Transport in Venezuela revolves around a system of highways and airports.

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

is connected to the world primarily via air ( Venezuela's airports include the Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas and La Chinita International Airport near

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

) and sea (with major seaports at

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...

, Maracaibo and

Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the coun ...

). In the south and east the Amazon rainforest region has limited cross-border transport; in the west, there is a mountainous border of over shared with

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

. The

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

River is navigable by oceangoing vessels up to 400 km inland, and connects the major industrial city of

Ciudad Guayana Ciudad Guayana () (in English Guayana City) is a city in Bolívar State, Venezuela. It stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco river, at the point where it is joined by its main tributary, the Caroní river. The Caroni cro ...

to the Atlantic Ocean. Venezuela has a limited national railway system, which has no active rail connections to other countries. Several major cities have metro systems; the

Caracas Metro The Caracas Metro ( es, Metro de Caracas) is a mass rapid transit system serving Caracas, Venezuela. It was constructed and is operated by Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas, a government-owned company that was founded in 1977 by José Gon ...

has been operating since 1983. The Maracaibo Metro and Valencia Metro were opened more recently. Venezuela has a road network of around 100,000 km (placing it around 47th in the world); around a third of roads are paved. As of 2019, about 80% of public transportation is not operational within the country.

Railways

''total:'' 7000 km (?) (248 km privately owned, including

Orinoco Mining Company The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the w ...

)
''

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...

:'' 682 km (40 km electrified) ()

Cities with underground railway systems

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in th ...

(El Metro de Caracas, operated by C.A. Metro de Caracas) * Los Teques Metro - opened in 2006. * Maracaibo Metro - opened in 2006. *

Valencia Metro (Venezuela) The Valencia Metro (Spanish: ''Metro Valencia'' or ''Metro de Valencia'') is the public mass transit system of Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela and its suburbs Naguanagua Municipality and San Diego Municipality. The metro system was officially op ...

- opened in 2006.

Railway links with adjoining countries

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

- no *

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

- no **

- yes, but inoperative (

Railroad of Cúcuta Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

) - proposed rebuilding **

Maps

Encarta ''Microsoft Encarta'' is a discontinued digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft from 1993 to 2009. Originally sold on CD-ROM or DVD, it was also available on the World Wide Web via an annual subscription, although later article ...

Standards

* Gauge: * Coupling:

AAR AAR or Aar may refer to: Geography * Aar, a river in Switzerland, tributary of the Rhine *Aar (Lahn), a tributary of Lahn river in Germany, descending from the Taunus mountains * Aar (Dill), a tributary of Dill river in Germany, also in the bas ...

* Brakes:

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

* Electrification: 25 kV AC 60 Hz

Stations

Timeline

2006

* Venezuela awards contracts worth $2.2 billion to build two new railway lines. Construction on the two new lines connecting

San Juan de los Morros San Juan de Los Morros () is the capital of the Guárico State in Venezuela. It is several miles almost the gateway to the Central Plains however without turning into simple itself. Having a complete specific geography in which brilliant mountain ...

to San Fernando de Apure and connecting Chaguaramas to

Cabruta Cabruta is a Venezuelan fishing town on the Orinoco river in Las Mercedes Municipality, Guárico State, site of a Jesuit mission, and the site of a proposed bridge across the Orinoco to Caicara, Bolívar State. History In 1531 by Diego de Orda ...

is expected to begin in Q2 2006 and is expected to take six years to complete. April 2006 in rail transport. * In October 2006, Venezuela opened a new

- Cúa railway, the first new railway in the country for 70 years * "Towards the end of this month, we would have final discussions with

Mittal Steel Mittal Steel Company N.V. was an Indian company and one of the world's largest steel producers by volume and turnover. After a merger in 2005, it is now part of ArcelorMittal. History Mittal Steel Company was formed as Ispat International in 19 ...

