Maracaibo is one of the main cities in Venezuela. It is located in the nortwest area of the country and only Caracas, capital of the country, is a larger city.
The increasing demand for mass transit systems in Venezuela and specifically in Maracaibo, emerged strongly in last decades in order to fill the gap existing in public transportation in the country. It is a boost to the country’s modernization that coupled with the National Rail Plan, are a source of employment level that impacts on future generations growing.
Public transportation in Maracaibo is composed of several lines of buses and the Maracaibo Metro, a rapid transist system.
- Known as: Metro del Sol Amado
- Lines: Just one
- Capacity: 7200 passengers/hour/direction
- Stations: 6 (elevated/ground level)
- Official Website: http://www.metrodemaracaibo.gob.ve/
- Opening: 2006
Lines and stations
First phase of Maracaibo Metro Line 1 consists of 6.3 kms double track extending from east to west of the city; while 4.9 km. of track are ground level and 1.4 km are elevated viaduct. Maracaibo Metro or Metro del Sol Amado (in spanish) is a 1 line system with 6 stations. It’s under construction and some people claims that even ticket machines are not working yet.
Maracaibo Metro Line 1 Stations: Altos de La Vanega, El Varillal, El Guayabal, Sabaneta, Urdaneta, Libertador.
Line 1 Second Stage (just planned): Padilla, Falcón, 5 de Julio, Paraíso, Indio Mara, Universidad, Polideportivo, Galerías, Panamericano, Mercado Periférico, La Curva de Molina
Schedule and frequency
Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, and from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (might be from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm)
There’s one train every 5-10 minutes during peak hour. Every 10-20 minutes rest of the day.
Fares and Tickets
- One way: 0,50 Bs
Intelligent tickets (boletos inteligentes)
“Intelligent tickets” are multi-travel cards. There are four types of cards: ligero (light) with ten tickets for 4 Bs, fifteen tickets for 6Bs, thirty tickets 12 Bs and students 10 tickets cards that costs 1,5 Bs.
Interesting facts
Trains regenerate energy during braking, allowing energy to be fed back to the system. People can open doors manually to save energy as there is a greate awareness about this.
Airports
La Chinita International Airport is located at the outlet Lake Maracaibo.
Minibuses, buses and taxis connect the airport to the metropolitan area of Maracaibo.
You can take a taxi as the service is reliable. The journey time to the center is 25 minutes. Or you can also go to the Lavanega Altos Station that is 4 kms from the airport and go by Metro.
