the public transportation is way worst and this is the first world.
Having also taught students from Mexico - we discussed how wonderful and extensive the Mexico City metro is. Amid the challenges that Mexico faces, my students take pride in their metro. One interesting thing is its ability to withstand earthquakes (the underground portions at least) unlike many buildings on the surface as seen in a recent quake. A few things I love about the metro are the mix of rubber-tired trains and traditional ones and the extensiveness of the network. The orange livery is quite nice too. I wonder if running some lines in the medium of smaller streets serves as a form of advertisement to encourage people to use the metro.
one of the safest spots to be during an earthquake in Mexico City are inside metro stations underground! these stations are build like bunkers
On the other hand, it is a saturated system, which is very small for how big the city is and is not well maintained. It is dangerous as it is full of thieves and many dirty stations. Thats the reality.
Yeah, it has a lot of great features! Underground is generally safer during earthquakes as I discussed in my recent video about transit resiliency!
From my understanding, it’s not for advertisement but rather the result of having a type of hard rocky soil that would make it really hard or expensive to build underground
@@fernandoandrade655 thanks for
That info!
Yeah, that's one of the positive things about Mexico City's mass transit network. They all can be accessed with a single card called "Movilidad Integrada." And what I love about the card's design is how well they fit all systems in it. In the card we have a light green for the RTP Network, a darker shade of green for Eco-Bici, light blue is the Cablebus, dark blue is Electric transportation (light rail and trolleybuses), orange stands for subways while red for metrobuses, pink signals the CETRAMS I (some sort of hubs for regional and suburban buses, and other kinds of transportation [i think privately owned]) and purple for other bus lines that the city's government operates.
I LOVE the Mexico City metro. It’s AMAZING! The trains are so frequent too - it doesn’t even matter if you miss the train, because the next one will be there in 1-2 minutes. It’s truly the best way to get around the city.
lol it's a fact you've never used the system in rush hour
@@pastcineo True I’ve seen videos where it’s absolutely packed and it looks terrible. That’s just a reality for metro systems in mega cities though.
lol I've spent almost an hour waiting for the metro
@@pastcineo Rush Hour is the worst, but i you calculate your times not to go there at rush hour it's great (well, most of the time) and even rush hour isn't as horrible as getting stuck in traffic.
You are wrong dude, there might be particular lines where that happens but the average is around 5-10 minutes, moreover rush hour can sometimes take half an hour if it is rainning at specific places. You could make the argument that is fine because you don't get stuck in traffic, but if you just happened to not be really close to a station either at the beggining or at the end of your travel , you still have to use buses or taxis which defeats the purpose of using it as "fast transit" SINCE you have to be stucked in traffic. The worse is how slow and crowded it can get while also having to endure the vendors and the crime INSIDE.
The original thought of the video was to JUST show the variety and extension of the "metro". You can't just say is amazing for it's mobility and the price, which by the way is one of the reasons the service and quality is declining every year.
I love how the whole system looks like a 1970s sci-fi movie. Very cool in a retro kind of way.
Actually "Total Recall" (the original one) was filmed there
Part of Schwartzeneger's "Total Recall" movie was filmed in Mexico City. The memory vacations agency is located at actual Infonavit Headquarters, the beginning of the chase was filmed at the military college in the south of the city, in station Chabacano there were the electric stairs gunshots and chase. In station Chapultepec roundabout Arnie got out of the System. Shortly after there's a "Peñafiel" ad.
That’s because the system was inaugurated around that time.
@@fszocelotl Actually is in "Insurgentes".
(En realidad en en Insurgentes, en la glorieta).
@@zytrik1 and never been updated :/
LA with its multiple city centers can really learn from CDMX.
Thanks for the amazing introduction as usual, Reece!
Every American and Canadian city should learn from Mexico city. All these cities have a great problem with the cars
The best LATAM system is that of Chile, then that of Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
Mexico's system lags far behind in aspects such as network coverage, frequency, efficiency, customer service levels, access levels, security and environmental considerations, and technological innovation.
@@Atreas1845 yeah, but cdmx metro is way longer than those.
@@Atreas1845 Brazil is not part of Latrine America.
Definitely I’d actually say the cities have a lot of similar problems!
Hey I'm from Mexico City, thanks for covering our metro/subway, I've always thought was underrated, is very cheap, it connects the whole city, and is extremely convinenant and easy to use, we have directions and maps and is pretty easy to move around. And I liked that you mention the problem and the accident with the 12 line, because it was awful, unfortunately the subway is old and needs desperately some renovation and maintenance, imagine this was the most modern one and it failed, definitely some miscalculations. Also compared to other subways around the world is very cheap. I always joke saying i can go anywhere with only 5 pesos (0.27 dolars or 0.24 euros)
I am from Mexico and have used the metro countless times, i have been waiting for RUclipsrs to do videos about the amazing transit system Mexico City, but you forgot to mention about the cultural Sections of the metro, most stations have some sort of cultural exhibit with art pieces and more, it has some really cool spaces sometimes. Hope more people will see Mexico transit systems as the incredible syste it is, compared to most of the other transit systems in the continent.
