Line A is 23.2 km and runs along the Aburrá Valley from Bello in the north to Itagüí in the south. 7 of the 19 stations are located on elavted tracks through the city centre. The first part between Niquía to Poblado opened in November 1995, the line reached Itagüí in September 1996. Platform length on this line is 142 m although currently only 3-car-trains are used to increase frequencies. A trip on the entire line takes 36 minutes.
Line B runs 5.6 km through the city from west to east connecting with line A at San Antonio right in the city center. This line opened on 28 February 1996. Platform length is 72 m. All but one of the seven stations are situated on elevated tracks. A along the entire line takes 11 minutes.
The Metrocable
Also know as Line K is a Cable Car System which links at the Acevedo Station and travels uphill toward the district of Santo Domingo Savio on the eastern side.
It's thought to be the world's only cable-car system built for mass transit - though many tourists flock to it as if it were one of the wonders of the world. What's more, it appears to be among the world's best built, best maintained and after years of operation in the city's poorest neighborhoods it is the pride and joy of the locals who take advantage of the low cost of transportation.
The Metro System carries 300,000 passengers daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Trains arrive at stations every three minutes during peak hours, every 10 minutes otherwise. A few trains operate during morning and evening rush hours directly from Niquía to San Javier via a link track which was built between Caribe on Line A and Suramericana on Line B.
And although the stereotype of Latin Americans may not include a high regard for timeliness, the trains always run on time. The cars are roomy, featuring huge windows that provide excellent views of the city. The trains quietly move next to rooftops and low buildings, slithering through residential and commercial neighborhoods.The cliche that "you can eat off the floor" is not too strong for the platforms at the train stations. There's no graffiti, no trash, no sign of the vandalism or neglect you'd expect to find in a mass transit system of a large city.
The Metro of Medellín System has also created many public and cultural spaces along its lines: squares, restaurants, parks, recreational places, cultural areas, business sites, giving a new vision to the second largest Colombian city.
The cable-cars float above the Santo Domingo neighborhood, providing a glimpse of residents' lives that many locals would consider too dangerous to otherwise observe firsthand, in the past.
Looking beyond the poverty below, riders have a breathtaking, panoramic view of Medellin. A beautiful, modern city whose hundreds of tall buildings rise like giant palm trees from the Aburra Valley and the foothills of surrounding mountains. With the success of the Metrocable the devolopment of a second Metrocable line has been approved.
Medellin's Metro system was completed in 1996 after sixteen years of planning by Colombian, German and Spanish companies at a cost of $1.9 billion.
The Metro crosses the Metropolitan Area of Medellín from North to South and from East to West complete with twenty-five stations on two seperate lines. It is the only Metro Rail System and the first experience of modern massive transportation in all of Colombia.
Train Arriving at Metro Station
The View From The Train
La Universidad Station - Parque de Deseos
"This is one of Medellin's greatest accomplishments in moving toward the future. Tourists are ecouraged to take a ride on the Metro to witness why the Paisas are so proud of their treasured Metro system."
