Mexico City will invest almost 4 billion pesos (US $207 million) in an elevated trolleybus that will connect the Metro stops of Constitución de 1917 on Line 8 and Santa Marta on Line A.
City officials hope that the new bus line will improve mobility in the borough of Iztapalapa and relieve congestion on Line A.
According to Mobility Secretary Andrés Lajous Loaeza, an analysis of transportation in Iztapalapa, the capital’s most populous borough, determined that an elevated rapid transit system would be an ideal solution, because of its simple operation and shorter construction time. He added that the new bus line will benefit between 130,000 and 160,000 people in Iztapalapa and nearby México state municipalities who work in central Mexico City.
Projects and Services Secretary Jesús Esteva Medina said the eight-kilometer route will run along the Ermita Iztapalapa boulevard, but will be elevated to avoid interfering with traffic. There will be 35 electric-powered, articulated buses, which will travel at a maximum 35 kilometers per hour. Esteva estimated that each bus will cost around 16 million pesos.
He added that geotechnical studies are being carried out to determine the exact location of the project, and he estimates that bidding will open near the end of the year.
In addition to the two terminal stations, there will be eight other stations between 500 and 800 meters apart at UACM, Penitenciaría, Avenida de las Torres, Plaza Ermita, Avenida Jalisco, Santa Cruz Meyehualco, Calle 39 and Genaro Estrada.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the elevated trolleybus, along with Line 2 of the Cablebus, which runs the same route, will improve transportation in eastern Mexico City. She added that she hopes to make agreements with bus drivers in the area so that the drivers can receive concessions, as was done when the Metrobus was first built.
El Universal article translated and edited by Mexico News Daily.