Went there in October, was blown away with how comprehensive the subway and the buses are. I'd say the American transitfan is severly skewed toward American and Canadian cities.
I happened to stay next to the Reforma, and it was really convenient to hop on MetroBus line 7 (the double-decker line) and reach many tourists destinations.
I also spotted some of the older trolleybuses from the 1990s, and one of the oldest ones, 4305, from 1984!
You didn’t mention that there have been many plans to turn Buenavista into a HSR hub (delayed of course, but it’s probably just a matter of time). CDMX in general usually gets overlooked as one of the great cities in NA. With a lot of care (the state of disrepair is ridiculous) and some expansion this could very well be the best system in the continent. Great vid
Thanks for watching! Well, it might happen someday I don’t like talking about too much speculation in these videos!
If they could only connect Observatorio to Buenavista with the tunnel...
Used to be overlooked but not really any more. Not since the pandemic. It's super popular now (at least the central borough). Foreigners don't use the metro that much though... More BRT and bikes I think. Or Uber/Didi/Cabify
@@wavesnbikes Honestly they first need to make observatorio to not be a horrible place to be in first!
Would be greater if CDMX weren’t so dangerous ):
Thank you RMTransit! Mexico City has such an interesting, extensive and dense transit network. Great video as always. The only thing I would have added is the fact that Line 1, as the oldest one in the network, is being rebuilt in it’s entirety. They are essentially building a brand new line, with the exception of the tunnel, with new rail, communications networks, energy supply lines, 30 new trains- everything is being scrapped from the tunnels and rebuilt with latest technology. This will help increase the line’s capacity by 30% as the trains are bigger and will increase their frequency at the stations from the current 2 minute interval to every 90 seconds.
The best LATAM system is that of Chile, then that of Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
Mexico's system lags far behind in aspects such as network coverage, frequency, efficiency, customer service levels, access levels, security and environmental considerations, and technological innovation.
@@Atreas1845 not PRICE and beauty
@@Atreas1845 y eso que tiene que ver con lo que dijo loco? Xddd
@@Atreas1845 Right. CDMX carries 20% more people than Sao Paulo per day and has about twice the coverage but....
A nice easter egg is that Chabacano (line 2) and Insurgentes (line 1) were used in the terminator movie because of their futuristic looking back in the 80s
Not Terminator, but in "Total Recall"
Mexico does not get enough credit for their urbanism.
Definitely not there’s a lot of enviable elements to it!
Dude, check the walk score for a lot of neighborhoods in even small cities like Tepatitlán de Morelos. Even if there is a lack of Transit, the Walkability of Mexican puebiltos prove that even rural Anglo American small towns in can also be walkable.
we shouldn’t, it’s crap
@@sebaszapieni get it, it’s all kinda old, but Mexico city is working on making it more modern.
@@TepicneoriTFFBAS dude, it hasn’t even been a month since line 1 collapsed, just a week ago a young lady disappeared there, the entire metro is just hot garbage bc the administration decides to not listen
I’m from Mexico and thanks for the video, this metro is very iconic. I know that one day people will understand the importance of the public transport for the traffic, the environment and the people. We don’t need a car to move around.
Thanks for sharing all this to the world
Yo no soy de la ciudad de México pero si soy mexicano y en cada ocasión que eh ido el metro es realmente increíble por ser un buen transporte
So no vives en La ciudad no eres Mexican!!! Okurrr
It is worth noticing that the fare allows you to use the whole system with no restriccions on how many transfers you can make. This is really helpful since it's a big city there is no way to get lost, you just have to ask for the nearest station and get back home from practicaly anywhere, even if you don't have money, asking for $5 on the ticket queue is common and easy to get. Also seniors and disabled people get access for free, and recently they have improved accesibility with the use of elevators for people in wheelchairs and low mobility, and there is paths designed to help blind people navigate.
This system seems better designed than most American metros that are overly focused on serving the city center.
This!, I think its because people outside of downtownish areas or from the suburbs assume Public transity is for poor or homeless people and dont want to be associated with it so companies (usually private) dont think theres a business in actually buiding a real public transport system that actually reaches to all of the city
@@AtomicBoo tbh rich people in cdmx think the same...
@@harry12 You see, latinamerica is poorer in general, so Nimbys are less powerful ...
Well the US and Maybe Canada are less walkable whereas there are whole sections in cities in Latin America where they aren’t accesible to cars. This the need for more public and walkable transport whereas the US roads and such are built around the cars. Now how does that make for pretty cities?
