Fun Fact: some stations at the time seemed so futuristic that a large part of the famous 1990 futuristic movie Total Recall was filmed in the Mexico City metro, in Chabacano station, you can look for the pictures online, i was there not too long ago and recreated some pictures of the movie with my son.
It can't be understated that you can get pretty much anywhere in one of the biggest cities in the world for only 7 pesos. Those free transfers are amazing.
I live in Mexico, the first time I went to Mexico City, and rode the Metro, I was nervous. When I had to transfer to another train, I got lost, I ended up going in circles. haha. But eventually I got the hang of it. And those pictograms are a huge help that makes sure you don't miss your stop.
@@Thom-TRA 🤣I even accidentally left the station and had to pay again to get it in. Now that was embarrassing. 🤦♂ But anyways, I loved your video. Greetings from Guerrero, Mexico
That 10-year anniversary intro is so good! The combination of iconic jingles, chimes, and closing doors announcements is chef's kiss. Pantitlán's pictogram features the silhouettes of two flagpoles to reflect the meaning of "Pantitlán," which is "between flags" in Nahuatl. Guerrero station's pictogram is a bust of Vicente Guerrero, a national hero who participated in the Mexican War of Independence. He was Mexico's second president from April 1st to December 17th, 1829. Guerrero lived alongside indigenous in Tlaltelulco and had the ability to speak Spanish and the languages of the Indigenous. During his presidency, Guerrero issued the Guerrero Decree, which prohibited slavery in most of Mexico, but exempted the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Guerrero also exempted the northern region of Mexico on December 2, 1829. Mexico later abolished slavery without any exceptions in 1837. Guerrero called for public schools, land title reforms, industry and trade development, and other programs of a liberal nature. As president, Guerrero championed the causes of the racially and economically oppressed. During Guerrero's presidency, the Spanish also tried to reconquer Mexico but were defeated at the Battle of Tampico. Guerrero was deposed in a rebellion by his Vice-President Anastasio Bustamante. Ferrería/Arena Ciudad de México's pictogram used to depict a cow when it was just known as Ferrería before 2012. This was a reference to a cattle ranch that existed nearby, known as Ferrería. There was also a train station that serviced this ranch. When the arena was inaugurated in 2012, the icon was changed to a facade of the arena. Isabel la Católica's pictogram represents one of Christopher Columbus's three caravels. Its name comes from nearby Avenida Isabel La Católica, named after Queen Isabel of Castile, who helped Columbus finance his journeys to the Americas. Hidalgo station is named after Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, known as the Father of the Nation for being the chief instigator of their war for independence. He served in a church in Colima and then in Dolores. After his arrival, he was shocked by the rich soil he had found. He tried to help the poor by showing them how to grow olives and grapes, but in New Spain, growing these crops was discouraged or prohibited by colonial authorities to prevent competition with imports from Spain. In September 1810 he gave the Cry of Dolores, a speech calling upon the people to protect the interest of their King Ferdinand VII, held captive during the Peninsular War, by revolting against the Europeans who had overthrown the Spanish Viceroy José de Iturrigaray. Hidalgo marched across Mexico and gathered an army of nearly 90,000 poor farmers and Mexican civilians who attacked Spanish Peninsular and Criollo elites. Hidalgo's insurgent army accumulated initial victories on its way to Mexico City, but his troops ultimately lacked training and were poorly armed. These troops ran into an army of well-trained and armed Spanish troops in the Battle of Calderón Bridge and were defeated. After the battle, Hidalgo and his remaining troops fled north, but Hidalgo was betrayed, captured and executed. Allende station is named after Ignacio Allende, a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secret meetings organized by Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, where the possibility of an independent Mexico was discussed. He fought along with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the first stage of the struggle, eventually succeeding him in leadership of the rebellion. Allende was captured by Spanish colonial authorities while he was in Coahuila and executed in Chihuahua. The Garibaldi in Garibaldi/Lagunilla refers to the Plaza Garibaldi named in honor of Giuseppe Garibaldi II or Peppino Garibaldi, the grandson of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (the unifier of Italy). He served as a lieutenant colonel (teniente coronel) in the army of Francisco I. Madero during the initial victories of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Plaza Garibaldi known as Mexico City's home of mariachi music. All throughout the day and night, mariachi bands can be found playing or soliciting gigs from visitors to the Plaza. The Salón Tenampa, which became the home of mariachi music in Mexico City in the 1920s, is still in business on the north side of the plaza. The first mariachi band to arrive in Mexico City in 1905 settled in the neighborhood that was formerly known as Santa Cecilia (patron saint of musicians). After the Mexican Revolution, clothing underwent a notable transformation, adopting the charro or Mexican cowboy outfit, exclusive to the upper class, consisting of ankle boots, a charro hat, a bow tie, a vest/chaleco, tight pants with no back pockets, a wide belt, and shiny buttons on the side of the pants. In Garibaldi, you can listen to mariachis, trios, norteños, jarochos, among others, or enjoy typical dishes from Mexico City and other regions of the country.
I would add that plaza Garibaldi is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi nephew of the Garibaldi who united Italy, his nephew faught in Mexico's revolution war... And Vicente Guerrero had African blood
@@davidmoreno9302 Peppino Garibaldi was Giuseppe's grandson. Which is what I mentioned - "named in honor of Giuseppe Garibaldi II or Peppino Garibaldi, the grandson of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (the unifier of Italy)." and I already mentioned that he fought during the Mexican Revolution. And I didn't say that Guerrero was indigenous but that he lived AMONG the indigenous. Yeah the fact that he was Mexico's first Mulatto president is awesome
You forgot to add: Vicente Guerrero was Mexico's first Mulatto president, ~200 years before Barack Obama. His father was a Spaniacd who fell in love with one of his black slaves, freed her and married her' something very unusual back then, instead of just keeping her as his mistress and having her do "work" within the house. Morelos was also a quater black, that was the real reason of his permanent bandana: his skin was so white he could pass, but once the bandana was off his hair was so curly people immediately took notice, and then they noticed his full lips, and immediately knew what casta he was a member of
The Mexico City Metro has a museum, which is located at the Mixcoac station. Also, some stations have small cinemas and others held concerts. It even had a kind of mascot called Dresina or Metro Bebé (Baby Metro).
@NeyoGiri In the past (late 80's) at that station there was one of several souvenir shops called Metro Recuerdos. The museum is mostly models that show the evolution of the Zócalo from the pre-Hispanic era to the revolution.
I love how the metro arrives at the airport terminal. With a little walking you can avoid the taxi and arrive for your flight without sitting in traffic.
You just realize how far ahead mexico city is compared to some of our cities in Canada and the US which clearly need more public transportation like this.
The car company's lobbyist has and will prevent it from happening as the car parts and oil. And their politician friends will prejudice calling them "socialist" projects
@josemorales5117 People have been suing NYC for implementing congestion pricing for 20 blocks! 2 KMS which is already served by Metro. But to the suburbanites, this is a nightmare and it feels like a dictatorship. I mean, have they ever considered walking?
