Transportation in Mexico City
Encyclopedia
Transportation in Mexico City is managed by the government of the Mexican Federal District through several public companies
that administer the different means of transportation. The government of Mexico City
operates the second busiest publicly owned transit system in North America
after New York City
, if private operators (which carry about 60% of the traffic) are included, the Mexico City passenger transport system handles about twice the passengers of the New York MTA
. Often, ridership figures given for Mexico City do not include suburban traffic in Mexico City's four massive bus terminals, each of which is similar in size to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
in New York City.
The following is a list of means of transportation available in Mexico City together with the company that operates them:
(IATA Airport Code
: MEX). This airport is Latin America
's busiest and largest in traffic, with regular (daily) flights to North America
, mainland Mexico
, Central America
and the Caribbean
, South America
, Europe
and Asia
, and with codeshare agreements spanning the entire globe, mainly thanks to the most important carrier based there, Aeroméxico
(Skyteam
). It is used by over 26 million passengers per year. This traffic exceeds the current capacity of the airport, which has historically centralized the majority of air trafficked in the country. An alternative option is Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport
(IATA Airport Code
: TLC) located in the nearby Toluca
with about 4.5 million passengers transported in 2008. About 31 million people went through the city's airports in 2008. The government engaged in an extensive restructuring program that includes the new second adjacent terminal, which began operations in 2007, and the enlargement of four other airports — at the nearby cities of Toluca
(Mateos Airport
), Querétaro (Querétaro International Airport), Puebla
(Hermanos Serdán International Airport
), and Cuernavaca
— that, along with Mexico City's airport, comprise the Grupo Aeroportuario del Valle de México, distributing traffic to different regions in Mexico. The city of Pachuca
will also provide additional expansion to central Mexico's airport network. Mexico City's airport is the main hub for 11 of the 21 national airline companies.
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
that administer the different means of transportation. The government of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
operates the second busiest publicly owned transit system in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
after New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, if private operators (which carry about 60% of the traffic) are included, the Mexico City passenger transport system handles about twice the passengers of the New York MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
. Often, ridership figures given for Mexico City do not include suburban traffic in Mexico City's four massive bus terminals, each of which is similar in size to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...
in New York City.
The following is a list of means of transportation available in Mexico City together with the company that operates them:
- Mexico City MetroMexico City MetroThe Mexico City Metro , officially called Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, is a metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City...
is the subway system operated by Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, a public company. - The Xochimilco Light RailXochimilco Light RailThe Xochimilco Light Rail is a light rail line that serves the southern part of Mexico City. It connects to, but is not considered a part of, the Mexico City Metro...
and the Mexico City trolleybus network are operated by Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos del Distrito Federal, a public company. - Mexico City bus network is operated by Red de Transporte de Pasajeros, a public company.
- Mexico City MetrobúsMexico City MetrobúsMetrobús is a bus rapid transit system in Mexico City, Mexico. It comprises 3 lines that traverse the city and connect with other forms of transit. It was officially opened to the public with service along Line 1 on 19 June 2005...
is jointly operated by Corredor Insurgentes, SA de CV, a private company, and Red de Transporte de Pasajeros. - PeseroPeseroA pesero is a form of public transport, most commonly seen in Mexico City. Its name derives from the fact that the first incarnations of this form of transport charged a flat fee of one peso per ride .First seen in the 1970's as the so-called taxi colectivo , peseros were originally...
s operated by various private companies and cooperativeCooperativeA cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
s. - TaxisTaxicabA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
licensed to individuals by the Mexico City government. Mexico has many illegal taxis as well, which are not licensed. - The Tren Suburbano is Mexico City's regional railRegional railCommuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
network. - Numerous suburban bus routes emanate from Mexico City's four major bus stations: Terminal Central del Norte (North terminal), México TAPO (East terminal), México Taxqueña (Central del Sur, South terminal), and México Observatorio (Poniente or West terminal). Together these terminals are probably the world's largest agglomeration of intercity and suburban bus terminals outside of ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Other suburban bus and pesero lines terminate at Mexico City Metro stations.
Airports
Mexico City is served by Mexico City International AirportMexico City International Airport
Benito Juárez International Airport , in Venustiano Carranza, one of the sixteen boroughs into which Mexico's Federal District is divided, is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico...
(IATA Airport Code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
: MEX). This airport is Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
's busiest and largest in traffic, with regular (daily) flights to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, mainland Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and with codeshare agreements spanning the entire globe, mainly thanks to the most important carrier based there, Aeroméxico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
(Skyteam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
). It is used by over 26 million passengers per year. This traffic exceeds the current capacity of the airport, which has historically centralized the majority of air trafficked in the country. An alternative option is Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport
Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport
Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport is an international airport located at Toluca, State of Mexico, Mexico. It is part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Airport Group, and it's being improved and promoted to handle some traffic for the city of Toluca, but it mainly serves as a...
(IATA Airport Code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
: TLC) located in the nearby Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
with about 4.5 million passengers transported in 2008. About 31 million people went through the city's airports in 2008. The government engaged in an extensive restructuring program that includes the new second adjacent terminal, which began operations in 2007, and the enlargement of four other airports — at the nearby cities of Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
(Mateos Airport
Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport
Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport is an international airport located at Toluca, State of Mexico, Mexico. It is part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Airport Group, and it's being improved and promoted to handle some traffic for the city of Toluca, but it mainly serves as a...
), Querétaro (Querétaro International Airport), Puebla
Puebla, Puebla
The city and municipality of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important colonial cities in Mexico. Being a planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico's main port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.The city was founded...
(Hermanos Serdán International Airport
Hermanos Serdán International Airport
Hermanos Serdán International Airport is an international airport located near Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. It handles national air traffic for the city of Puebla....
), and Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
— that, along with Mexico City's airport, comprise the Grupo Aeroportuario del Valle de México, distributing traffic to different regions in Mexico. The city of Pachuca
Pachuca
Pachuca, formally Pachuca de Soto is the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat...
will also provide additional expansion to central Mexico's airport network. Mexico City's airport is the main hub for 11 of the 21 national airline companies.
External links
- Metrobús
- Mexico City Metro
- Sistema de Transportes Eléctricos del Distrito Federal
- Terminal Central del Norte
- Red de Transportes de Pasajeros del DF
- El Tren Suburbano
- Information on Taxis in Mexico City
- Free Online Route Planner for all public transport services in Mexico City
- Online public transport planner in Mexico City