Excellent video!
I’m from Mexico City, and I’m not only a user, but an absolute FAN of the Metro! Lately my beloved Metro has been riddled with problems and accidents due to some moronic austerity policies from the federal and local governments, who has cut the maintenance budget dangerously. This has provoked a myriad of incidents, four of which have been fatal. In spite of this (and the stubbornness of the government to overlook the dire situation), the Metro continues to work, thanks to the highly skilled technicians, drivers and employees!
Por algún motivo olvidaste que Fernando Espino Arévalo es quién maneja bastantes recursos del metro desde los 80 cuando fue impuesto como secretario del sindicato del metro. Y desde que recuerdo maneja al mismo como su propiedad personal, eso incluye presupuesto.
I just wanna say: Pantitlan at 7 AM it's hell
Mexico City was a key city for me becoming a transit nerd. I love the pictures they have at each stop!
Mexico City minibuses are also great for getting around but hard to use without speaking Spanish.
they are changing minibuses or peseros for new modern buses, you could pay with the same metro and metrobus card now!
Yeah, I would not be the transit nerd I am now without all the Mexican channels I grew up with such as Tmc historias de la CDMX or if I had lived anywhere else in the world.
@@Capibaracapibara1992 tbh the progress is very limited so far. 80% of time camions and combis are still cash only.
@@harry12 Rome wasn't built in day. But still, I get the frustration behind it, I also wish we changed faster... and given our government it almost feels miraculous that we're getting new things. Not that it should be surprising, a modern city can't work without modernizing. As good as it is, and much as we're changing, we should not be complacent with it -- we've done so much and we've got so much because we're still demanding more and better services, as we should. Being grateful can coexist with being progressive (not in the political sense).
All the signalation of the metro was designed having in mind that some of the city population didn't know how to read and that there would be many foreigners visiting for the '68 Olympic Games, so it was needed to make icons and use different colours to solve that issue. You can check some Lance Wyman (he was the head designer of the project) interviews about it.
Mexico is always underrated...I love the boarding from both sides
I moved to mexico city almost 10 years ago, I was originally raised in Pachuca, Hidalgo state (2 hours away from the city) I consider the metro being a great way to transport yourself around the city, it's fast and reliable. the thing is that its old af. It can improve! I like that on recent years there have been new options to move around the city and they're currently working on the whole line 1 maintenance, I hope that they give maintenance to the rest of the old lines soon, it's very necessary.
As an alternative, I usually move on ecobici and metrobus. it's great, fun and effective! I hate traffic, all these methods are good alternatives to skip all that traffic and I've noticed that I get to my destination faster than if I took an uber. People need to stop using cars if they're traveling inside the city but we also do need more agile and effective public transport.
Personally, I've always felt a huge fascination for the mxican metro being mexican myself. I'm so happy you've take the time to make this video. Looking foward to learn more about transit in my country and other countries as well
Wow. Looks a lot nicer than I expected. Maybe the US can learn a bit from Mexico here.
I noticed the font on the signage system is very unique too!
Yes, I love it!
Designed by Lance Wyman!
I had the privilege to use their Pink and Olive green line last September and it was super clean, incredibly smooth and very fast! If you missed the train the next one would come in 3 minutes or less. I never had to look at a schedule (because there wasn't one probably) and relied on station maps, Google maps, and MOSTLY the kind citizens of Mexico City MORE than willing to help with directions.
you are correct! schedules aint a thing on the jolly ol' subway
I can’t wait to go visit! The one in NYC is so gross
My hometown! Really cool that you made this video, in CDMX we have whole fandom channels dedicated to public transportation like this one. Unfortunately many people who live in the city do not really trust the subway with all the recent events such as last weeks crash in L3 or the constant failures that happen all across the system. Still really cool video (Btw Line 12 reopens tomorrow)
only part of the line, the one Sheinbaum is so proud of all the city's money investment in it.
You failed to mention, that cdmx's metro is an economic hub of sorts. You can buy snacks, headphones, books, children's toys, and even get some entertainment while riding the trains. I love my city's metro.
This is pretty common in large metro systems! NYC used to have a record store in our largest station, but it closed during the pandemic I believe.
@@nikhillrao3799 he's saying "while riding the trains" which isn't a thing in any other metro
@@cooltwittertag Ive had people try to sell me stuff while on the metro in nyc, chicago, and philly
while riding trains, i have bad news for ya. dont let that mother with the kid fool ya, since its illegal. the reasons the police dont stop them, is because i think theyre getting paid by them. so avoid buying nuts, but then again, you could help with a penny or something (or 50c, since its the lowest the coin can get)
That transition to the sponsor segment was maybe one of the best i have seen.