Fun fact: the station Copilco in Linea 3 has some really beautiful murals, taking some inspiration in the Cuicuilcas, and the murals that you can see in Ciudad Universitaria, the main campus of the most important university in the country. Also, the campus is so big that Copilco and Universidad stations (its pictogram is the university's emblem) are used by it's students
Aztecs: So where should we build our city? Huitzilopochtli: You must build where you find an eagle eating a snake while perched on a cactus Aztecs: I don't know, that sounds pretty specific- Huitzilopochtli: *DID I STUTTER?* Some time later... "Good news and bad news. The good news, we found that extremely specific sign." "And the bad news?" "It's in the middle of a lake." "At least it's defendable and we can build canal, like Venice." "what's a Venice?" "Don't worry! We'll find out eventually" "But we will lose our city to a few invaders" "And the invaders will destroy the canals and drain the lake, what could go wrong?" The pictograms on the system were designed by Lance Ryman, who also designed the pictograms for the 1968 Summer Olympics and helped design the logo for those Summer Olympics as well (as part of a collab with Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, architect and President of the Organising Committee for the Games, and Eduardo Terrazas). The Mexico City 1968 emblem recalls the patterns of the Huichol, an Indigenous people, and it's my favorite Olympic emblem. While Tokyo 1964 was the first to use pictograms, Mexico City 1968 marked the beginning of corporate design in the Olympics, in which all elements such as the emblem, fonts, colors, pictograms, publications, merchandising, etc. harmonize and convey a clear message. Mexico City was the first Olympic host city to have an Olympic Identity Programme (later referred to as the Look of the Games). It's so awesome that the metro system also acts like a big museum with all those artifacts. Just like Rome! That pyramid you saw at Pino Suárez station was dedicated to Ehecatl, the Aztec god of wind. The station itself is named after José María Pino Suárez, the 7th and last Vice President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913 under the democratically elected President Francisco I. Madero (VP was first created in 1824, abolished in 1836, briefly restored in 1846 following the 1824's constitution being restored but abolished again in 1847, restored in 1904 before finally being abolished in 1917) until his assassination alongside Madero during the Ten Tragic Days, a US-backed coup that installed General Victoriano Huerta and marked a decisive turning point in Mexico's history and solidified his legacy as a martyr of the Mexican Revolution (a revolution which ousted the dictator before Madero, Porfirio Díaz). Within the Madero government, Pino Suárez led the renewal bloc, a liberal faction that advocated for policies oriented towards social liberalism and the progressive reforms promised in the Plan de San Luis. Despite challenges, politicians from his bloc played a significant role in the drafting of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico, which stands out as the world's first constitution to include extensive social and economic guarantees and protections, such as provisions regarding labor, agrarian reform, and the social dimension of property rights.
My mom credits the Mexico City Metro for her survival during the 1985 quake. She was about to catch the metro at Indios Verdes station when the quake hit during peak transit. It's one of Mexico's greatest marvels in my opinion.
I'm so hypeeed for the cable system. It helped me a lot to carry myself to the city ❤ i love it so much. Thank you so much for this wonderful video, dude. Trains are awesome and so are you
The signage in the Metro has 3 defining characteristics: Images, Names, Colors. Thus, whether passengers are Spanish speakers, Indigenous non-Spanish speakers, or tourists, the signage is informative and universally understandable. Both outside the stations and within the stations, it is easy to identify the specific Metro line and station to inform and orient the public. As tourist and later as student and resident, (and as a lover of trains) the Metro is always exciting to ride. Yes, at times very, very crowded, but always an adventure.
Yea its clean, like most streets. Our cleaning team is so good and we're so thankful.. although some people don't appreciate them and our different kinds of transportation😢😊
2:34 gotta love that love that confirmation beep. I used to travel daily from home to my uni campus and gotta say riding then and now is very very different. The same crowd but I guess is safer now
Nice! The crowding is also very Paris-like. As Paris is the only city outside Japan, that I know of, which has platform attendants ensuring doors can close, and sometimes pushing people in the trains even if they're technically not supposed to. (Mostly in main RER stations during rush hours but also often on line 13 despite it having platform screen doors). With the busiest lines on the metro and RER ranging from 650,000 to 1,5 million passengers a day. The sounds are also very familiar, from door movements to train acceleration. NM02 trains that entered service in 2005 look and feel older, except maybe the front face. Mexico City Metro rolling stock denominations are also similar to Paris : NM02 for "Neumatico Mexicano" 2002, like Paris' MP89 or MP14 for "Matériel Pneu" 1989 or 2014. It's the type of wheels, either steel or tire (pneumatic) followed by the year of the order. Mexico City probably has the metro with the most lines running on tires, more than Paris which has 5 out of 16 and soon 20. There's also Santiago de Chile which uses the same technology derived from Paris. Very cool video, I hope there's more to come about Mexico City's transit.
@@Thom-TRA It dates back to the 1970s. Televisa aired NFL games which got Mexicans hooked, and when Mexicans learned about NFL teams getting Mexican players, they wanted to root for them, only for them to be on teams against the Steelers, and Mexicans started rooting for the Steelers instead. The Steelers dominated the 1970s. Four Super Bowl wins, two against Dallas, cemented the Steelers as champions in the Mexican imagination. By 1980, Steelers bars began appearing in Mexico City and along the border
If you like crowded trains, you should check out the Roma Metro Linea A. When I was on holiday there, We had to wait for several trains to pass before we could get on one, and it wasn’t even rush hour. This line not only needs to serve its own passengers, but also bring all the people from Linea C into the center.
The Mexico city metro opened in the mid 6Os . At that time a lot of the population were illiterate . That's why the pictures are used so people knew what station to get off !
Yeah, and to be more specific it was after the 1968 olympics, which used similar pictograms for the venues and was quite praised for it, which led to further collaboration for the metro’s pictogram design
Toronto also has a Extremely Crowded system mainly because they have only built two Major Subway lines which is not enough to handle the enormous number of people using the Subway, Union Station and Bloor-Yonge are the two busiest Subway stations in Canada and an Entirely new line is being built just to relieve pressure between them with new connections at Pape, Queen, Osgoode, Exhibition and East Harbor Also something to note the reason Union station is so busy is because large numbers of People are coming in from the Suburbs on the GO suburban train system and Transferring to the Yonge Subway hence the need for Connections at Exhibition and East Harbor to Connect to the Lakeshore and Stouffville lines
Trains with gangways/walkthroughs are pretty standard for metros around the world, the US is weird in that regard as most subways trains in the country have either separated or married rail cars (the latter means you can walk through between two rail cars, but not the whole train)
@@MarcoAntonio-hw7si NYC's R-211s (the "robbery) cars are open gangway vehicles.... Also, in history, NYC PIONEERED in the use of open gangway transit railcars with the BMT Triplex.
Yes, that and the weird seating arrangement make Mexico city's metro so 70s, because it actually is 😅 I think Tokyo's monorail is the strangest, likely one of the projects for the 1964's Olympics.
Numbered 1 - 9, 12, A, and B. Thanks for explaining how that happened. No 10 and 11? Happy to see that we had the same observation about some of the long walks needed to make transfers from one line to another.
Lines A and B are known as feeding lines, they reach outside of Mexico City into the cities of Nezahualcóyotl and Ecatepec respectively. This naming convention was also used for the planned C and D lines which reached into Cuautitlán and Coacalco, since these routes cross state lines it was a bureaucratic nightmare to get funding and construction approval, these projects were overtaken by other train lines such as the suburban train which replaced the planned C line. The thing that bothers me is that line 12 should be named line 10.
