Overview
The Mexico City Metro (Spanish: Metro de la Ciudad de México) is the rapid transit backbone of Greater Mexico City, reaching into parts of the State of Mexico. It is operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC) and forms part of the Mexico City Integrated Mobility System. It is the second-largest rapid transit system in North America after the New York City Subway, with 12 lines, 195 stations and just over 200 kilometres (124 mi) of route. The first line opened on 4 September 1969, and the system was last extended in 2015.
Riding it end to end as a visitor is straightforward. You enter through turnstiles by tapping a rechargeable fare card, wait on the platform for a train that typically arrives every 5–6 minutes on commonly used lines, and ride to your destination. Lines are identified by colours and stations by pictograms, so you can navigate without Spanish. The direction of travel is shown by the name of the terminal station at each end of the line, so confirm that your destination lies between your station and that terminus before boarding. Transfers between intersecting Metro lines are free and signed as "Correspondencia"; exits are signed as "Salida." If you board going the wrong way, simply get off at the next station and switch.
The network
The Metro itself is the core of the network, but the city's public transport also includes suburban rail, light rail, buses and ferries, each run by a different operator with its own fare structure.
- Metro (Metro de la Ciudad de México): 12 numbered lines and 195 stations, with 44 stations serving two or more lines as transfer stations. Ten of the lines use rubber-tired trains, a technology adopted partly because of Mexico City's unstable soils. Line A is known as the metro férreo (steel-rail metro) because it uses steel railway tracks and overhead lines instead of pneumatic traction. Many stations are named after historical figures, places and events in Mexican history.
- Metrobús: The city's bus rapid transit system, with 5 lines. One ticket covers all five lines with free transfers between them.
- Tren Ligero (Light Rail): A tram-style light rail line running between Taxqueña and Xochimilco. Taxqueña is the southern end of Metro Line 2 and also the site of the Terminal Central del Sur bus station.
- Tren Suburbano (Suburban Rail): A suburban rail service. Its AIFA station at Felipe Ángeles International Airport was completed in April 2026, with trains running to Buenavista station in Mexico City/Centro, where you can transfer to Metro Line B. A separate intercity rail system, Tren Insurgente, connects Mexico City with Toluca and western Mexico State, terminating at Observatorio where you can connect to intercity buses or the Metro.
- Mexibús: A bus system serving the airport area and the State of Mexico, with routes such as the connection from the Terminal de Pasajeros stop to Ojo de Agua and on to Ciudad Azteca, where you can transfer to Metro Line B.
- Other buses: The RTP buses and other city buses round out the surface network, and the Integrated Transit Card works across them.
Tickets & fares
Fares are low and are approximate — they change, so check current prices before you travel. The Metro fare is 5 pesos per single trip, one of the lowest in the world; it rose from 3 to 5 pesos on 13 December 2013, and that same change eliminated the extra charge previously required to enter or exit Line A at Pantitlán. One ticket covers the entire Metro system with unlimited free transfers between lines.
You can pay at station ticket windows or with a rechargeable card. Individual paper tickets are sold at any station, and a rechargeable fare card costs an initial 10 pesos and can be recharged at any station. The Integrated Transit Card (Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada) costs about 15 pesos (roughly US$0.75) and is the card to get if you plan to use multiple systems: the same card works across the Metro, Cablebús, Ecobici bike share, RTP buses, Metrobús and light rail. Cards are sold at many stations, bus stops and some stores, at ticket windows or vending machines (the machines have an English option), and you can pay by cash, coins or card. You can top up the balance, and one card can be tapped multiple times to pay for several people in a group.
Fares on the other systems are separate. Metrobús costs 6 pesos, with no paper tickets — only the rechargeable card, which costs an initial 10 pesos plus 1 ticket, or 16 pesos in total. Cards are bought and recharged at vending machines at every Metrobús station except on Line 4, where most stops lack vending machines. Some Line 4 buses serve both airport terminals, and airport trips cost 30 pesos. The Tren Ligero costs 3 pesos and also uses the rechargeable card, bought or recharged at any Metro station, with turnstiles deducting the correct fare on entry. The Tren Suburbano costs 6.50 or 15.50 pesos depending on distance — 6.50 pesos for 0–12.8 km and 15.50 pesos for 12.9–25.6 km — and requires its own rechargeable card (initial cost 13 pesos plus 17 pesos in fare, or 30 pesos total) that is not interchangeable with cards for other systems; you must scan it at turnstiles on both entry and exit for the correct fare to be deducted.
Note that transfers are free between intersecting Metro lines and between Metrobús lines, but there is no free transfer between the Metro and Metrobús. The Mexibús requires a separate card — the MI card for the Metro and city buses will not work on it; those cards cost 19 pesos and include 9 pesos of credit, so 28 pesos in exact change gets you the card and travel on two buses.