The public transport system in CDMX is, admittedly, VERY intimidating the first time, especially if arriving to your destination will require switching transport midway through , and even more so if you include combis and peseros😵💫 . But once you get the hang of it it's really efficient and way cheaper than taxis, uber or other driving services. I've been to CDMX a couple of times and now the main thing I look for about any place I'm going to visit is how close it is to a metro station 😅
Estoy sorprendido que hablen del metro CDMX ("Ciudad De MéXico") ya que normalmente no hablan de México y si es real lo que dicen. =)
¡Qué bien! 😊
El Metro de la CDMX donde los trenes chocan y los puentes colapsan por negligencia...
@@the_emmo ¡Cierto!
@@the_emmo Y la gobernadora dice que es el trasporte más seguro del mundo
I live in CDMX and I can tell you that you are very well informed, I did not even know some of the information that you mention. I'm new to your channel and the subject of trains has always caught my attention!
Great video that shows just how extensive public transit can be in a large city like CDMX. One thing to note is that some of the trains in the old stations have been recovered and refurbished by metro workers themselves, as the old lines don't get as much attention from the city government. These people (most of them working underpaid) have kept it running for years!
My god, that signage typeface is amazing. Looks like an 80s sci-fi movie, yet it’s real life!
some shots of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Total recall" film were taken in this metro and other buildings for the futuristic feel it gave
Definitely the best metro in North America. I don't think you've done Sao Paulo yet, but it also has a super extensive, modern, clean system serving a city of almost identical size. That'd be a great one to do next!
As someone who lived most of his life in Mexico City, I really appreciated this video. It's very informative and it gave me a chance to recall a different time where public transit was not as safe or accesible as it is today. Thanks!
Loved the video! As A cdmx born and raised I love seeing my city featured and given proper justice. Definitely the transit in cdmx is a huge win and it is highly missed when I travel abroad. It is surprising how cheap the cdmx metro is, but it is somewhat explained by a couple of crashes that happened in recent days that have unmasked huge maintenance issues with it.
Im glad that you talk about Mexico city’s metro ❤.
I’ve ridden this metro and it was awesome. I also took the light rail out to Xochimilco which was al great to ride. Really cheap too. The ruins and artwork were a really nice touch.
that light rail is SOOO slow
Thank you Reece for another extremely interesting video from which I leant a lot. Being British I was particularly struck by the massive double-decks on BRT line 7. Note that some of the BRT routes use left hand running! The station for the gondolas shown at 17m 15s is architecturally quite attractive. But enthusiasts for gondolas should note that it does take up quit a bit of real estate!
I too got unreasonably excited seeing big red double-decker buses!
As for using left-hand running, is it so the BRT stations can be built as island platforms? I believe the same is true of Istanbul too.
@@ricequackers Yes, the left-hand running is used so that buses with doors only on the right can use island platforms.
@@ricequackers yep exactly!
Yep! Similar to the ones used on GO Transit in Toronto!
those double deck buses are terrible for rush hour traffic, almost no space in lower floor and not enough time at red lights for descending the stairs and the drivers don't care.
As a transit nerd resident of Mexico City it was awesome to see my city covered on this channel. Also, amazing research, you nailed everything that's going on with transit in the city currently, as well as the history of the metro and everything else.
Just came back from a trip to CDMX and was really impressed with the system (tried Line3 and Line1). The thing that stood out to me was that the doors felt like they were opening before the train came to a full stop, and then began closing again after ~7seconds! No time to waste!😁
That also happens in Montreal! A common feature it seems!
Sometimes at 10 pm on line 2, they open for literally less than 4 seconds before closing. I'm not even joking lol.
Fun to see my pictures on here! I wasn't expecting this fun surprise today. Thanks for the photo credit, glad to see this video!
And what a coincidence that you posted this just a couple of days before line 12 (partially) reopens!
Line 9 was basically built as a relief line for Line 1.
The alignment for Line 8 changed quite a bit from the original master plan.
There are several long transfers, including La Raza (line 3 & 5) and Atlalilco (Line 8 and Line 12); both are notoriously long, especially the Atlalilco.
Oh, and as I've said before, you'll take my rubber tires from my cold dead hands, ha!
The Line 12 extension to Observatorio makes a lot of sense, looking forward to seeing that done.
Line 3 is super-saturated; the city needs a new relief line headed north to Indios Verdes, parallel to it. It's very often even more packed than Line 2, once you hit Zapata station headed north.
You're definitely dreaming in technicolor with the idea of that 10km underground rail connecting to Buenavista from Observatorio.... but I guess anything is possible!
Metrobús doesn't skip stations, but there are various "routes" within the different lines, and different transfer stations, to account for where there is highest demand. For example, most of the original Metrobús (Line 1) does not go all the way to the southern terminus stop.