There were plans to build a Line 10 and 11. But both were cancelled. One was supposed to be built on "Avenida Insurgentes" where the Metrobus line 1 currently runs. And 11 was supposed to go from the city center to the Western part of the city. Line 12 was built however.
"Best"?! Now that GREATLY depends on what would be considered "good", "better", and "best".... Like what was mentioned in the video, all transit systems have their faults; the fault here is that Mexico City is using narrow French "freight trains" for very large and wide people; no wonder the trains get so crowded so quickly! ("Freight train" = no forward view.)
@@CraigFThompson Yep, the best considering the amount of daily users. New Yorkers would learn a lot because they have a shitty transport system compared to Mexico's.
@ ONLY because NYC’s system works much harder for much longer; hence much more heavily used. The NYC subway has express service; there AIN’T any in Mexico City--nor is there 24-7-365 operation…. Besides, Mexico City’s system is a HELLUVA LOT NEWER.
I like how they use those different types of wheels on those trains and that there’s still rails. I bet that’s a train I should check out whenever I have a chance to visit that city.
Another awesome video about an awesome transit system!!! it’s interesting how hosting the Olympics leads at least in part to transit upgrades and systems. Awesome!!!
Thank you Thom for sharing the video! I enjoyed it very much. Brought back lots of memories for me when I was there earlier this year. I didn't feel unsafe at all whilst using it. I found it easy to get around but agree some of the interchanges were long! Totally different vibe than the London Tube. 🙂
As a coincidence, I’m watching this video while in Mexico City… even if it’s only the airport hotel. I’ve ridden the metro a few times to downtown and also took the light rail to the famous canals. One time I boarded the front car to get some footage out the front of the train. A few stops later, I discovered that I was the only man in the car; I was in the women’s only carriage. I wanted to ride the cable cars last year but chickened out because I heard how sketchy the neighborhoods are. I will do it eventually.
I’ve never been to Mexico, but seeing this makes me want to visit soon! The metro system might not be perfect, but it has a unique charm that I’d love to experience.
As some who's never been to Mexico City but has been to New York City and Montreal, the feel of the metro system down there is like a hybrid of New York City's subway and Montreal's metro.
Great video. What an interesting system. I like the pictograms. I always found the choice of these rubber tired trains odd, but sounds like it makes sense here. I never knew about the two steel-wheeled lines using catenary. The steel wheel lines must also save a lot of energy!!
The original cars for the Metro were of French technology and built, I believe, in France. I recall seeing metal plaques attached at the end of each car indicating that it had been constructed in France. Later that technology was acquired in Mexico and rolling stock was no longer imported.
Fun fact: a Mexico City Metro train model from the 80's used to have the same Jeumont DC chopper that the Montreal Metro MR-73 trains (and they made the same "doo doo doo" sound), but apparently it was changed after a complete refurbishment of those trains. Also I saw a picture taken in the 70's at an Alstom factory in France where you could see a train from the Paris Metro and a train of the Mexico City Metro side by side on their test track
I grew up in Mexico City and I always loved riding the Metro. It's so quiet and so smooth. The train itself still looks good but some stations appear old and dated. Metal seats look weird and cheap.
My parents told me to not hold the handrails as a kid, then as a grown up, probably the 1st time I did so, at the end of the journey my hands had that weird metal smell.
Sí está padrísimo tengo mucho que no voy para México pero tengo ganas de ir viendo sus videos se me antoja dar por el metro y andar recogiendo muchos lugares de la ciudad
Fun fact: the metro station Talisman have a real mamut fosil, it were found during the construction of the station. Is very common see some fosils in the floor too.
A curious fact is that the Mexico City subway, among other places in the city, appeared in the movie "Total Recall", specifically it was the Chabacano station, in that movie the subway looked gray (I don't know if it was with some vinyl or in post-production). On the other hand, the lack of maintenance of the infrastructure has made the system look old and dirty, also the lack of investment to build new lines or expand them has made the system become increasingly saturated and suffer from greater wear, proof of This is line 3, which is one of the main axes that runs from north to south through the city, connecting the busy Indios Verdes terminal with the UNAM and the residential areas in the south. This keeps it saturated most of the time, which means that trains that circulate on that line suffer constant failures. Line B has 2 colors because at the beginning the plans were 2 separate lines but due to budget issues they were united and that is where its two-color scheme comes from and that is also why it uses rubber wheels and not metal like the line A. And well that would be all I wanted to say, excellent video =)
Cities with rubber tire running French design metros: Paris (some lines), Lille, Lyon (3 of 4 lines), Marseilles, Lausanne (one of the world's shortest metro lines and rebuilt from a rack railway), Montreal, Mexico City, Santiago (older lines dating back to the Pinochet dictatorship with the first one under construction at the time of the 1973 coup), Sapporo.
As a Mexican who has been riding the Metro pretty much since I was born, I LOVED this series and it is what made me subscribe to your channel. Hope you enjoyed your time here ☺️
Few trivia of the stations: -our king cross of the metro is Pantitlan, who connects 4 lines, and a lot of bus lines outside, is easy to lose it in the "trasbordo" so you need to be kinda aware -La raza,atalilco and instituto del petroleo station had the longest transbordo halls of all metro, with almost a kilometer between connections, the shortest one is el rosario, with only 50 meters -Revolucion station was remodeled as a prize, that's why is different along the line, rumors says when the line 1 remodelation works finish, the 2nd line could be next -There's a myth that in barranca del muerto lives a vampire... That's because is the deepest line of all -also in zocalo and pino suarez had its apparitions, a lot of workers in the night said about ppl walking towards the exit dressed as aztecs, not only inside, but in the inside, also in Tlatelolco
One good thing that was added recently is that I'm pretty sure most metro lines and all of the metrobus lines now accept card payments to entry with debit/credit cards that support contactless.
@@Thom-TRA Anthropology Museum, Teotihaucan, Diego Rivera Museum, possibly El Insurgente and Cablebus if I have the time. I only have four days and I'm pretty lazy. Also trying to visit some of the metro stations with archeology stuff.
From an outsider it may not look like it, but Mexico has one of the most politically active populations, so yeah, politics and politicians are a bit of a hot topic between Mexicans.😅😂
@@Trainsaregreat365The Metro logo and its initial iconography were created by American designer Lance Wyman. He also designed the icons of 1968 olympics
If you can, try to check out the Santiago Metro. Of course as a chilean I'm biased, but the Santiago metro is very similar to México in its old lines, but with great maintenance, and some amazing new lines.
Fun fact the mexico city metro is the one featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie : "Total Recall" at chabacano station then the most modern looking one (1988)
In my opinion, being heavily involved in development of another metro system is an unusual honor for a metro system. I think people of Paris should be proud of this. On the other hand, what did you take to visit Mexico city from DC?
Wonderful video. Quick question; What is the electric bill to run a train equipped with rubber tires vs steel on steel ? With the resistance difference factored in is there a noticeable diff in operational costs over let's say a year ? Thanks again
3 issues with rubber tires. 1) yes the rolling resistance is higher than steel. 2) they have to be replaced much more frequently due to wear and tear. 3) they run hotter than steel wheels, not what you want in a hot climate
@@colinwinogradoff6794 Also not to mention that when a tire blows, the train ends up running on steel rails anyway.... Plus rubber STINKS, even in normal use!
Hi young man, you missed line twelve, the newest, it rides on steel wheels too but train wagons are larger and wider and the stations though finished like most of the others with gray marble, feel larger and more modern. You would've liked it. Greetings!