," said Mr Kapur, adding that the initial discussions took place in March. Moreover,

Ircon Ircon International, or Indian Railway Construction Limited (IRCON), is an Indian engineering & construction corporation, specialized in transport infrastructure. The public sector undertaking was established in 1976, by the Indian Railways un ...

is also likely to construct a new rail line in Venezuela at an estimated cost of $350 million.

2008

* On August 23, 2008, a deal was signed between

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

(

) and Venezuela to develop an electrified railway link between these countries. A minor hurdle is the use of both 50 Hz and 60 Hz. * July 5 - meeting between Venezuela,

(

) and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

(

) regarding a railway for freight and passengers to link the three countries, and linking the Pacific with the Atlantic also.

2009

* March 2009 - China to help build new network

Highways

Automobile transport is encouraged by the fact that Venezuela has the lowest gas prices in the world, at $0.18 per gallon ($0.05 per liter). In some cases, gas is less expensive than

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to lar ...

.
''total:'' 96,155 km
''paved:'' 32,308 km
''unpaved:'' 63,847 km (1997 est.)

Motorways

Venezuela has a fairly developed

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

network, certainly more developed than in most of South American nations. It is especially operative in the Northern and Western parts of the country, connecting the main cities of the country. The following roads feature at least 4 lanes and double carriageway: *Autopista Barquisimeto - Acarigua. It runs from

Barquisimeto Barquisimeto (; guc, Watkisimeeta) is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the f ...

through

Cabudare Cabudare (, original indigenous name Kabudari), is a city in Lara State, in Venezuela, and capital of the Palavecino Municipality. Located at an elevation of 400 m on the Turbio River, it is on the major west-central freeway, the Autopista Cent ...

to Acarigua. Its length is 70 km. *Autopista Caracas - La Guaira. It runs from

to the Maiquetía International Airport and

. It extends for 30 km. *Autopista Cimarrón Andresote. It runs from

through San Felipe and Morón. Its length is 125 km. *Autopista Circunvalación del Este. It runs from

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

to Naguanagua. Its length is 13 km. *Autopista Circunvalación Norte. It serves as a bypass for

. Its length is 30 km. *Autopista Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho. Projected to run from

Güiria Güiria is the capital city of Valdez Municipality in the Venezuelan state of Sucre. Güiria was the place where the military campaign for South American independence set out to Upper Peru and also a starting point of the 1901 Venezuelan Civil W ...

, it is a motorway currently under construction, though parts of it are already in use, including

- Río Chico (98 km.),

Caucagua Caucagua is a Venezuelan city in the state of Miranda, and is capital of the Acevedo Municipality. The town of later Caucagua was founded as ''Valle de Araguata'' about 1690. It was refounded with the name of Caucagua in 1752. Bishop Mariano Mart ...

Higuerote Higuerote () is the capital city of Brión Municipality, located in the coastal region of Barlovento, in the state of Miranda, Venezuela, approximately an hour and a half from Caracas. Its average annual temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius ...

(20 km.), Boca de Uchire - Clarines (43 km.), Píritu - Puerto La Cruz (66 km.) and Santa Fe -

Cumaná Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...

(52 km). *Autopista José Antonio Páez. It runs from

to Barinas. It also connects the cities of San Carlos, Acarigua and Guanare. It has a length of 336 km. *Autopista Manuel Piar. It connects

and Upata. It stretches for 62 km. *Autopista Regional del Centro. It is one of the most important motorways of the country, running between Venezuela's first and third biggest population centres:

and

. It also connects

Charallave Charallave is a city in the state of Miranda, Venezuela, and part of Miranda's Valles del Tuy region. It is the capital of Cristóbal Rojas Municipality. The name derives from the local ''Charavares'' indigenous people found at the time the cit ...

Maracay ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second: Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maraca ...

and

Guacara Guacara is a city in Carabobo State , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Carabobo'' , image_map = Carabobo in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pus ...

. Its length is 160 km. *Autopista San Cristóbal - La Fría. It is a motorway currently under construction, projected to link San Cristóbal and

La Fría La Fría is a town in Táchira, Venezuela. It is the capital of García de Hevia Municipality. It was founded in 1853. Transport It is served by La Fría Airport. It is proposed to have a railway station on the new national railway network ...

