Santiago Metro
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Categories: Rapid transit in Chile | Santiago | Electric railways | Underground rapid transit systems
Image:Letrero Metro Estacion Militar.jpg
The Santiago Metro symbol located at Escuela Militar station Image:L1lo.gif
Metro de Santiago is the metro system serving the city of Santiago, Chile. It is a network of five lines connecting a total of 105 stations, some of which are still under construction. The system carries around 2,500,000 passengers per day.
HistoryOrigin and first projectPopular, modern, secure and efficient, it serves a city of 6 million inhabitants. Since its opening in 1975, el Metro has changed the city; it is one of Chile's most important construction projects. The rapid growth of the population in the city (in 1920, 507,296 habitants; in 1940, 1,073,699 habitants) was the principal factor in the birth of the idea. The first plan was in 1944, but only in 1968 did work begin. The original plan was for 5 lines:
ExtensionOn September 15 1975, the Metro de Santiago was opened between the stations San Pablo and La Moneda on Line 1. Line 2 was opened in 1978 between Los Héroes and Lo Ovalle, and Line 1 was extended to Escuela Militar in 1980. Line 2 was extended to the north and found the remains of the Cal y Canto Bridge (built in 1782 and destroyed in 1880). The extension between Los Heroes and Cal y Canto (former Mapocho Station) was inaugurated in 1987. The city had changed since 1968 and the plan had to be changed too. La Florida had become the most populous zone of the city, and the Metro needed to go there. Line 5 was built south from Baquedano along Vicuña Mackenna Avenue and was opened in 1997. The Line 5 was extended in 2000 to the west and entered the historical Centre of the City (Plaza de Armas Station), and in 2004 the extensions of Line 2 to the north and south and Line 5 to the west were opened. In 2002 the construction of Line 4 and Line 4A began to connect Puente Alto and the southeast of the City to the Red de Metro. Near the end of 2005, President Ricardo Lagos said that the government will start to plan the construction of another extension of line 5. It would reach to Maipú, one of the municipalities that is farther away from the center of Santiago. Presently the metro consists of five lines which total 84 kilometres and a total of 82 stations and seven transfer stations: Los Héroes, Baquedano, Santa Ana, Tobalaba, Vicente Valdés, Vicuña Mackenna and La Cisterna. 16 new stations are planned to be opened in the next few years. ScandalsAs of 2007, the system was embroiled in a number of scandals, including a class-action lawsuit from commuters who can no longer get to work. Transportation planners substituted new train lines for a number of bus lines, but this has resulted in excessive crowding on the trains. A new fare card was also deployed, but a moritorium had to be declared on bus fares until problems were addressed. The private operators of the system are warning of imminent bankruptcy. [1] StationsIn bold are junction stations. In italics are stations currently under construction.
Art in the MetroThe Metro does not only function as a transport system: it also has a cultural, artistic and social function. Art is an important element in the stations. The station Universidad de Chile has a giant mural created by Mario Toral and represents the history of the country. Other pieces of art are in Baquedano (featuring modern art and a concert space), Bellas Artes (multimedia art), Santa Lucía (Portuguese azulejos, a gift made by the Lisbon Metro), La Moneda (with realistic painting representing typical landscape), and various other stations. Pricing and working hoursThe Metro de Santiago sells tickets from 6:00 to 23:30 Monday through Saturday and 8:00 to 22:30 on Sundays. The fare depends on the time of the use of the Metro. The cost of a ticket in the unitario (rush hour, 7:00-8:59:59 and 18:00-19:59:59) is $420 and in the unitario rebajado (6:30-7:14:59, 9:00-17:59:59, 19:30-22:30 and Sat–Sun) is $380 (US $0.69). Senior citizens (65 and older) and school and university students pay $130 (US $0.24). See alsoExternal links
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