Indios Verdes metro station is a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

of the

Mexico City Metro The Mexico City Metro () is a rapid transit system that serves Greater Mexico City, the metropolitan area of Mexico City, including some municipalities in the State of Mexico. Operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC), it is the Lis ...

along

Avenida de los Insurgentes Avenida de los Insurgentes (), sometimes known simply as Insurgentes, is the longest avenue in Mexico City, with a length of on a north-south axis across the city. Insurgentes has its origins in what was during the early 20th century known as ...

, in Gustavo A. Madero,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. It is an at-grade station with two

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

s serving as the northern

terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...

of Line 3 (the Olive Line). It is followed by Deportivo 18 de Marzo metro station. Indios Verdes metro station was inaugurated on 1 December 1979 providing southward service toward Hospital General metro station. The station services the (neighborhoods) of Residencial Zacatenco and Santa Isabel Tola. The station and surrounding area are named after the

verdigris Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Cop ...

statues of

Itzcoatl Itzcoatl ( , "Obsidian Serpent", ) (c. 1380–1440) was the fourth king of Tenochtitlan, and the founder of the Aztec Empire, ruling from 1427 to 1440. Under Itzcoatl the Mexica of Tenochtitlan threw off the domination of the Tepanecs and esta ...

and

Ahuitzotl Ahuitzotl (, ) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the '' Huey Tlatoani'' of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. His name literally means "Water Thorny" and was also applied to the otter. It is also theorized that more likely, the ...

, both Aztec rulers. Located in the nearby Parque Mestizaje, these statues are collectively known as the , and their silhouettes are depicted in the

pictogram A pictogram (also pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto) is a graphical symbol that conveys meaning through its visual resemblance to a physical object. Pictograms are used in systems of writing and visual communication. A pictography is a wri ...

. The station facilities are accessible to people with disabilities featuring

tactile paving Tactile paving (also called tenji blocks, truncated domes, detectable warnings, tactile tiles, tactile ground surface indicators, tactile walking surface indicators, or detectable warning surfaces) is a system of textured ground surface indicat ...

s and

braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

signage plates. The station is commonly ranked among the busiest in the system. In 2019, it recorded an average daily ridership of 107,376 passengers, making it the third-busiest station overall and the busiest on its line.

Location and station layout

Indios Verdes is an at-grade

metro station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

located along

in the ''colonias'' ("neighborhoods") of Residencial Zacatenco and Santa Isabel Tola, in Gustavo A. Madero, in northern

. The

railyard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or ...

and the line's

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

, known as Ticomán, are located adjacent to the station. The station has four exits: one to the northeast and northwest, and one to the southeast and southwest. The station offers a partially disabled-accessible service with

s and

signage plates. Within the system, Deportivo 18 de Marzo is the next station. Street stalls abound in the CETRAM, where commuters can purchase street food, clothing, accessories, flowers, gifts, and phone accessories. According to the vendors themselves, there are about 1,000 stalls. The area is serviced by a (CETRAM), a transportation hub covering . From there, commuters can access various routes and modes of transportation. Among the available options are Lines 1, 3, and 7 of the Metrobús bus rapid transit (BRT) system, Line IV of the

Mexibús Mexibús is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that is located in the Greater Mexico City part of the State of Mexico, which surrounds Mexico City proper. It is operated by Transmasivo S.A. (Lines I and IV), Transcomunicador S.A. (Line ...

BRT system, Line 1 of the

Cablebús The Sistema de Transporte Público Cablebús, simply branded as Cablebús, is an aerial lift transport system that runs in the Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City, Gustavo A. Madero and Iztapalapa areas of Mexico City. It is operated by Servicio de T ...

aerial lift network, and Line 2 of the

Mexicable Mexicable is an aerial lift line in Ecatepec de Morelos and Tlalnepantla de Baz, in Greater Mexico City, and one station in Mexico City proper. It was created by the Government of the State of Mexico. The first part of this project was inaug ...

aerial lift network. The station facilities offer accessibility for people with disabilities, featuring elevators, escalators and

s. Local buses departing from the area include Routes 101, 101-A, 101-B, 101-D, 102, 107-B, and 108 of the network. Additionally, as of 2017, there were 28 routes (bus and minibus routes) originating from various locations within the city and the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

History and construction

Line 3 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro, and Cometro, the latter being a subsidiary of

Empresas ICA Empresas ICA is a construction company that was founded on 4 July 1947, by Mexican civil engineer Bernardo Quintana Arrioja. The company has built multiple landmarks, buildings, and facilities in Mexico, including the Estadio Azteca, the modern ...