. Some parts of the motorway are already open, such as San Cristóbal - Palmira (18 km), Lobatera - San Juan de Colón (16 km) and San Félix -

(19 km). *Autopista Simón Bolívar. It links

and

Puerto Ordaz Ciudad Guayana () (in English Guayana City) is a city in Bolívar State, Venezuela. It stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco river, at the point where it is joined by its main tributary, the Caroní river. The Caroni cros ...

with

Ciudad Bolívar Ciudad Bolívar (; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about in width, is the si ...

. It has a length of 131 km. *Autopista Valencia - Puerto Cabello. It extends from

Guacara Guacara is a city in Carabobo State , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Carabobo'' , image_map = Carabobo in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pus ...

, to

in the Caribbean coast. It has a length of 60 km. *Autopista Valera - Trujillo. It connects the city of

Valera Valera is a city in Trujillo State in Venezuela, situated between the rivers Momboy and Motatán. The mayor is José Karkom, who has had that post since 2013. The city is home to Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Colombian and Spanish commu ...

with Trujillo. It extends for 34 km. *Autopista Zulia - Lara. It extends from

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

, two of the main population centres of Venezuela. It also links

Carora The City of Carora, commonly called Carora City (in Spanish, Ciudad de Carora), is a city in Lara State, Venezuela, on the Morere River, a branch of the Tocuyo River. It is about 54 miles southwest of Barquisimeto. Carora City was founded twice. ...

Ciudad Ojeda Ciudad Ojeda is a city located in the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia State in northwestern Venezuela. Its population as of the 2005 census was listed as 128,941. History Ciudad Ojeda was founded on January 19, 1937, by former pre ...

and Cabimas. It has a length of 293 km. *Avenida Juan Bautista Arismendi. It connects

Porlamar ) Pueblo de La Mar ( en, Village by the Sea) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Panoramic , image_flag = Bandera santiagomarino.jpg , image_seal = , pushpin_map =Venezuela , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdiv ...

and Punta de Piedras. It has a length of 36 km. *Carretera Rafael Caldera. It is a two lane expressway that links Mérida with

El Vigía The Alberto Adriani Municipality () (better known as El Vigia) is one of the 23 municipalities () that makes up the Venezuelan state of Mérida and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, th ...

. It has a length of 60 km. *Intercomunal Coro - Punto Fijo. It connects Coro and Punto Fijo. It extends for 79 km.

Waterways

7,100 km; Rio Orinoco (400 km) and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

Pipelines

* extra heavy crude 980 km *

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...

6,694 km * refined products 1,620 km *

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

5,347 km (2010)

Ports and harbors

Air travel

In 2012, Venezuela had 492 airports. In 2014, due to difficulty converting bolivars to other currencies, many international airline either cut back or entirely cancelled service to the country. A shortage of seats caused international ticket prices to rise; one report found airfare to Miami more than double the fare to Miami from Bogota in Colombia.Reuters
/ref>

Airports - with paved runways

''total:'' 128
''over3,047 m:'' 6
''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 9
''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 35
''914 to 1,523 m:'' 61
''under 914 m:'' 17 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

''total:'' 364
''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 3
''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 55
''914 to 1,523 m:'' 113
''under 914 m:'' 193 (2012)

Heliports

3 (2012)

Cable car

At one time Venezuela had the world's highest cable car. The Mérida cable car opened in 1960, connecting Mérida with the top of the

Sierra Nevada de Mérida The Sierra Nevada de Mérida is the highest mountain range in the largest massif in Venezuela, the Cordillera de Mérida, which in turn is part of the northern extent of the Cordillera de los Andes (Andes Mountains). The Sierra Nevada de Mérida i ...

. It was closed indefinitely in 2008, having reached the end of its service life.

References

External links

{{Sister project links
Map of transport infrastructures of Venezuela