When I was in high school, my geography teacher, who was very opinionated about history and politics, described line 12 as the cursed line. It was built in celebration or anniversary of something I can't remember and it was advertised as "the golden line", "you could leave your kids at school and go to work without having to change lines and blah blah blah" in the end the line ended up being rubbish. When I told my dad, who knows a lot about politics and history, he told me that when the trains were bought for the already built line, the one who had the duty to do it kept some money for himself and bought models that didn't fit the rails well. That's why there are so many problems all the time, the trains deform the tracks over time and they have to be constantly changed and since there was a contract with that model of train (or something like that) the problem remains. So, yeah, corruption.
CDMX is legit the only city where I almost missed my stop because no one would get out of the way and it was far too crowded to push through without extreme levels of force.
Well that certainly happens. When so I try to ways to get through. First get closer to the doors a station or two before my stop. Then ask the person in front of they are going to walkout the train on your stop. So if they don't reply or say no you can either say sorry or stick your shoulder or elbow close to your torso respectfully between the crowd. Well of course you need to be average mexican height to stick your shoulder but this usually works for me. 😅
I went to a tour with the Colegio de Arquitectos in southern CDMX a few years ago, and they explained us that to build the stations of Miguel Angel de Quevedo & Copilco they had to use some form of controlled detonations since they’re both within the lava fields of Pedregal. They also said this was possible back then since the area was sparsely populated. Now it would be quite dangerous and complicated, probably why there’s the Metrobús línea 1 BRT above Insurgentes Ave. Great video, did you get a chance to visit the remodeled Línea 1 of the Metro? Cheers.
4:44 I'm glad that this was your first impression, but it's straight out wrong 😅 I wish you never have to experience people's behavior at peak times (around 7am or 7pm in most lines). One of the main causes of delays in the Metro service is actually people not allowing the doors to fully close while they are forcing their way inside, just jamming in like sardines, and the train of course can't move until every door is locked. You could probably find a video about it, maybe search for "metro hora pico"?
@@Thom-TRA yes, this year mainly beacuse one fo the lines ending on that station was closed for repairs, but as of 2024 constitucion de 1917 was ranked as the most concurred station
As a Mexican from CDMX I have never used the subway and don’t ever plan to 😂 also i can’t believe you rode line A considering it goes into dangerous zones of state of Mexico
Though line 12 is working again, there was indeed shady stuff going on during construction. It was supposed to be fully underground, but it went overground halfway. The city mayor at that time was Marcelo Ebrard. The rumors go that Ebrard was going to be the next president after AMLO, but the accident happened and as fingers were pointed he got singled out. Though Sheinbaum was the mayor during the collapse. Even as I voted for her there's a lot of BS with that line. Carso, the company that built it, ended up paying all the repairs, and hopefully they won't be given a new line again.
As an Australian I love that the pictogram for the Oceania stop is a kangaroo 🦘
I remember noticing that and smiling
@MaxS-hn8we There is another station in Line B called Deportivo Oceanía, its icon is a koala hugging a soccer ball
I live nearby and it was always my favorite line for that reason, I love kangaroos!
And a Koala for the Deportivo Oceania station...
That Bring me Memories from 2015…
Fun fact: in the Bellas Artes station, there's a parisian entrance sign, donated by France as a gift
Also Auditorio simulates an English station
Fun Fact: some stations at the time seemed so futuristic that a large part of the famous 1990 futuristic movie Total Recall was filmed in the Mexico City metro, in Chabacano station, you can look for the pictures online, i was there not too long ago and recreated some pictures of the movie with my son.
Ahora la locación es perfecta para filmar escenas de una película distopica jajaja
It can't be understated that you can get pretty much anywhere in one of the biggest cities in the world for only 7 pesos. Those free transfers are amazing.
5* pesos. They haven't raised the fare. Love living in CDMX
Subway:5 pesos
Metrobús:6 pesos
Trolebús:4pesos
Cablecars:7 pesos
RTP:2-7 pesos
5 pesos =0.25 dollars
Approximately
@@PipoGirlTvinflation hasn’t struck there (yet) fortunately for yall
@@FastGuy1 when they raised the price to 5 pesos all city gets angry xd
I live in Mexico, the first time I went to Mexico City, and rode the Metro, I was nervous. When I had to transfer to another train, I got lost, I ended up going in circles. haha. But eventually I got the hang of it. And those pictograms are a huge help that makes sure you don't miss your stop.
I definitely walked in circles once or twice
@@Thom-TRA 🤣I even accidentally left the station and had to pay again to get it in. Now that was embarrassing. 🤦♂ But anyways, I loved your video. Greetings from Guerrero, Mexico
That 10-year anniversary intro is so good! The combination of iconic jingles, chimes, and closing doors announcements is chef's kiss. Pantitlán's pictogram features the silhouettes of two flagpoles to reflect the meaning of "Pantitlán," which is "between flags" in Nahuatl. Guerrero station's pictogram is a bust of Vicente Guerrero, a national hero who participated in the Mexican War of Independence. He was Mexico's second president from April 1st to December 17th, 1829. Guerrero lived alongside indigenous in Tlaltelulco and had the ability to speak Spanish and the languages of the Indigenous. During his presidency, Guerrero issued the Guerrero Decree, which prohibited slavery in most of Mexico, but exempted the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Guerrero also exempted the northern region of Mexico on December 2, 1829. Mexico later abolished slavery without any exceptions in 1837. Guerrero called for public schools, land title reforms, industry and trade development, and other programs of a liberal nature. As president, Guerrero championed the causes of the racially and economically oppressed. During Guerrero's presidency, the Spanish also tried to reconquer Mexico but were defeated at the Battle of Tampico. Guerrero was deposed in a rebellion by his Vice-President Anastasio Bustamante. Ferrería/Arena Ciudad de México's pictogram used to depict a cow when it was just known as Ferrería before 2012. This was a reference to a cattle ranch that existed nearby, known as Ferrería. There was also a train station that serviced this ranch. When the arena was inaugurated in 2012, the icon was changed to a facade of the arena. Isabel la Católica's pictogram represents one of Christopher Columbus's three caravels. Its name comes from nearby Avenida Isabel La Católica, named after Queen Isabel of Castile, who helped Columbus finance his journeys to the Americas.