From the airport
Most travellers arrive at Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX), in the eastern part of the city and the most convenient airport to most of the Mexico City area. From the airport, downtown hotels can be as close as 15 minutes by taxi if traffic is light, which it rarely is, and there is a bus terminal inside the airport for easy connections to nearby cities. Metrobús Line 4 serves the airport, with some buses calling at both terminals; airport trips on that line cost 30 pesos.
Mexico City's second airport, Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), opened in 2022 and is known locally as "Santa Lucia" or "AIFA." It is 49 km (30 miles) from the city and only limited public transport is available, so allow at least 90 minutes from the airport to downtown. Taxi stands offer a fixed price of about M$750 into the centre of town. The airport has its own train station, AIFA, completed in April 2026 and served by Tren Suburbano trains to Buenavista station in Mexico City/Centro; the 40-minute ride costs M$11.50 to M$26.50 (about US$1.50 for the most expensive fare), and at Buenavista you can transfer to Metro Line B — but remember that heavy baggage is not allowed on Metro trains. Vivabus buses run to the Central de Autobuses del Norte and the Central de Autobuses del Sur Terminal Taxqueña; they are the fastest and easiest option, but departures are not regularly timed, so check online timetables against your flight. A bus station in the main terminal is served by ADO, Futura and Conexion buses, with services to AICM (16 daily departures), Autobuses del Norte (4 daily departures) and Pachuca (5 daily departures); each destination is about an hour away and fares cost about M$150 (as of October 2025). If you want to use regular public transport, it takes about two hours: look for the Terminal de Pasajeros bus stop, where the Mexibús takes you to Ojo de Agua (about 40 minutes), then change to another Mexibús for Ciudad Azteca (try to get an express, and avoid one terminating at Central de Abastos), and from Ciudad Azteca change to Metro Line B by following the signs through the shopping mall and over the bridge. The Mexibús ticket machines are cash only and do not give change.
A third airport, Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (TLC), known locally as Toluca International Airport, is 50 km southwest of Mexico City and has very limited flights, with no international flights as of 2024. Caminante offers taxis and deluxe vans from Toluca's airport, costing M$600 to Santa Fe and M$650 (April 2022) to the Metro station Observatorio, and Viva Aerobus offers a Viva Transfer shuttle on all flights to Toluca for M$76 (April 2022) from Observatorio. Tren Insurgente now connects Mexico City with Toluca and western Mexico State, terminating at Observatorio where you can connect to the Metro.
Etiquette & customs
Riding the Metro is a shared, often crowded experience, and a few local customs will make your trip smoother.
- Women-and-children cars: Women and children under 12 may use designated cars, usually the first cars on the train, marked "Mujeres y menores de 12 años." Restricted waiting areas on the platform may be barricaded or monitored by police. These cars are generally less crowded, and women travelling with men may use them and reunite at the destination.
- Rush hour: Peak crowding is on weekdays from 7:30–9:30 am and 5:30–8 pm, and also during rainy weather and major events such as the Day of the Dead parade, Independence Day and soccer games. On crowded trains, move toward the doors a stop or two before your stop, since doors open briefly and boarding passengers may push in before others exit. If a platform is severely overcrowded, consider leaving and taking an Uber or walking.
- Safety and awareness: Pickpocketing risk is highest at rush hour, so take standard precautions — keep bags closed, carry your wallet in a front or zipped pocket, and wear your backpack in front. Police are generally present in stations.
- Escalators and stairs: Expect stairs: you typically descend to enter stations and ascend to exit, and transfers involve more stairs. Escalators exist but are not reliable, so plan extra time if you have luggage or mobility concerns.
- Luggage: Heavy baggage is not allowed on Metro trains, so arrange alternative transport if you are travelling with large suitcases.
Official links
Survival terms
- Metro — Metro de la Ciudad de México (meh-tro deh la syoo-dad deh meh-hee-ko) — subway/metro
- Ticket — boleto (bo-leh-toh) — ticket
- Line — línea (lee-neh-ah) — line
- Entrance — entrada (en-trah-dah) — entrance
- Exit — salida (sah-lee-dah) — exit
- Transfer — correspondencia (ko-rres-pon-den-syah) — transfer
- Single fare — tarifa sencilla (tah-ree-fah sen-see-yah) — single fare
- Day pass — pase de un día (pah-seh deh oon dee-ah) — day pass
Buy an Integrated Transit Card early in your trip and keep it topped up, since the same card works across the Metro, Metrobús, light rail and other city services and will save you from queueing for paper tickets every time you ride.