You didn't mention the new elevated trolley line.
transfers at pantitlan are usually long as well... and confusing even for some locals. line 3 is crazy asf during peak hours especially hidalgo, centro medico, etc.
He did mention the elevated trolley, he presented it as linking two metro stations at 16:33
@@JanusTroelsen ah thanks, I missed that!
the only city in the world with the "bright idea" of building an elevated trolley line when it would've been way cheaper and accesible to have it on the ground by sacrificing car space. oh the mysteries of government corruption.
Amazing video! I know you just uploaded this video about the Mexico City metro, but I can't wait to see the respective videos about the Guadalajara and Monterrey metro systems!
mexico city Metro and it’s other transports IS HUGE. the STC (mexico city metro) is currently the 4th largest metro system, but combined with all the transports, its definitely 1st. they before all used to be independent, but recently in 2020, a new thing was introduced known as “Movilidad Integrada” which makes all transports in mexico city part of it. and you explained all of it, i’m surprised!
just how good is that "movilidad integrada" when the metrobus system is saturated and slow af most of the time.
@@pastcineowell the metro is having a bunch of incidents lately, so people use alternatives, and most of the time is the metrobus. which is probably the reason
Mexico City's transit system looks outstanding! An awesome system I knew little about until now.
Awesome video, greetings from Mexico City.
Thank you for this awesome video!! you could include as well:
1) Microbus system running in several parts of the city is widely used (very useful to go to Coyoacan center)
2) There are special front wagons only for women in the metro and bus system
3) There are beautiful metro street entrances to the metro resembling those in Paris and London (the one in Bellas Artes is the most beautiful one, especially in April with Jacaranda flowers all over it!. the station Auditorio is also nice)
4) The station La Raza has a very beautiful connection between line 3 and 5, with a science gallery and a star dome.
Current CDMX resident here! I liked a lot this video as it helped me put in perspective the awesome public transport network my city has. Still I do have a couple of observations that may help foreigners to also put in perspective our network. The following is long but please bear with me. My locals help me to upvote this ;) from Mexican to Mexican.
I do agree with the general tone of the video that the network supplies the city in a proper way. But all the systems that the video mentioned are state owned ( Metro, CableBus, MexiCable, TrenLigero(the light rail that connects the souther most part of the city) ) or partially state owned (MetroBus MexiBus).
I remark the latter as there are way more lines of buses and micro-buses that are all privately owned that run alongside cars in the city streets. The scheme under this private lines are ran is the following: Families own maybe one or two buses that are ran within a so called Route (Ruta), this Route usually would cover the inner parts of most neighbourhoods and are used to get to focal points such as metro stations.
This privateers of transport that run the Route have a platoon-men scheme: the buses that make the Ruta all compete with each other to get the most people in their own bus to get the most yields. More people equals more money.
The scheme I just described leads to a savage and violent way of driving 5 ton buses around most city main avenues which turns walking or cycling into an extreme sport as it becomes extremely dangerous. These kind of public transport schemes are the biggest in CDMX and surrounding states, I think that here is the greatest area of improvement of public transport in CDMX
Two more personal notes:
I do love cycling around my city but sadly it is dangerous I tend to avoid rush hours and weekdays to do it.
I am a car enthusiast (I even own classic cars and drive them from time to time in CDMX) and I think that cars are a thing of the past for cities as CDMX, bicycles and public transport is the option to go. CARS ARE FOR TRACKS not for cities!
Being a total fan of the Mexico City Subway (in fact that's what my channel is all about), I can say that I'm very proud that it is considered as a system that other cities in North America can learn from, but at the same time It is sad to know the state in which it is today.
For 25 years the system has been in decline: not enough has been invested in it (the price of 5 pesos does not help much) in terms of maintenance and expansion, since the use of the Metrobus and trolleybus has been preferred as a substitute for the Metro because they are much cheaper in all aspects, coupled with the cancer of corruption so present in Mexico which must be put an end to, they have claimed at least 29 lives involved in the subway in just 5 years due to accidents such as crashes between trains, the fire at its Central Control Office and the fall of a section of Line 12.
Yes, the Mexico City Metro is magnificent and can be an example for other countries, but it needs more attention from authorities and users, it needs to be modernized and it also needs to learn a lot from many other world systems.
Very informative video. Thanks for the info. Mexico City is now on my list of cities to visit because of its transit network.
You definitely should!
u should watch the latest news of the cdmx metro, the marines are present on some metro lines
Mexico City is an amazing place for foreigners. Foreigners here are treated like kings.