Hidalgo station is named after Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, known as the Father of the Nation for being the chief instigator of their war for independence. He served in a church in Colima and then in Dolores. After his arrival, he was shocked by the rich soil he had found. He tried to help the poor by showing them how to grow olives and grapes, but in New Spain, growing these crops was discouraged or prohibited by colonial authorities to prevent competition with imports from Spain. In September 1810 he gave the Cry of Dolores, a speech calling upon the people to protect the interest of their King Ferdinand VII, held captive during the Peninsular War, by revolting against the Europeans who had overthrown the Spanish Viceroy José de Iturrigaray. Hidalgo marched across Mexico and gathered an army of nearly 90,000 poor farmers and Mexican civilians who attacked Spanish Peninsular and Criollo elites. Hidalgo's insurgent army accumulated initial victories on its way to Mexico City, but his troops ultimately lacked training and were poorly armed. These troops ran into an army of well-trained and armed Spanish troops in the Battle of Calderón Bridge and were defeated. After the battle, Hidalgo and his remaining troops fled north, but Hidalgo was betrayed, captured and executed. Allende station is named after Ignacio Allende, a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secret meetings organized by Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, where the possibility of an independent Mexico was discussed. He fought along with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the first stage of the struggle, eventually succeeding him in leadership of the rebellion. Allende was captured by Spanish colonial authorities while he was in Coahuila and executed in Chihuahua. The Garibaldi in Garibaldi/Lagunilla refers to the Plaza Garibaldi named in honor of Giuseppe Garibaldi II or Peppino Garibaldi, the grandson of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (the unifier of Italy). He served as a lieutenant colonel (teniente coronel) in the army of Francisco I. Madero during the initial victories of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Plaza Garibaldi known as Mexico City's home of mariachi music. All throughout the day and night, mariachi bands can be found playing or soliciting gigs from visitors to the Plaza. The Salón Tenampa, which became the home of mariachi music in Mexico City in the 1920s, is still in business on the north side of the plaza. The first mariachi band to arrive in Mexico City in 1905 settled in the neighborhood that was formerly known as Santa Cecilia (patron saint of musicians). After the Mexican Revolution, clothing underwent a notable transformation, adopting the charro or Mexican cowboy outfit, exclusive to the upper class, consisting of ankle boots, a charro hat, a bow tie, a vest/chaleco, tight pants with no back pockets, a wide belt, and shiny buttons on the side of the pants. In Garibaldi, you can listen to mariachis, trios, norteños, jarochos, among others, or enjoy typical dishes from Mexico City and other regions of the country.
Thank you! I really like how it turned out
I would add that plaza Garibaldi is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi nephew of the Garibaldi who united Italy, his nephew faught in Mexico's revolution war... And Vicente Guerrero had African blood
@@davidmoreno9302 Peppino Garibaldi was Giuseppe's grandson. Which is what I mentioned - "named in honor of Giuseppe Garibaldi II or Peppino Garibaldi, the grandson of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (the unifier of Italy)." and I already mentioned that he fought during the Mexican Revolution.
And I didn't say that Guerrero was indigenous but that he lived AMONG the indigenous. Yeah the fact that he was Mexico's first Mulatto president is awesome
You forgot to add: Vicente Guerrero was Mexico's first Mulatto president, ~200 years before Barack Obama. His father was a Spaniacd who fell in love with one of his black slaves, freed her and married her' something very unusual back then, instead of just keeping her as his mistress and having her do "work" within the house. Morelos was also a quater black, that was the real reason of his permanent bandana: his skin was so white he could pass, but once the bandana was off his hair was so curly people immediately took notice, and then they noticed his full lips, and immediately knew what casta he was a member of
Answering to Line 12's accident, it was also found out that the trains that currently run along the tracks are way heavier than originally planned.
Just bad engineering decisions all around.
The Mexico City Metro has a museum, which is located at the Mixcoac station. Also, some stations have small cinemas and others held concerts.
It even had a kind of mascot called Dresina or Metro Bebé (Baby Metro).
I wish I’d known!
@Thom-TRA Admission is free. Inside, they exhibit archaeological remains, sketches of stations and logos, tickets, and train furniture.
Outside from Mixcoac there is also one of the few pyramids standing. that's where its name comes from.
Also there's a mini museum in zocalo
@NeyoGiri In the past (late 80's) at that station there was one of several souvenir shops called Metro Recuerdos.
The museum is mostly models that show the evolution of the Zócalo from the pre-Hispanic era to the revolution.
I love how the metro arrives at the airport terminal. With a little walking you can avoid the taxi and arrive for your flight without sitting in traffic.
The metrobus serves the airport
@@Thom-TRA Metro line 5 terminal aerea.
You just realize how far ahead mexico city is compared to some of our cities in Canada and the US which clearly need more public transportation like this.
The car company's lobbyist has and will prevent it from happening as the car parts and oil. And their politician friends will prejudice calling them "socialist" projects
@josemorales5117 People have been suing NYC for implementing congestion pricing for 20 blocks! 2 KMS which is already served by Metro. But to the suburbanites, this is a nightmare and it feels like a dictatorship. I mean, have they ever considered walking?
Mexico's subway are dead-on interesting & detailed, i like how they look old & retro.
Fun fact: the station Copilco in Linea 3 has some really beautiful murals, taking some inspiration in the Cuicuilcas, and the murals that you can see in Ciudad Universitaria, the main campus of the most important university in the country. Also, the campus is so big that Copilco and Universidad stations (its pictogram is the university's emblem) are used by it's students
Aztecs: So where should we build our city?
Huitzilopochtli: You must build where you find an eagle eating a snake while perched on a cactus
Aztecs: I don't know, that sounds pretty specific-
Huitzilopochtli: *DID I STUTTER?*
Some time later...
"Good news and bad news. The good news, we found that extremely specific sign."
"And the bad news?"
"It's in the middle of a lake."
"At least it's defendable and we can build canal, like Venice."
"what's a Venice?"
"Don't worry! We'll find out eventually"
"But we will lose our city to a few invaders"
"And the invaders will destroy the canals and drain the lake, what could go wrong?"
The pictograms on the system were designed by Lance Ryman, who also designed the pictograms for the 1968 Summer Olympics and helped design the logo for those Summer Olympics as well (as part of a collab with Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, architect and President of the Organising Committee for the Games, and Eduardo Terrazas). The Mexico City 1968 emblem recalls the patterns of the Huichol, an Indigenous people, and it's my favorite Olympic emblem. While Tokyo 1964 was the first to use pictograms, Mexico City 1968 marked the beginning of corporate design in the Olympics, in which all elements such as the emblem, fonts, colors, pictograms, publications, merchandising, etc. harmonize and convey a clear message. Mexico City was the first Olympic host city to have an Olympic Identity Programme (later referred to as the Look of the Games). It's so awesome that the metro system also acts like a big museum with all those artifacts. Just like Rome! That pyramid you saw at Pino Suárez station was dedicated to Ehecatl, the Aztec god of wind. The station itself is named after José María Pino Suárez, the 7th and last Vice President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913 under the democratically elected President Francisco I. Madero (VP was first created in 1824, abolished in 1836, briefly restored in 1846 following the 1824's constitution being restored but abolished again in 1847, restored in 1904 before finally being abolished in 1917) until his assassination alongside Madero during the Ten Tragic Days, a US-backed coup that installed General Victoriano Huerta and marked a decisive turning point in Mexico's history and solidified his legacy as a martyr of the Mexican Revolution (a revolution which ousted the dictator before Madero, Porfirio Díaz). Within the Madero government, Pino Suárez led the renewal bloc, a liberal faction that advocated for policies oriented towards social liberalism and the progressive reforms promised in the Plan de San Luis. Despite challenges, politicians from his bloc played a significant role in the drafting of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico, which stands out as the world's first constitution to include extensive social and economic guarantees and protections, such as provisions regarding labor, agrarian reform, and the social dimension of property rights.
Un😅
LAMO I laughed till I couldn't breath ;).
Very well stated!!
@@PipoGirlTv
¿Todo bien en casa?
Amén
I love your videos! Don’t let people stop making content you enjoy ❤
Thanks! I appreciate that!
My mom credits the Mexico City Metro for her survival during the 1985 quake. She was about to catch the metro at Indios Verdes station when the quake hit during peak transit. It's one of Mexico's greatest marvels in my opinion.
