Train MM-20 arriving at Padre Mier station.

(Andrés DM27, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

METRORREY

Metrorrey, officially Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey, is a rapid transit system that serves the metropolitan area of Monterrey. It is operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey, which is part of the decentralized public administration of Nuevo León. In 2022, it was the sixth largest metro system in North America by ridership.

The inaugural line opened to the public on 25 April 1991 and served 17 stations. The system has since expanded. As of 2024, the system operates 50 high-floor electric trains along 3 lines, serving 40 stations with a route of 40 km (25 mi).

Operations

Lines

The Metrorrey has three lines with 40 stations.

Line 1

Line 1 opened on April 25 of 1991 and has 19 stations, it runs through the center of the city from the north-west to the eastern part of the Monterrey metropolitan area. Built as an 18.5 km (11.5 mi) long line, it runs parallel to the former 1887 Topo Chico tramline and is grade-separated as it runs on an elevated structure. A complete ride along this line takes about 27 minutes.

Line 2

Line 2 has 13 stations and is 13 km (8.1 mi) long, it is also fully grade-separated, partially on an elevated structure and partially underground, running from the center of the city towards the north. The first 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long underground segment opened on November 30 of 1994 with 6 stations, with the possibility of transferring to Line 1 at Cuauhtémoc station. In 2005 construction began on an expansion to the line with a total investment of US$200 million. Said expansion comprised 2 phases, the first one being 3.2 km (2.0 mi) (1.5 km (0.93 mi) of it underground) long, it opened on October 31 of 2007 adding 3 more stations to the line. The second phase added another 5.3 km (3.3 mi) of elevated railway along the center of the Universidad avenue and 4 more stations, it was inaugurated on October 9 of 2008 by Nuevo León Governor Natividad González Parás and Mexican president Felipe Calderón.

Line 3

Line 3 has 8 stations and is 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long, it is grade-separated and runs mostly on an elevated structure, except the southern end section that connects with Line 2 at Zaragoza station. The two lines are operated jointly. Construction of Line 3 started in 2013 and was completed by January 2020, but the rolling stock had not been delivered; at that time, the estimated delivery for twenty-six rail cars was December 2020. It was eventually inaugurated on February 27, 2021 by Nuevo León Governor Jaime Rodríguez Calderón.

Map of Metrorrey towards 2027, including lines currently under construction (lines 4, 5 and 6).

(AdrianGEs, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Network

Metrorrey shares characteristics with both a light rail system and a metro system. It utilizes high-floor light rail vehicles, similar to light rail systems, while also operating on a fully grade separated exclusive right-of-way with high passenger volumes, similar to a metro system.

The network primarily operates above-ground, with most of its sections on elevated railway viaducts: of its forty stations, thirty-two are elevated, seven are underground, and one is on the surface. Most of the elevated portions of the network are built along an avenue's median and follow the avenue's path. The underground portions of Lines 2 and 3 also follow the routes of the streets above.

Metrorrey is made up of a variety of different train systems. Lines 1, 2, and 3 are designed as light rail systems, Lines 4 and 6 are designed as monorails, and Line 5 is designed as an Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system.

System Map.

(Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap)

Hours of operation

On all lines, the first train leaves each terminus station at 5:00 a.m. and the last train leaves at 11:30 p.m., with the network remaining in operation until midnight. Stations open at 4:45 a.m.

On Christmas Eve and New Years' Eve, services end at 11.00 p.m., and on Christmas and New Years' Day, services start at 7.00 a.m. During events in Fundidora Park, like Pal Norte, stations Y Griega and Parque Fundidora remain open until 3:00 a.m, with other stations open solely for disembarking.

Automated machine for MIA and Me Muevo cards can be found at all stations.

(Telediario Monterrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Fares and payment methods

Payment methods include the Me Muevo and Mia NFC cards, QR codes generated by the Urbani or E-UANL apps, and Spin by Oxxo contactless debit cards. The NFC cards can be bought for MXN $20.00 at automated machines and can be recharged to a maximum of MXN $500.00.

As of April 2024, a single trip costs MXN $7.70 and allows a rider one trip anywhere within the system with unlimited transfers. This ticket also allows transfers to Ecovía services at Mitras station. A Tarifa Integrada (in English: "integrated fare") costs MXN $15.00, which includes up to two transfers between the TransMetro bus system and the Metrorrey system within two hours from the first validation.

A discounted rate of MXN $3.00 for single trips is available for the elderly. UANL students, via the E-UANL app, have access to a discounted rate of MXN $7.50 for single trips and MXN $9.50 for the Tarifa Integrada.

