Will the Light Rail disappear with the extension of Metro Line 2 to the Azteca Stadium?

The candidates for the Head of Government of Mexico City, Santiago Taboada and Salomón Chertorivski, They propose to expand the Metro Line 2 to the south of the city and the route would run along Tlalpan Avenue, therefore the destination of the Light Rail It would be in the air if this project comes to fruition.

The standard bearer of the PAN, PRI and PRD, Santiago Taboada seeks to extend the “Blue Line” from Tasqueña to the Azteca Stadium, considering that in 2026 the Soccer World Cup demands the improvement of the mobility infrastructure around the Coloso de Santa Ursula.

One of FIFA’s demands for World Cup venues is to have a high-capacity public transportation system, so this project to expand the Metro has a high probability of becoming a reality.

The point against is the time necessary to develop and complete this expansion to the Azteca Stadium, since it would be necessary to completely change the infrastructure of the Light Rail in less than two years, since the World Cup in Mexico is scheduled for mid-2026.

For his part, the Citizen Movement standard bearer goes further and intends for the expansion of the Metro to reach Xochimilco with the aim of improving mobility for millions of inhabitants in the south and the municipalities of Coyoacán and Tlalpan.

Currently, the Light Rail has an extension of 13.04 kilometers, 16 stations and two terminals. It has the capacity to transport 374 passengers in trains with only two cars while the Metro can transport 1,530 people in nine cars.

Formally, it belongs to the CDMX Electric Transportation System and not to the Metro, so if the latter takes the right of way, Congress should authorize the project.

For many, the capacity of the Light Rail is limited and is constantly exceeded, as the massive events at the Azteca Stadium generate pressure on the means of transportation in that part of the city.

According to the project of Santiago Taboada, candidate of the Fuerza y ​​Corazón coalition for CDMX, the extension will be from Tasqueña to the Azteca Stadium and from that point, the Light Train would maintain its tracks until Xochimilco.

In this way, the Metro would absorb the stations Las Torres, Ciudad Jardín, La Virgen, Xotepingo, Nezahualpilli, Registry Federal, Textitlán, El Vergel, and would share the terminal station of the Azteca Stadium. The remaining eight stations to Xochimilco would continue under the operation of the Light Rail.

For his part, Chertorivski proposes that the 13 kilometers be fully integrated into the Metro Collective Transportation System.

The Light Train recently acquired 5 new state-of-the-art convoys, so the capital government has a strong investment in it.

In contrast, Morena’s candidate, Clara Brugada, is betting on the creation of five new Cablebús lines to connect the upper areas of Mexico City, while projecting the creation of two new Metrobús lines, one of them Line 8. , which will travel through the Peripheral Ring, very close to the Azteca Stadium area.

The Mexico City Light Train, also known as the Xochimilco Light Train, began construction in 1986 and was inaugurated on August 1, 1986.

Its creation was part of a broader project to improve transportation infrastructure in Mexico City, responding to the mobility needs of a constantly growing population.

According to the Metro Master Plan of the 1980s, the objective of the authorities was to build up to five Light Rail lines to connect the capital with the suburban municipalities of the State of Mexico; however, the project did not materialize.