Mexico City’s Metro is 32 Percent Slower Than in 2016

After 54 years in service, Mexico City’s Metro system is showing signs of deterioration. The rising number of failures and accidents in the system is linked to lacking maintenance and budget shortages. Additionally, according to the Metro’s data, the system is becoming slower, having lost 32 of its speed compared to 2016.

Over the years, the Metro’s speed has declined. Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration is no exception: according to the local Ministry of Finance’s Quarterly Report, Sheinbaum’s term started with an average speed of 31.1km/h in the subway system. After three years, by the end of 2022, the average speed stood at 21.6km/h. The numbers for 2022 are the lowest of Sheinbaum’s administration, as 2020 registered an average speed of 23.8km/h, which in 2021 went down to 21.6km/h. 

Some media highlighted that despite the reduction in the number of users in 2020 caused by COVID-19 restrictions, the average speed was reduced anyway. However, the reduction in the trains’ speed is not an exclusive problem of the current administration. According to the Metro’s Budget Management Office, in 2016, the average speed totaled 31.8km/h, in 2017 it registered 31.3km/h and in 2018 it was reduced to 28.2km/h. The data show that since 2016 the units’ speed was reduced by 32 percent. Furthermore, according to the Collective Transportation System Metro (SCT), the average speed should be 36km/h but trains are traveling at 60 percent of this target velocity.

According to Metro Master Plan 2018-2030, time travel issues are often caused by insufficient trains to operate lines. The plan reports that the lack of spare parts to refurbish old units is the main driver of the reduction in average speed. Additionally, the report stated that the number of users is constantly increasing, surpassing the system’s capacity. According to Metro’s data, in 2H22 the system reported an increase of 45.6 percent in the number of users in comparison with 2H21.

Experts agree that most of the problems in the metro system are caused by dwindling resources. According to José Luege, President, Ciudad Posible, the metro is operating at 50 percent of its budget, which brings consequences related to insecurity and operational risks. Luege said the metro is operating at a US$1.4 billion deficit. The lack of resources impeded the metro to reach the goals set in the Mater Plan 1994, which planned to have 20 operating lines with every terminal station connecting with the State of Mexico by 2020. “Currently, we just have 12 lines, with the last one not of the best quality,” he said.