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, 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 MTA – New 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.
| Caracas Metro | |
|---|---|
Los Jardines station in 2010 | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | Metro de Caracas |
| Locale | Caracas, Venezuela |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 4 (+ Los Teques Metro) |
| Number of stations | 46 (51 incl. Los Teques Metro) |
| Daily ridership | 2,500,000 (July 2018) |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | January 2, 1983 |
| Operator(s) | C.A. Metro de Caracas |
| Technical | |
| System length | 54.1 km (33.6 mi) 63.6 km (39.5 mi) (incl. Los Teques Metro) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC third rail |
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.
The system has 53 stations. The company is run by Major General Juan Carlos Du Bolay Perozo.