Caracas Metro

Caracas Metro
Los Jardines station in 2010
Los Jardines station in 2010
Overview
Native nameMetro de Caracas
LocaleCaracas, Venezuela
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines4 (+ Los Teques Metro)
Number of stations46 (51 incl.
Los Teques Metro)
[1][Note 1]
Daily ridership2,500,000 (July 2018)[2]
Operation
Began operationJanuary 2, 1983
Operator(s)C.A. Metro de Caracas
Technical
System length54.1 km (33.6 mi)[3]
63.6 km (39.5 mi)
(incl. Los Teques Metro)
[3]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Diagram of the metro network integrated with other public transport services in Greater Caracas
Former logo of Caracas Metro
Former logo of Caracas Metro

The Caracas Metro (Spanish: Metro de Caracas) is a mass rapid transit system serving Caracas, Venezuela. It was constructed and is operated by Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas,[4] a government-owned company that was founded in 1977 by José González-Lander who headed the project for more than thirty years since the early planning stages in the 1960s. Its motto is "Somos parte de tu vida" (translated as 'We are part of your life'). In 1978 MTANew York City Transit's R46 #816 (now 5866) was shipped from the Pullman Standard's plant as a sample of rolling stock to be used for the new metro system that was under construction at the time.

It was inaugurated on January 2, 1983 with 11.5 km (7.1 mi) and currently the total length of the railway reaches 106.5 km (66.2 mi). Its purpose is to contribute to the development of collective transportation in Caracas and its immediate area, through the planning, construction, and commercial exploitation of an integrated transportation system. The C. A. Metro de Caracas is in charge of its construction, operation and exploitation as a decentralized public body attached to the Ministry of People's Power for Land Transportation.

As a consequence of the crisis that the country is experiencing, by October 2018 it was estimated that 25% of the Caracas Metro trains were out of service due to lack of maintenance. In 2020, 9 of them remain operational. 48 trains on Line 1; 6 of 44 on Line 2; and 4 of 16 on Line 3; which, together with electrical failures, causes users to experience permanent delays. In 2022, the Caracas Metro only had 23 of the 169 trains operational.[citation needed]

The system has 53 stations. The company is run by Major General Juan Carlos Du Bolay Perozo.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference map was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference characteristics was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Metro de Caracas (official website)" (in Spanish). C.A. Metro de Caracas. 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2000. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Lacking tickets, Venezuela's Caracas metro gives free rides". Reuters. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2019.


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