A fresh start for Mexico City’s Metro Line 1 – Level 2

After a long wait, Mexico City’s oldest subway line, Metro Line 1, has reopened with a complete renovation. This line, almost 19 kilometers long and with 20 stations, now helps about 850,000 people move across the city every day. The most important part of the project was the total makeover of Observatorio station, which now connects with trains and buses from other parts of the region. The city spent around 2 billion dollars on these changes to make traveling safer and faster, so now people can get from Pantitlán to Observatorio in only 40 minutes.

The renovation started in 2022 and included many upgrades. Workers replaced thousands of parts, like the gravel, rails, and even the electrical cables. They added more than 200 kilometers of fiber optic cable for better communication and installed a new control system so trains could run more smoothly. The city government and a Chinese company worked together, with help from different countries, to finish this big project. All these improvements make trips more comfortable and make it easier for visitors and locals to reach their destinations.

Metro Line 1 is a central part of transportation in Mexico City because it connects with nine other metro lines. City leaders say that thanks to this new, modern version of the line, life will be better for millions of people. They hope this project will inspire other cities to upgrade their public transport systems too.

Bridging words

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 Time to discuss

• Why is it important to fix old subway lines?
• How do better trains help people in a big city?
• What problems might workers have during big construction projects?

Let's write

Answer the following questions in one paragraph:

• What part of the Metro Line 1 renovation do you think will help people the most? Explain your answer.
• Can you think of another thing in your city that needs to be modernized? Why is it important?