@Jeff Villorales Well, at least we can stop worrying about the potential common thief.
don't be to excited, the train could crash or a short circuit might happen (it did today) and u end up in a hospital :(
I would love to see an updated video on CDMX in the future! I see they are building and renovating their transportation system all throughout the city and state
Thanks for mentioning the importance of a master plan. Mexico City's system plans decades in the future and sticks to those plans. This allows for many decisions and provisions to be made as they construct the system to allow for future connections, which reduces the cost of the future connection. Most importantly, it also allows for continuity of intent and public buy-in across multiple political administrations. NIMBYism is reduced because everybody knows and agreed to the proposed plan from the beginning. There are few surprises.
Master plans are very useful and help plan development and land use. Most cities in Europe and Asia manage their systems according to a master plan. In the US, BART in the Bay Area and the DC Metro are famous for meticulously following a master plan from its inception. In contrast, LA Metro has thrown out the original RTD master plan from the 70s from which the 2 original subway lines and the original light rail line were built, and has since followed an ad-hoc "where can we build a line" rather than "where and how should we build a line". The only real "plan" was to buy up old existing RR ROW's, using them because they "can" and not because they "should". This means many of the city's busiest corridors have been ignored and results in situations like today where the future northern alignment of the recently opened Crenshaw Line is up for grabs. There was no master plan even for the Crenshaw Line. Nobody knows where this line is going to go! That's crazy!
Unfortunately, this type of planning is pretty common and underscores the importance of a well thought out master plan.
there's zero respect for the master plans in the city, each new government does whatever tf they want with it. the most evident example was the construction of a tunnel for vehicles under insurgentes avenue in 2017 which basically means that the metro line supposed to be built alongside said avenue (if ever built) will have to dig way deeper to sort that stupid tunnel.
Loved watching the video and seeing so many parts of the city I know. Also, very funny hearing you pronounce names like Pantitlán, zócalo, or San Lazaro. It's a really good video, keep up the good work!
as a former Mexico City resident, i think our subsided metro system is a blessing and curse, you could travel all around the city with just 30 cents of USD, metro system is affordable to everyone, however, more funds needs to mantain lines!
Agreed! I've heard that the metro drivers have to use WhatsApp to communicate because the radios are always broken and the ATO is unreliable. That sucks! Hopefully it receives more funding so upgrades can be done!
@@edisonz2006 the thing is, the real cost of a ticket is around the same price as in Paris or New York, lets say 2 to 5 USD, having a 3 USD trip ticket in Mexico City would be a political trouble for the officials in charge, protest would be held, also a 3 USD ticket trip x 2, thats 6 USD + people in the suburb take 1 or 2 buses, that would be another 6 USD to get a station, 12 USD per day, thats a whole day salary for lots of population here!
@@Capibaracapibara1992 Yep, I get it. So maybe more government funds should be allocated to maintaining the metro system, but it's hard to do sometimes.
A blessing from other states.... The Mexican city metro shouldn't be subsidized with the money of other states is a joke the cost in states like Jalisco or Nuevo Leon cost 15 pesos compare to cdmx. And the worst part even subsidized the amount of accidents and conditions are horrible.
As someone who comes from Mexico, I've been waiting for you to touch on this metro system for a while now! Excellent content as always!
Line 12 has officially reopened!! 😀
The underground section of the line is now available as of this past Sunday and work on the elevated track is well underway. We could see the whole line reopen by late next year, which would be a huge relief for the people in the southeast that currently have to take multiple buses to their destination instead of just Metro like before.
Thank you for taking the time to cover this imperfect but cool transport system that despite all of its flaws gets the job done.
Esa es la única línea del metro 🚇 que aún no conozco 😂 ojalá pronto. Tampoco he usado el Suburbano.
But Avenida Tlahuac is an absolute traffic mess 🫠
what a way to forget 28 dead people just by saying "despite its flaws". how can anyone be happy about a re opening when there was no justice for that crime perpetrated by the State.
@@pastcineo nunca falta el panista de closet
@@pastcineo Those people CAN NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. It is our duty as citizens to demand better public transit, regardless of what party is in power. I will never stop advocating for better transit in our city and I think the best we can do for the victims (since we can't bring them back to life) is ensure an accident like that never happens again, and the way we do that is by keeping pressure on our representatives so that they better maintain and expand our STC network.
Descansen en paz todas las personas que perdieron la vida en aquel trágico accidente. Seamos mejores, hagamos mejor nuestro sistema de metro... si no por nosotros, al menos por ellos.
Thanks for sharing about Mexico city metro, I lived there for many years and it’s incredible the different type of transportation they have and still planing more.
Great video! It's interesting see the perspective of people who not use the metro, many people in CDMX says many bad things around, but pointed the necessary of The service. Despite of Metro it's very large, it's not enough, it's designed for a city of 8M people, nowadays CDMX metropolitan area have 22M people. However,The metro continues to be a great example for all Latin American cities and with this video I see that also for Canadian and American cities. Like!
