The Mexico City Metro (in Spanish, Metro de la Ciudad de México), officially called Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, is a metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City (this includes some municipalities in Mexico State). It is the second largest metro system in North America after the New York City Subway, and in 2008 the system served 1.467 billion passengers, placing it as the eighth highest ridership in the world.
The first Metro line had 16 stations, and opened to the public in 1969. The system has expanded since then in a series of fits and starts. As of 2010, the system comprises eleven lines and 451 kilometres (280 mi) of passenger track. Ten of the lines are rubber-tyred metro; instead of traditional steel wheels, they have rubber tires (also called pneumatic traction), which are quieter and cope better with Mexico City's unstable soils.
The STC metro system has 163 stations, 24 of which serve two or more lines (correspondencias or transfer stations). It has 106 underground stations (the deepest of which are 35 metres (115 ft) below street level); 53 surface stations and 16 elevated stations. All lines operate from 5am until midnight.
At the end of 2007, the Federal District government announced the construction of a new metro line: line 12, which runs towards the southeastern part of the city, connecting with lines 7, 3, 2 and 8, respectively.
Read more about Mexico City Metro: Station Logos, Fares and Pay Systems, Rolling Stock, Metrobús, Light Rail
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