Mexico City’s Numerous Mobility Projects for 2021

Several of Mexico City’s mobility projects are scheduled to start in 2021, the largest six of them will represent a MX$21.2 million (US$1.06 million) investment, reports Obras por Expansión.

These projects include the expansion of different routes in the trolleybus and the Metrobús systems to strengthen the connection between the State of Mexico and Mexico City after a fire in the city’s downtown area halted the operation of six subway lines. The Mexico City government also announced a new fleet of 571 Metrobús buses and 86 trolleybuses to support the routes parallel to the affected subway lines, reports Animal Político. Another project focuses on the expansion of Metrobus’s Route 4. The new section, a 4km long extension connecting San Lazaro and Pantitlan, aims to facilitate the transportation of more people coming from the outskirts of Mexico City. The project’s completion is scheduled for April, reports Obras por Expansión.

Trolleybus lines 1 and 2 will also be expanded. This expansion was expected to be completed in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Line 1, which will go from Cuautepec to Indios Verdes, is in the final stages of testing and will be inaugurated in March. Line 2 is reportedly at 85 percent, explained Obras, and will connect Santa Martha to Constitucion de 1917. It is expected to be completed in 1Q21.

In 2021 the city will also have its first elevated trolleybus, a one-of-a-kind project. “This trolleybus, the only one in the world, will have a really strong capacity. Also, it is electric and low polluting, which optimizes public transportation in the area,” said Claudia Sheinbaum, Mayor of Mexico City, last year when announcing the project, reports Rutas y Transportes. The project will cover a 7.2km route and during its first stage, it will include 50 trolleybuses, seven stations and two terminals to transport 140,000 people per day. The first stage of the project was set to take around 10 months and it is expected to be inaugurated in early April 2021, reported MBN. 

“The elevated trolley will have a width of 9.6m, a lane width of 3.6m in each direction and a gauge of 5.5m. It will connect with Line 8 of the Metro and Line 2 of the trolleybus, with the purpose of improving the life quality of citizens in the eastern part of Mexico City,” said Sheinbaum, according to Milenio. Sheinbaum’s government has many mobility projects planned for 2021 and 2022, hoping to guarantee optimized public transportation for the metropolitan area.