One point to mention is that the metro needs designated spaces for bicycles. Integrated Mobility (MI) is vast, but to reach many places you have to take transport outside that system (Concessioned transports) and these transports are really dangerous and Overwhelming saturated. Including a bicycle car, station-home or work commutes They would be safer and faster
The best LATAM system is that of Chile, then that of Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
Mexico's system lags far behind in aspects such as network coverage, frequency, efficiency, customer service levels, access levels, security and environmental considerations, and technological innovation.
The best system in LATAM is unquestionable São Paulo, it has a interconection with all kinds of transportation with just 1 ticket, bus, trains, metropolitan trans and metrô, all station are clean as Japan and the capacity of the system is far bigger than others in LATAM.
Thank you so much Reece, I have really been waiting for this
Have you ever checked out the transit system in Auckland, NZ? A video about that would be very interesting imo. Its definitely not the best one in the world and lacks behind in comparison to similar-sized European cities, but it is getting major investment right now for upgrades and new projects alike, eg the City Rail Link or the electrification (and therefore extension of the southern line) to Pukekohe
Felicidades a Guido Enríquez por las tomas, I´m from Mexico City an I use the metro every time and this video in really good
Watching this video after a week in CDMX, and it is such a crazy system, unlike anything I've ever seen (as someone who has never been to New York or Europe)
This is great! I hope you can do "what can be better?" series for cities with upcoming metro developments in South East Asia, Middle East & Africa especially. I would love to hear on you opinions on systems like Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Addis-Ababa for example!
Could u do a vid on Atlanta’s Marta? They have lots of big plans in the future for new brt and lrt lines and I saw that you already did a vid on Bart and wmata so I thought that it might fit in well with them. Again great vid Reece
I’ll consider it, but the system has so little planned growth and isn’t currently all that big so I’m not sure
I CANT believe this City has 10 Lines beforr 1990s.
Thats amazing.
Kudos .
Our Delhi Metro had Lines starting only after 1990s pr 2000.
Now its has some 400 Kms
1:11 the El Globo bakery shop is one of the greatest places to enjoy a little pastry or purchase a delicious cake for a party. Do look for one branch if you visit Mexico city (or any other state where it's present)
that has given me the desire to go back to Mexico City.
I love the CDMX metro system. It is all I use to move around when I visit CDMX on holiday! Great way to the city center from the Benito Juárez Airport.
For those wondering why there are not more metro lines in the city center, is because there are A LOT of prehispanic sites buried underground in that part of the city, and to build a tunel there it would need to be around 40 meters deep to avoid those sites
Yup, plus soil is very challenging
Really nice presentation of this system 👍🏽👍🏽
One thing that could've been mentioned is that line 1 is currently undergoing major updates and the Eastern half is closed for now, set to open back on March, then closing the Western half until August.
And calling San Lázaro epic made my day, I really like its architecture.
I love what you do, your videos are so interesting. Could you someday do the Lyon metro in France ?
I’m planning to this year!
I love the add at the end. Again a very great video of a very great system.
Great video. I’d love to visit Mexico City some day
On the subject of Transit in Mexico, have you looked into the Ferromex 2050 projects that plan to shift Mexico’s domestic transit to Trains from Buses. Tren Maya is the first to complete but the 3000KM mega project of Tren Pacifico will connect from La Paz to Tijuana to Guadalajara to Tapachula on the border with Guatemala.
Would be cool to have that, it'll help avoid dangerous highways
I just read about that, I'm pretty excited for that project. Plane tickets are expensive af, train tickets will be less expensive and it would be great getting to know Mexico by train.
@@kimutone2970 Mexico is quite mountainous so the accidents frequently cause backup on the highways
@@brainz8655 Plus the trains would stop in town centers
@@fernandoalvarez9613 I meant dangerous as in cartel-related violence, but that too lol
Mexico City just looks very cool, the visuals are so unique compared to the ones I'm used to in Europe
Yes, you can see images from a saturated and poorly maintained subway, of tens of kilometers of poor people's houses, where 35,000 people die a year. Just like in Europe ;) There are many Mexicans who create fake accounts posing as Europeans to say good things about their country. really sad
@@Atreas1845 Maybe I should have mentioned that I especially mean the graphic design on the subway system. It might be old but something I haven't seen before
@@Atreas1845 This guy lol
We can see you aren't the biggest fan of Mexico City metro, but still, I don't see reason to go comment by comment spewing the same copypasta and other comments, some (like this one) quite incoherent and farfetched at every comment that says something minimally positive about the subway system.
