Maracaibo Metro

The Maracaibo Metro, also known as Metro del Sol Amado, is a six-station light rail system in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Service between La Vanega and El Varillal (skipping Urdaneta) opened to the public on 25 November 2006, with the last station on the line opened on 9 June 2009.

Maracaibo Metro
Overview
LocaleMaracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela
Transit typeLight rail/rapid transit
Number of lines1
Number of stations6
Daily ridership42,000[1]
Operation
Began operation2006
Technical
System length6.5 km (4.0 mi)

The line encompasses the suburbs of Maracaibo and Maracaibo itself as drop-off point. Also one station is a transfer point between rail services provided by IAFE. There are a total of six stations along the line – two elevated stations (Urdaneta and Libertador), and four at-grade stations.

The line was built by the city government of Maracaibo and the Venezuelan national government. In March 2009 it was reported that corruption allegations regarding the 1998 signing of the construction contract with Siemens were being investigated.[2]

Lines

Line 1

The first stage of line 1 will be 6.9 km (4.3 mi) long. The totally planned system of four lines shall have 60 km (37 mi) in the future.

German company Siemens is supplying signalling, telecommunication and electrification systems as well as the first 7 metro trains, based on the vehicles running on the Prague Metro line C.

The first of 4 proposed lines, Line 1, has opened some stations while others are still under construction or in the planning/design stages. A feeder 1.1 km (0.68 mi) support line connects the maintenance and train yard areas to the terminal station Altos de La Vanega.

LineTerminalsServiceLengthStationsNotes
1 Altos de la Vanega ↔ El Varillal November 25, 2006 1.2 km 2 Free service with 600 passenger capacity
Altos de la Vanega ↔ El Guayabal August 27, 2007 2.5 km 3 First fare collection BsF 0,5 (23US cents) was introduced January 21, 2008. Service hours: Monday to Friday 6:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, Sundays and holidays 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Altos de la Vanega ↔ Sabaneta May 11, 2008 3.4 km 4
Altos de la Vanega ↔ Libertador June 8, 2009 6.5 km 6

Stations

Line 1: First Stage

  • Altos de La Vanega
  • El Varillal
  • El Guayabal
  • Sabaneta
  • Urdaneta
  • Libertador

Line 1: Second Stage (Under study)

Probable additional stations are:

  • Padilla
  • Falcón
  • 5 de Julio

Line 2 (Under study)

Probable stations are:

  • 5 de Julio
  • Paraíso
  • Indio Mara
  • Universidad
  • Polideportivo
  • Galerías
  • Panamericano
  • Mercado Periférico
  • La Curva de Molina

Rolling stock

The Maracaibo Metro is served by 7 sets of 3-car Siemens Mobility trains, a modification of the M1 type rolling stock used on the Prague Metro.

See also

References
  1. "Metro de Maracaibo estima movilizar 42 mil usuarios diarios estas navidades". Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  2. "Subcomisión de Contraloría de la AN investiga caso de denuncias contra Siemens". Globovision.com (in Spanish). 10 March 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2009.

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