That’s an awesome story
I'm so hypeeed for the cable system. It helped me a lot to carry myself to the city ❤ i love it so much.
Thank you so much for this wonderful video, dude. Trains are awesome and so are you
Thank you so much for the kind words :)
Congrats on 10 years TRA!! Also CDMX has such a cool metro. It's a dream of mine to visit and ride the metro and the buses.
Thank you!!
The signage in the Metro has 3 defining characteristics: Images, Names, Colors. Thus, whether passengers are Spanish speakers, Indigenous non-Spanish speakers, or tourists, the signage is informative and universally understandable. Both outside the stations and within the stations, it is easy to identify the specific Metro line and station to inform and orient the public. As tourist and later as student and resident, (and as a lover of trains) the Metro is always exciting to ride. Yes, at times very, very crowded, but always an adventure.
Don’t forget to mention that it’s clean!
Yeah, it was decently clean. I’ve seen cleaner and I’ve seen dirtier.
yoooo you actually visited Mexico City!
Yeah this is like my 4th video from CDMX. Uploaded the BRT video a few weeks ago.
@ OMG It did not show up on my home page! Gotta watch it right away. 😅
You forgot to mention the many restaurants, shops, pharmacys and convinience stores at most stations, but great video 👌
I didn't "forget" to mention, just don't want to film people just doing their jobs
I find it surprising that it is kept so clean.
Yea its clean, like most streets. Our cleaning team is so good and we're so thankful.. although some people don't appreciate them and our different kinds of transportation😢😊
We Mexicans also have the tradition to brush and clean with water the front of our home.. there are few exceptions in some areas
This is neat to see! When it works, trains really are awesome!
2:34 oh my goodness, the ticket tap sound sounds like SEPTA!
Like what??
2:34 gotta love that love that confirmation beep. I used to travel daily from home to my uni campus and gotta say riding then and now is very very different. The same crowd but I guess is safer now
Nice!
The crowding is also very Paris-like.
As Paris is the only city outside Japan, that I know of, which has platform attendants ensuring doors can close, and sometimes pushing people in the trains even if they're technically not supposed to. (Mostly in main RER stations during rush hours but also often on line 13 despite it having platform screen doors).
With the busiest lines on the metro and RER ranging from 650,000 to 1,5 million passengers a day.
The sounds are also very familiar, from door movements to train acceleration. NM02 trains that entered service in 2005 look and feel older, except maybe the front face.
Mexico City Metro rolling stock denominations are also similar to Paris : NM02 for "Neumatico Mexicano" 2002, like Paris' MP89 or MP14 for "Matériel Pneu" 1989 or 2014.
It's the type of wheels, either steel or tire (pneumatic) followed by the year of the order.
Mexico City probably has the metro with the most lines running on tires, more than Paris which has 5 out of 16 and soon 20.
There's also Santiago de Chile which uses the same technology derived from Paris.
Very cool video, I hope there's more to come about Mexico City's transit.
Yeah I think the boxy shape makes them look older
Mexico always is my favorite city in world , history , food and transportation.
Mexico also has a ton of Steelers fans.
I wondered what that was about
@@Thom-TRA It dates back to the 1970s. Televisa aired NFL games which got Mexicans hooked, and when Mexicans learned about NFL teams getting Mexican players, they wanted to root for them, only for them to be on teams against the Steelers, and Mexicans started rooting for the Steelers instead. The Steelers dominated the 1970s. Four Super Bowl wins, two against Dallas, cemented the Steelers as champions in the Mexican imagination. By 1980, Steelers bars began appearing in Mexico City and along the border
@@Thom-TRA Mexico shares a strong blue-collar culture with Pittsburgh, so it makes sense for them to back the Steelers
Great video. Some of the interchange stations you definitely get a workout.
Atlalilco?
Yooooooooo! I love your vids soooo much, Thom you deserve 1 million subs! Keep up the good work!
Maybe one day!
@@Thom-TRA I bet you will!
@trainsareawesome Fun fact - the earlier MX Subway trains and stations were used in the 1990 film Total Recall
Yes that is correct
Awesome video! Seems like a really cool system; would love to get a chance to ride it someday!
If you like crowded trains, you should check out the Roma Metro Linea A. When I was on holiday there, We had to wait for several trains to pass before we could get on one, and it wasn’t even rush hour.
This line not only needs to serve its own passengers, but also bring all the people from Linea C into the center.
The Mexico city metro opened in the mid 6Os . At that time a lot of the population were illiterate . That's why the pictures are used so people knew what station to get off !
It’s pretty cool how they did that!
Yeah, and to be more specific it was after the 1968 olympics, which used similar pictograms for the venues and was quite praised for it, which led to further collaboration for the metro’s pictogram design
@ I think it was the same guy who designed the logo that designed the pictograma
@@Thom-TRA Yup, it was. Newark, New Jersey-born Lance Wyman
@@Thom-TRA i recently had an experience with this. A lady asked us to tell her when we arrived "horse" meaning potrero but she used the image instead
Toronto also has a Extremely Crowded system mainly because they have only built two Major Subway lines which is not enough to handle the enormous number of people using the Subway, Union Station and Bloor-Yonge are the two busiest Subway stations in Canada and an Entirely new line is being built just to relieve pressure between them with new connections at Pape, Queen, Osgoode, Exhibition and East Harbor
Also something to note the reason Union station is so busy is because large numbers of People are coming in from the Suburbs on the GO suburban train system and Transferring to the Yonge Subway hence the need for Connections at Exhibition and East Harbor to Connect to the Lakeshore and Stouffville lines
I like that you can walk between cars, something the DC Metro didn't design on their current railcars
Trains with gangways/walkthroughs are pretty standard for metros around the world, the US is weird in that regard as most subways trains in the country have either separated or married rail cars (the latter means you can walk through between two rail cars, but not the whole train)
8000s will have them!
Tho you can change cars in all metro lines
@@MarcoAntonio-hw7si NYC's R-211s (the "robbery) cars are open gangway vehicles....
Also, in history, NYC PIONEERED in the use of open gangway transit railcars with the BMT Triplex.
Yes, that and the weird seating arrangement make Mexico city's metro so 70s, because it actually is 😅 I think Tokyo's monorail is the strangest, likely one of the projects for the 1964's Olympics.
At last you away from the cold weather in dc love the channel some times i watch multiple times
Thankfully not too cold in DC today
The Spanish-language channel Urbanópolis has a proposal for a Mexico City RER. Mexico needs it.
That’s interesting
Numbered 1 - 9, 12, A, and B. Thanks for explaining how that happened. No 10 and 11?
Happy to see that we had the same observation about some of the long walks needed to make transfers from one line to another.
A and B replaced 10 and 11
Lines A and B are known as feeding lines, they reach outside of Mexico City into the cities of Nezahualcóyotl and Ecatepec respectively.
This naming convention was also used for the planned C and D lines which reached into Cuautitlán and Coacalco, since these routes cross state lines it was a bureaucratic nightmare to get funding and construction approval, these projects were overtaken by other train lines such as the suburban train which replaced the planned C line.
The thing that bothers me is that line 12 should be named line 10.
There were plans to build a Line 10 and 11. But both were cancelled. One was supposed to be built on "Avenida Insurgentes" where the Metrobus line 1 currently runs. And 11 was supposed to go from the city center to the Western part of the city.
Line 12 was built however.
As always, a great video giving undervalued yet deserving credit to the continent’s best transit system!