@@jimbo-dev Lance Wyman, the graphic designer that designed the Mexico 68 logo and graphics for the Olimpics was the one that desined the metro logo and graphics in the 60's. That's why it looks so 60ish.😃
Hello, I´ve used all those transit systems for over 35 years but only 25 of those I used them to get to work, it´s a lot faster to move using them but all of those have rush hours and every system becomes a nightmare to travel on during those hours, I used to work on the city (but lived at the "Estado de México") and even by using the subway it used to take two and a half hours of my day to get to the office and another three hours to get back home (if it rained four or maybe five hours) I was hoping you were able to get some footage of rush hours so your viewers get the full picture of the experience, loved the video, keep up the hard work!
Fun fact: Auditorio station on the metro has been decorated to look like a london underground station. Very confusing as a brit who wasn't expecting it!
lol that was an initiative by the UK embassy iirc
And Bellas Artes station have on its entrances arches similar to the ones used on Paris metro (they were donated by French government ).
What an awesome and thorough video! Thank you very much.
I live in CDMX and you captured the whole vibe.
Just wanted to say that in the station "La Raza" there is the, so called, "túnel de la ciencia" or "science tunnel". Which adapts a very long passage (ou have to walk in order to change into lines) into a very interesting kinda museum about different science topics, such as biology, astronomy, geography, history, etc. And it is mezmerizing.
Thanks again for the good job
Thanks for this excellent video! I plan on moving to Mexico City in a few years, and this is definitely helpful to me as I make my plans!
Gracias por ésta interesante investigación.
Very complete, and accurated, I did enjoy the sights of all the México city transport system.
i love mexico's transit system in large cities!, the state of nuevo leon recently made a great investment and is currently building 3 metro lines, the city will have 6 lines at the end
Dreaming that someday the transport system be as extensive and useful as Mexico City's one
wow I loved all the footage of Mexico city!! great video!
Loved this video, I live in CDMX and it really gives you a new perspective! Hope you make a Buenos Aires video as well!
You did an excellent work job with so much information, congratulations
Most of the stuff you mentioned I already knew, but you framed beautifully and put into perspective the hugeness of the transport system, which I really struggle to do normally.
I love the Metro, I have been using it since I was little and until now that I am about to graduate from University.
I use Line 1, 3 and 7 heavily and it's my favorite part of the almost 2 hours I do from my home, to Observatorio and then to Ciudad Universitaria.
Thank you so much for this video!
Great overview! I've taken the Mexico City Metro and Metrobus. I was very impressed! I look forward to returning and using this wonderful system.
This video appeared randomly in my RUclips recommendations, but I'm so happy to have found it and to see that someone from another country has also made a video with very valuable information, In addition to serving people of other nationalities, it also provides information even to those of us who are from Mexico and have lived in CDMX, definitely this video is a great material made with the best possible quality that provides data in the best possible way.
As an additional piece of information, the iconography of the first 3 Metro lines was made by the graphic designer Lance Wyman, who was also responsible for the graphic identity for the Mexico 68 Olympics, and that gave such a characteristic and unique design to the Metro Lines, designs that even today continue to serve as the basis and inspiration for the iconography of the other transport systems in the city.
Greetings from Mexico
Haven't traveled abroad but im well aware that Mexico city's metro can compare toe to toe with transit sysyems from the more developed world. As an insight Line 12 first portion is now opened with bus and metrobus serving as substitution for the elevated part. And the interurban Toluca train set to open its first part in mid 2023.
Another great and informative video RM Transit!
Thanks so much!
extreamly well informed, a great watch
👍
It's wiorth mentioning Line 7 of Mexico City's metro has the unique property of being designed under deep tunnel construction due to the west of the city being close to the mountain ranges. In theory the stations are 35 to 40 meters deep, but they're under the same depth as some other underground stations.
I dont know if you say it in the video but in Mexico City, we have a card named “multimodal” (or multipass, as I like to name it) this card can be used in the metro, metrobus, trolebús, cable bus, and another routes of buses, as well you can rent bikes with this cards and I think that some Taxis accept it too. So you can travel around all the city only unit this card and recharge it in any station or shops
So, that’s why all the transports in the city have 2 logos. The “MI” (“movilidad integrada” or the multimodal) and the another logo is from the company that control the transport (“M” for metro, “MB” for metro bus, “TE” for trolebús an tren ligero, “EC” for eco bici, “C” For cable bus, “RTP” For Red de Transporte de Pasajeros (passenger’s transport red) and another 2 logos that represent another buses)
Another thing is that Line 12 was not very well planned which resulted in the transfer with Line 8 being almost a whole kilometer long because they basically skipped a station
15 minute walk
El transbordo en Consulado, también está largo y el de Tacuba igual
@@elsoldadomarquez Si, y el de La Raza
@@elsoldadomarquez yo acompañaba a una amiga en el transbordo de consulado y la primera vez que fui.. alv. No sabía que era tan largo