Bus model Yutong E12, phased into TransMetro routes throughout 2023 and 2024.

(Milenio, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Transfers to other systems

TransMetro

Metrorrey has a bus system called TransMetro. This system uses integrated fares, called a Tarifa Integrada, which costs MXN $15.00 and allows up to two transfers between the bus system and Metrorrey.

TransMetro routes typically pass by or start at Metrorrey stations: eleven routes start in Line 1 (three in Talleres, one in Mitras, one in Cuauhtémoc, one in Félix U. Gómez, two in Y Greiga, and three in Exposición), twelve routes in Line 2 (eight in Sendero and four in Universidad), and six routes in Line 3 (all start at Hospital Metropolitano).

Ecovía
Metrorrey has one integrated connection with the Ecovía bus rapid transit system, located in Line 1's Mitras station, allowing users to transfer between both systems at no cost. Line 3 has a connection with Ecovía at Ruiz Cortines station; however, unlike Line 1's connection, this one requires users to exit the station, meaning that a fare must be paid when transferring.

Interior of an MM-93 train.

(Fjl307, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Rolling stock

The Metrorrey system uses 134 high-floor articulated vehicles. Five manufacturers have provided rolling stock for Metrorrey, these being Concarril (MM-90A), Bombardier (MM-90B and MM-05), CAF (MM-93), Duewag-Talbot (MM-U3), and CRRC (MM-20 and MM-24). MM-U3 is the only type of vehicle that was refurbished: they were originally Frankfurt U-Bahn Type U3 trains until 2017, and were refurbished by Talbot Services to extend their service life by 20 years.

All of the rolling stock has a maximum velocity of 80 km/h (50 mph). Their average velocity is 30 km/h (19 mph). There is air conditioning in the MM-93, MM-U3, MM-20, and MM-24 models.

The MM-90, MM-93, MM-05, and MM-20 models can be configured as four-car trains, while the MM-U3 model, due to its smaller size, can be configured as a five-car train. However, due to station platform sizes, three-car configurations are used for the MM-90, MM-93, MM-05, and MM-20 models, and four-car configurations are used for the MM-U3 model.

The logo for the Parque Fundidora metro station. Since it is in Line 1, the logo's color is yellow.

(Theynfo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Lines

According to Mexico's National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics, Metrorrey's three lines transported 134.84 million passengers in 2023, which corresponds to an average daily ridership of about 369,000 passengers.

Each line has a number and color assigned to it. The network adopted the logo system of the Mexico City Metro, with the logo including an icon representing the station's surroundings and the line's corresponding color. Stations serving two or more lines show the respective colors of each line in diagonal stripes. The logos were updated in 2021.

Metrorrey lines

Planned lines

Throughout his campaign and in the first months of his term, Governor Samuel García pledged to substantially expand the Metrorrey network during his tenure. In November 2021, García unveiled the planned routes for Lines 4 and 5. The 13.5 km (8.4 mi)-long Line 4 will connect the Western suburb of Santa Catarina with Downtown Monterrey, while Line 5 will follow a southern route towards the Carretera Nacional area, with an estimated route of 8.5 km (5.3 mi).

García furthermore announced that the new lines will predominantly run on an elevated viaduct, which caused some backlash among neighbors in South Monterrey, with calls for an underground system. Line 6 was announced in the wake of this controversy. At 18.5 km (11.5 mi) long, it is expected to become the longest route in the system, connecting Downtown Monterrey with the suburb of Apodaca.

In all, the expansion plans set forward by Governor García call for 41 km (25 mi) of new track and 41 new stations built by 2027, effectively doubling the network's length and number of stations in six years. Lines 4 and 5 will are expected to begin construction in July 2022, at a cost of MXN$19 billion (US$1 billion). The cost for Line 6 has been estimated at MXN$26 billion (US$1.3 billion), with a start date for its construction yet to be announced.

Overview

Native name: Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey
Owner: Nuevo León state government
Locale: Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
Transit type: Light metro and rapid transit
Number of lines: 3
Number of stations: 40
Daily ridership: 369,000 (2023)
Annual ridership: 134.84 million (2023)
Website: STC Metrorrey
Operation
Began operation: 1991 (Line 1); 1994 (Line 2); 2021 (Line 3)
Operator: Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey
Character: Elevated and underground
Number of vehicles: 134
Train length: 2-3 cars
Technical
System length: 40 km (25 mi)
Track gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

See Also:

Railroads of Mexico

Rail Transport in Mexico