"Best"?! Now that GREATLY depends on what would be considered "good", "better", and "best"....
Like what was mentioned in the video, all transit systems have their faults; the fault here is that Mexico City is using narrow French "freight trains" for very large and wide people; no wonder the trains get so crowded so quickly!
("Freight train" = no forward view.)
@@CraigFThompson Yep, the best considering the amount of daily users. New Yorkers would learn a lot because they have a shitty transport system compared to Mexico's.
@ ONLY because NYC’s system works much harder for much longer; hence much more heavily used.
The NYC subway has express service; there AIN’T any in Mexico City--nor is there 24-7-365 operation….
Besides, Mexico City’s system is a HELLUVA LOT NEWER.
Nah, the Santiago Metro is more modern on certain lines, although it is one of the most used on the continent
I like how they use those different types of wheels on those trains and that there’s still rails. I bet that’s a train I should check out whenever I have a chance to visit that city.
Another awesome video about an awesome transit system!!! it’s interesting how hosting the Olympics leads at least in part to transit upgrades and systems. Awesome!!!
Hopefully we will see the same for LA!
Muy buen video bien explicado, tengo años viajando en Cdmx metro system y no sabia toda esa información, gracias y saludos.👍
Gracias!
MUY INTERESANTE EL VÍDEO....... CONGRATULETION!!
Yep the old trains are iconic
Thank you Thom for sharing the video! I enjoyed it very much. Brought back lots of memories for me when I was there earlier this year. I didn't feel unsafe at all whilst using it. I found it easy to get around but agree some of the interchanges were long! Totally different vibe than the London Tube. 🙂
Interesting video. I love the older looking trains. They have a unique, metro feel.
Definitely a design you don’t see anywhere else
Thanks for the reply! It was a great video. Is it dangerous in Mexico City. I suppose you’re always going to be safe with so many people around.
que gusto que puedas compartir un poco de nuestra ciudad, que muchas veces no se ve, y que gusto que te haya gustado tanto nuestro metro, saludos
I'm currently living in Madrid, and I was so impressed by its metro system. Buuut I do miss the pictographic design that the CDMX metro has
Lots of facts out of proportion but nothing we can get smart about.
Thanks for stopping by my small town, gain a subscriber!
Yeah no nothing I said was out of proportion
I've been living my whole live in Mexico City and not even I have been to all the stations you visited and knew all those facts. Amazing video, man.
Wow, I really appreciate this!
As a coincidence, I’m watching this video while in Mexico City… even if it’s only the airport hotel. I’ve ridden the metro a few times to downtown and also took the light rail to the famous canals. One time I boarded the front car to get some footage out the front of the train. A few stops later, I discovered that I was the only man in the car; I was in the women’s only carriage. I wanted to ride the cable cars last year but chickened out because I heard how sketchy the neighborhoods are. I will do it eventually.
Oops 😅 and if you ride the cable cars during the day, in a group, in my experience you should be fine!
I’ve never been to Mexico, but seeing this makes me want to visit soon! The metro system might not be perfect, but it has a unique charm that I’d love to experience.
You should definitely visit!
As some who's never been to Mexico City but has been to New York City and Montreal, the feel of the metro system down there is like a hybrid of New York City's subway and Montreal's metro.
Yeah I would definitely agree with that. Maybe leaning a little more towards Montreal.
Great video. What an interesting system. I like the pictograms. I always found the choice of these rubber tired trains odd, but sounds like it makes sense here. I never knew about the two steel-wheeled lines using catenary. The steel wheel lines must also save a lot of energy!!
They sound like giant RC cars revving up in the tunnels
Mexico 🇲🇽🇲🇽👏🏼👍
The original cars for the Metro were of French technology and built, I believe, in France. I recall seeing metal plaques attached at the end of each car indicating that it had been constructed in France. Later that technology was acquired in Mexico and rolling stock was no longer imported.
Fun fact: a Mexico City Metro train model from the 80's used to have the same Jeumont DC chopper that the Montreal Metro MR-73 trains (and they made the same "doo doo doo" sound), but apparently it was changed after a complete refurbishment of those trains. Also I saw a picture taken in the 70's at an Alstom factory in France where you could see a train from the Paris Metro and a train of the Mexico City Metro side by side on their test track
Great ride on this Metro system!
CDMX which is the new name, has one of the 3 cities in the world with subways with tires, and one of the cheapest in the world.
CDMX is not the new name, it is just an abbreviation (like NYC). And there are way more than 3 cities with rubber tired subways.
It's the new name in a way because it started to be branded as such after the removal of the DF (Distrito Federal) designation in 2016 @@Thom-TRA
CDMX instead of DF, the city is still called Ciudad de México, as before. Here's the explanation: mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx/e/about/about-mexico-city/
Superbly well explained thank you.
I appreciate it!
I grew up in Mexico City and I always loved riding the Metro. It's so quiet and so smooth. The train itself still looks good but some stations appear old and dated. Metal seats look weird and cheap.
Yeah the metal were an interesting choice
My parents told me to not hold the handrails as a kid, then as a grown up, probably the 1st time I did so, at the end of the journey my hands had that weird metal smell.
Those machines at the entrance are tap&pay, so you can use bank cards and smar devices to pay if you don't have the mobility card
Very cool, very cool everything you have shared about Mexico City.Greetings from the state of Guanajuato
Love the video, thanks for sharing Thom
@2:35 Sounds like the same chime when I use the SEPTA Key Card!!
Very nice video.Looks easy to navigate as well ty
Sí está padrísimo tengo mucho que no voy para México pero tengo ganas de ir viendo sus videos se me antoja dar por el metro y andar recogiendo muchos lugares de la ciudad
Ooooh, cool new intro!
As always, infomrative and well edited
Thanks for watching!
Fun fact: the metro station Talisman have a real mamut fosil, it were found during the construction of the station. Is very common see some fosils in the floor too.
That’s so cool
A curious fact is that the Mexico City subway, among other places in the city, appeared in the movie "Total Recall", specifically it was the Chabacano station, in that movie the subway looked gray (I don't know if it was with some vinyl or in post-production).
On the other hand, the lack of maintenance of the infrastructure has made the system look old and dirty, also the lack of investment to build new lines or expand them has made the system become increasingly saturated and suffer from greater wear, proof of This is line 3, which is one of the main axes that runs from north to south through the city, connecting the busy Indios Verdes terminal with the UNAM and the residential areas in the south. This keeps it saturated most of the time, which means that trains that circulate on that line suffer constant failures.
Line B has 2 colors because at the beginning the plans were 2 separate lines but due to budget issues they were united and that is where its two-color scheme comes from and that is also why it uses rubber wheels and not metal like the line A.
And well that would be all I wanted to say, excellent video =)
Cities with rubber tire running French design metros: Paris (some lines), Lille, Lyon (3 of 4 lines), Marseilles, Lausanne (one of the world's shortest metro lines and rebuilt from a rack railway), Montreal, Mexico City, Santiago (older lines dating back to the Pinochet dictatorship with the first one under construction at the time of the 1973 coup), Sapporo.
As a Mexican who has been riding the Metro pretty much since I was born, I LOVED this series and it is what made me subscribe to your channel. Hope you enjoyed your time here ☺️
I had such a great time!