. It opened on 20 November 1970. Northward service toward Indios Verdes station began on 1 December 1979, becoming the line's northern terminal station, with trains operating southward toward Hospital General metro station. The section between Indios Verdes and Deportivo 18 de Marzo station is long. Originally, Line 8 (which runs from downtown Mexico City to Constitución de 1917 station in

Iztapalapa Iztapalapa () is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City, located on the eastern side of the city. The borough is named after and centered on the formerly independent municipality of Iztapalapa (officially Iztapalapa de Cuitláhua ...

) was planned to extend from Pantitlán in eastern Mexico City to Indios Verdes station. However, the project was canceled due to potential structural issues it would have caused near the

Zócalo Zócalo () is the common name of the town square, main square in central Mexico City. Prior to the European colonization of the Americas, colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center in the Aztecs, Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The plaza us ...

area, as it was intended to interchange with Line 2 at Zócalo station. The plan for Line 8 was later modified to run from Indios Verdes to Constitución de 1917 station. But its construction did not progress beyond Garibaldi / Lagunilla metro station, which has served as its provisional terminal since 1994. The station's CETRAM began reorganization in 2020. The project plan included demolishing the Metrobús station serving Lines 1 and 3, as well as the temporary Mexibús station, and relocating both next to the metro station building. It also aimed to reorganize the bus hub and facilitate connections between the stations through a series of pedestrian bridges linking them to the Cablebús, Metrobús Line 7, and Mexicable services. As of September 2024, the Metrobús, Mexibús, and Cablebús projects have been completed.

Name and pictogram

The station is named after the

statues of two

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

rulers,

and

, collectively known as the (Green Indians Monument). The station's pictogram features silhouettes of these statues. In April 2023, Adriana Espinosa de los Monteros, a representative for the

National Regeneration Movement The National Regeneration Movement (), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation Morena (), is a major left-wing political party in Mexico, often described as oscillating between social democracy and populism. As of 2023, it is the la ...

(MORENA) party in the

Congress of Mexico City The Congress of Mexico City () is the Legislature, legislative branch of the government of Mexico City. Between 1988 and 1997, it was known as the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District (). Between 1997 and 2018, it was styled th ...

, proposed renaming the metro station to Estación Emperadores Mexicas () because she considers the term ''Indian'' is derogatory, discriminatory, and " s still used to hurtthe sensitivity of the recipient by considering inferior due to their poverty or indigenous background". She argued that the change is necessary "to respect the spirit of the Political Constitution of Mexico City". The proposed renaming would apply only to the metro station and does not mention any adjacent stations or the . Transport operators in the area have stated that the change would be unnecessary and that it would not affect commuters or how they refer to the station.

Incidents

Around 7:30 in the morning on 12 April 2013, an explosion was heard on the stairs leading to CETRAM's I platform, with no injuries or damage reported. Authorities stated that a box containing explosives, cables, pellets, a battery, and a watch was allegedly left on the steps leading to exit I by a man assisted by an accomplice acting as a lookout. On 10 February 2021, during a rainy afternoon, an approaching train caught fire on the platform, but no passengers were reported harmed. On 20 April 2021, the third

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coa ...

of a train derailed when the driver performed a maneuver at the Ticomán railyard. No injuries were reported, but the train had to be taken out of service. Similarly, on March 30, 2023, another train experienced a comparable incident. Indios Verdes is one of the metro stations that floods most frequently during heavy rain.

Ridership

According to the data provided by the authorities, Indios Verdes metro station is one of the busiest in the system's 195 stations. Before the

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on public transport. Many countries advised that public transport should only be used when essential; passenger numbers fell drastically, and services were reduced. Provision of a reasonable service for t ...

, commuters averaged per year between 107,376 and 120,800 daily entrances between 2014 and 2019; the station had a ridership of 39,192,273 passengers in 2019, which represented a decrease of 1,109,896 passengers compared to 2018. In 2019 specifically, Indios Verdes metro station ranked as the third busiest of the system and it was the busiest of the line.

Gallery

File:Metro Indios Verdes 02.JPG, West view of the old CETRAM in 2015. In the background on the right, the former Metrobús station served Lines 1 and 3. The metro station is not visible but is located far to the alt=Photograph of a hub with multiple trucks, minibuses and cabs parked in it. File:Estación Indios Verdes - Línea 3 - Metro de la Ciudad de México - Salida.jpg, Exit to platforms A and B of the CETRAM, located east of the station., alt=A lightly populated passageway indicating exits A and B.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Accessible Mexico City Metro stations Mexico City Metro Line 3 stations Mexico City Metro stations in Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City Railway stations in Mexico opened in 1979