Maracaibo Metro

The Maracaibo Metro is a metropolitan railway conceived to satisfy the need for a mass public transportation system that serves the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo. The system inaugurated, preoperatively and free of charge to the public, the first two stations of Line 1, on November 25, 2006, while it began its commercial operations three years later, on June 8, 2009, date for which The last two stations of the planned initial section came into operation: Urdaneta and Libertador. The cost of tickets was, at that time, 4 Bs.F. for the general public and 1.20 Bs.F. for students (student ticket). Its design and construction integrate surface, aerial (viaduct) and underground modalities.

Line 1 begins its journey from the southwest of the city, in the area called Altos de La Vanega, with a station on Don Manuel Belloso Avenue, until it reaches the center of Maracaibo, on Libertador Avenue. The project The current one contemplates the projection of this line towards the north, where the Metro would cross the financial center of the city (5 de Julio Avenue). The 5 de Julio Station would serve as a transfer for those taking Line 2, which will reach the Molina Curve, west of the city, and would have two stations adjacent to the University of Zulia.

However, there are plans that contemplate the extension of what will be Line 2 and the creation of two more lines. Once completed, the system should be moving an average of 200,000 passengers daily on each of its lines.

History

The Maracaibo Metro has been a project proposed, since the 90s, by different sectors and organizations of the city. However, it was not until the beginning of the 21st century that construction of a modern mass transportation system for the city of Maracaibo.

On July 20, 1993, the company Metro de Maracaibo, C.A. was founded, with 60% for the Mayor's Office of Maracaibo and 40% for the Government of the State of Zulia.

Since its creation, the Maracaibo Metro company has been developing the Basic Engineering preliminary project, in the first line of the Metro System that was being established for Maracaibo, along with its Economic and Financial viability; being completed in 1995.

Finally in 2003, the Ministry of Infrastructure (Minfra), together with the Mayor's Office of Maracaibo and the Maracaibo Metro Company, would officially lay the first stone of the work.

Between 2003 and 2004, the National Government would capitalize the contributions made to the company, becoming the majority shareholder of the company, with 67% of the shares, so the Mayor's Office of Maracaibo was left with 24% and the Government of the State of Zulia with 9% of the shares.

For line 1 of the Maracaibo Metro, the German company Siemens was commissioned to install the automation, signaling, electrification and telecommunications systems; in addition to supplying the first 7 vehicles of the system, based on the Prague metro model.

In July 2006, the first Metro car arrived at the Port of Maracaibo, from Germany, traveling through different sectors of the city, to finally be exhibited for a few months at the Libertador Barracks.

The first two stations of the system came into operation on November 25, 2006 and new stations were progressively incorporated, until completing the first stage of line 1, with the incorporation of the Urdaneta and Libertador stations, on June 8, 2009.

Seasons

The original project contemplates the construction of 2 metro lines. Line 1, departs from the Altos de La Vanega station to the 5 de Julio station (in planning), serving as a transfer station with line 2. While line 2, would begin at the 5 de Julio station and end at the Curva de Molina station. The complete route of the system would pass through the center of the city of Maracaibo, in the shape of an inverted "C".

Its first stage of construction (already fully operational) includes 6 stations: Altos de La Vanega, El Varillal, El Guayabal, Sabaneta, Urdaneta and Libertador. Subsequently, eleven more stations would be built, in two additional stages.

Schedules

• The service schedule of the Maracaibo Metro Line 1 is 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Monday to Friday night, while on Saturdays Sundays and holidays the service is 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Metrobus systems

Currently, there are 4 metrobus systems, of which one is urban (Metromara Bus) and three are extra-urban (Urdaneta Bus, La Concepción Bus and Transguajira Bus). They serve as feeder routes to the Maracaibo Metro.

The different metrobus routes depart from the stations: Libertador, Urdaneta, Sabaneta, El rodral and Altos de la Vanega; visiting sectors and avenues such as: La Médica, Bella Vista, El Milagro, 5 de Julio, Circunvalación 2 and Cuatricentenario. In addition, there are two extra-urban routes that go to the towns of La Cañada de Urdaneta and La Concepción (Bus Urdaneta and Bus La Concepción). It should be noted that the Bella Vista Avenue metrobus route has as its final destination the headquarters of the Regional Command No. 3 of the Bolivarian National Guard (CORE 3), where it connects with the routes of the Transguajira Bus system (Also operated by the Maracaibo Metro), which run through towns and sectors of La Guajira. Likewise, there are routes of the Metromara Bus system that only run through the San Francisco municipality, and are linked to other feeder routes of the same system.

Payment of the fare on metrobuses is by means of an electronic card, which is for sale at Metro stations, as well as at authorized points of sale. The value of the ticket for the Metromara Bus system is 50 Bs.S for the general fare and 15 Bs.S for students, with senior citizens and people with disabilities being exempt from payment. The fare on the other metrobus systems (Bus Urdaneta, Bus La Concepción and Bus Transguajira) varies depending on the route.

Metromara Bus System

In mid-2014, the metrobus system, known as Bus Metromara, was launched, which is linked to Line 1 of the Maracaibo Metro.

Urdaneta Bus, La Concepción Bus and Transguajira Bus Systems

Bus Fleet