Few trivia of the stations:
-our king cross of the metro is Pantitlan, who connects 4 lines, and a lot of bus lines outside, is easy to lose it in the "trasbordo" so you need to be kinda aware
-La raza,atalilco and instituto del petroleo station had the longest transbordo halls of all metro, with almost a kilometer between connections, the shortest one is el rosario, with only 50 meters
-Revolucion station was remodeled as a prize, that's why is different along the line, rumors says when the line 1 remodelation works finish, the 2nd line could be next
-There's a myth that in barranca del muerto lives a vampire... That's because is the deepest line of all
-also in zocalo and pino suarez had its apparitions, a lot of workers in the night said about ppl walking towards the exit dressed as aztecs, not only inside, but in the inside, also in Tlatelolco
These are great facts!
Mexico City is approximately 7,350 feet above sea level.
Thanks for the fact
One good thing that was added recently is that I'm pretty sure most metro lines and all of the metrobus lines now accept card payments to entry with debit/credit cards that support contactless.
Props for using the Metro's bespoke font in your titles.
I like the font
watching this after arriving in mexico city three hours ago lol
What are your plans?
@@Thom-TRA Anthropology Museum, Teotihaucan, Diego Rivera Museum, possibly El Insurgente and Cablebus if I have the time. I only have four days and I'm pretty lazy.
Also trying to visit some of the metro stations with archeology stuff.
@ Cablebus is well worth a trip
@@Thom-TRA Yes it was! Amazing views
From an outsider it may not look like it, but Mexico has one of the most politically active populations, so yeah, politics and politicians are a bit of a hot topic between Mexicans.😅😂
Is it just me or their logo looks like xaomi
Xaomi copio el logo al metro de la ciudad de México, el logo del metro es del año 1969.
@pinedasimbron6171 no way a tech giant copying a transit giant
@@Trainsaregreat365that logo exists since the 70’s
@jisoo9727 wow
@@Trainsaregreat365The Metro logo and its initial iconography were created by American designer Lance Wyman.
He also designed the icons of 1968 olympics
If you can, try to check out the Santiago Metro. Of course as a chilean I'm biased, but the Santiago metro is very similar to México in its old lines, but with great maintenance, and some amazing new lines.
It is good but not large and comprehensive enough to cover the city. It is also super expensive compared to Mexico’s.
The noise the train makes when it enters and leaves the station sounds similar to montreal metro.
That’s the tires for you!
Fun fact the mexico city metro is the one featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie : "Total Recall" at chabacano station then the most modern looking one (1988)
Very nice Thom 👌 👍 👏.
Thank you!
Great Video ❤! Have you ever ridden on the Honolulu Trains yet?
No but I really want to!
TRAINS ARE AWESOME
In my opinion, being heavily involved in development of another metro system is an unusual honor for a metro system. I think people of Paris should be proud of this.
On the other hand, what did you take to visit Mexico city from DC?
I flew on Aeromexico
Wonderful video. Quick question; What is the electric bill to run a train equipped with rubber tires vs steel on steel ? With the resistance difference factored in is there a noticeable diff in operational costs over let's say a year ? Thanks again
I don’t know, that’s a good question!
3 issues with rubber tires.
1) yes the rolling resistance is higher than steel.
2) they have to be replaced much more frequently due to wear and tear.
3) they run hotter than steel wheels, not what you want in a hot climate
@@colinwinogradoff6794 Also not to mention that when a tire blows, the train ends up running on steel rails anyway....
Plus rubber STINKS, even in normal use!
Hi young man, you missed line twelve, the newest, it rides on steel wheels too but train wagons are larger and wider and the stations though finished like most of the others with gray marble, feel larger and more modern. You would've liked it. Greetings!
Too much to do, not enough time unfortunately
When I was in high school, my geography teacher, who was very opinionated about history and politics, described line 12 as the cursed line. It was built in celebration or anniversary of something I can't remember and it was advertised as "the golden line", "you could leave your kids at school and go to work without having to change lines and blah blah blah" in the end the line ended up being rubbish. When I told my dad, who knows a lot about politics and history, he told me that when the trains were bought for the already built line, the one who had the duty to do it kept some money for himself and bought models that didn't fit the rails well. That's why there are so many problems all the time, the trains deform the tracks over time and they have to be constantly changed and since there was a contract with that model of train (or something like that) the problem remains. So, yeah, corruption.
The Metro in Santiago, Chile also has lines with rubber tires.
Likewise for Cairo, Egypt....
The FRENCH are taking over!
CDMX is legit the only city where I almost missed my stop because no one would get out of the way and it was far too crowded to push through without extreme levels of force.
Yeah sometimes that happens in Washington too but it’s usually because of tourists
Well that certainly happens. When so I try to ways to get through. First get closer to the doors a station or two before my stop. Then ask the person in front of they are going to walkout the train on your stop. So if they don't reply or say no you can either say sorry or stick your shoulder or elbow close to your torso respectfully between the crowd. Well of course you need to be average mexican height to stick your shoulder but this usually works for me. 😅
I think it's enough if you ask them to let you pass
exactly @@LadySkywalkerW
Suele pasar incluso a los que vivimos aquí
I went to a tour with the Colegio de Arquitectos in southern CDMX a few years ago, and they explained us that to build the stations of Miguel Angel de Quevedo & Copilco they had to use some form of controlled detonations since they’re both within the lava fields of Pedregal. They also said this was possible back then since the area was sparsely populated. Now it would be quite dangerous and complicated, probably why there’s the Metrobús línea 1 BRT above Insurgentes Ave. Great video, did you get a chance to visit the remodeled Línea 1 of the Metro? Cheers.
That’s fascinating! I rode parts of line 1
@@Thom-TRAit definitely is! I meant Copilco & Ciudad Universitaria stations, sorry.
4:44 I'm glad that this was your first impression, but it's straight out wrong 😅 I wish you never have to experience people's behavior at peak times (around 7am or 7pm in most lines). One of the main causes of delays in the Metro service is actually people not allowing the doors to fully close while they are forcing their way inside, just jamming in like sardines, and the train of course can't move until every door is locked. You could probably find a video about it, maybe search for "metro hora pico"?
What about it is wrong? I’m saying Mexico City’s metro is the most crowded I’ve experienced besides Tokyo. How do you know if that’s right or wrong?
THAT CABLE CAR AND SUBWAY STATION ARE INSIDE MEXICO CITY
i would recommend watching any videos of pantitlan to experience the meximum overcrowding of the mexico city metro
And the crazy thing is I believe pantitlan only ranks like 9th or something
@@Thom-TRA yes, this year mainly beacuse one fo the lines ending on that station was closed for repairs, but as of 2024 constitucion de 1917 was ranked as the most concurred station
As a Mexican from CDMX I have never used the subway and don’t ever plan to 😂 also i can’t believe you rode line A considering it goes into dangerous zones of state of Mexico
Sounds like your life is boring
I plan to buy something from the trains are awesome store someday
Awesome!
Indeed@@Thom-TRA
Though line 12 is working again, there was indeed shady stuff going on during construction. It was supposed to be fully underground, but it went overground halfway. The city mayor at that time was Marcelo Ebrard.
The rumors go that Ebrard was going to be the next president after AMLO, but the accident happened and as fingers were pointed he got singled out. Though Sheinbaum was the mayor during the collapse. Even as I voted for her there's a lot of BS with that line. Carso, the company that built it, ended up paying all the repairs, and hopefully they won't be given a new line again.