Guide on How To Use The Mexico City Metro: Tickets, stations, lines, operating hours and safety tips – Update: The Pink Line is now running until Observatorio.
This is my complete and free guide to using the Metro in Mexico City.
The Mexico City Metro is the second-biggest in the Americas after the New York Subway and, as of 2019, was the 10th busiest in the world. As of 2025, the fare on the metro in Mexico City is 5 pesos a ride.
Update: November 16, 2025. The upgrade of the Pink Line is now complete. Linea 1 runs from Pantitlán to Observatorio, covering 16.6 km with 18 intermediate stations.
Checking out the newly reopened Observatorio metro station in Mexico City:
Metro arriving at Observatorio Station in Mexico City:
Observatorio is connected to the Poniente Bus Terminal, which is handy for destinations such as Toluca and Querétaro and is the terminal station of the Tren Insurgente (hopefully it will be fully operational soon) between Mexico City and Zinacantepec (Toluca).
With its 12 lines, 200 km of track, and 163 different stations, with 28 of them serving 2 or more lines, the Metro CDMX is the best way to get around.
If you are living in Mexico City or just plan on staying a couple of months, I recommend you check out my guide to Mexico City Public Transportation, with links to my free guides on how to use the Metrobus, Tren Ligero, TrolleyBus and the CableBus.
How is taking the subway in Mexico City?
Please don’t use the word Subway. You are in Mexico now. It is called the Metro.
Of course, if you know me, I do not mince my words. With me, you get exactly how it is.
- There can be long delays.
- The carriages can get very packed, more so in the rush hour and on Saturday afternoons.
- There is no Air conditioning. It gets very hot in the Summer. The rest of the year it’s just normal hot.
- When the rains come, the metro stations get flooded.
But despite these frustrations, it’s still pretty efficient and at just 5 pesos a ride, it’s as cheap as chips and is my preferred mode of transport here, though sometimes, the Metrobus is more convenient. Depends entirely on where I am going.
Greater Mexico City has a population of more than 20 million people. Everywhere is going to be busy, so it will mostly be a frustrating and time-consuming process how however you choose to get around.
How many Metro stations are there?
I have criss-crossed Mexico City hundreds of times using the metro, which is operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC).
There are 163 different stations, with 28 of them serving 2 or more lines. For example: Pantitlan is served by Lines 1, 5, 9 and A, Tacubaya is served by Lines 1, 7 and 9, and Chabacano is served by Lines 2, 8 and 9.
I made a separate list of all the Metro Stations in Mexico City (other lists count Pantitlan as 4 stations, Tacubaya and Chabacano as 3, and the other transfer stations as having 2 stations, so that’s why you will see 195 being quoted.
Each station has its own unique symbol. The idea behind this was for when the literacy rate in Mexico was low and the symbols for the first 3 lines were designed by Lance Wyman and there was always a reference to why the station was given a certain symbol but now even with high literacy rates the symbols are still used and with 195 stations it is no longer easy to see the meaning behind each symbol.
The Metro at Cuauhtemoc station on line 1:
How many lines are there?
Las Lineas del Metro CDMX:
- Line 1 (pink): Observatorio – Pantitlán
- Line 2 (blue): Cuatro Caminos – Tasqueña
- Line 3 (oilve): Indios Verdes – Universidad
- Line 4 (light blue): Martín Carrera – Santa Anita
- Line 5 (yellow): Politécnico – Pantitlán
- Line 6 (red): El Rosario – Martín Carrera
- Line 7 (orange): El Rosario – Barranca del Muerto
- Line 8 (green): Garibaldi/Lagunilla – Constitución de 1917
- Line 9 (brown): Tacubaya – Pantitlán
- Line A (purple): Pantitlán – La Paz
- Line B (grey/green): Ciudad Azteca – Buenavista
- Line 12 (gold): Mixcoac – Tláhuac
Mexico City Metro Map:
Me and Miss CDMX at the Belles Artes Metro Station in Mexico City, with the Parisian-style metro sign:
The Mexico City Metro operates to the following schedule:
- Monday to Friday: 5 am to midnight
- Saturdays: 6 am to midnight
- Sundays & Holidays: 7 am to midnight
Mexico City has 4 main bus stations (Tapo, Southern Bus Terminal, Northern Bus Terminal and Poniente Bus Terminal), all of which are served by the metro.
How to buy tickets for the Metro in Mexico City:
The paper tickets are no longer used. You must buy a Mexico City Metro Card (new post), which costs 15 pesos and can be topped up as you need, to a maximum of 500 pesos. Each ride costs 5 pesos. You can now also pay using contactless!
Tips for using the Metro in Mexico City:
Avoid using the Metro during rush hour
The rush hour in Mexico City runs from about 7 am until 9.30 am and from around 5 pm until 8 pm and is something to be avoided at all costs. The queues to get on the trains can be 10 deep. It just becomes one manic scrum.
Watch your pockets and belongings
As in all cities around the world, professional pickpockets work the metro. If you have a phone, do NOT keep it in your back pocket. Keep it in your front pocket and put one hand in too, and take off your backpack to avoid inconveniencing others.
Hang on
With one hand in your pocket with your phone in, use the other hand to hang on tight. The metro does have a habit of breaking sharply.
Going to the Airport
I have used the Metro many times to get to and from Terminal 1 at the Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez. It is ok with just a small backpack, but not during the rush hour, and if you travel with a lot of stuff, I wouldn’t do it at any time. Just use an UBER or Airport Taxi (the Pink and White taxis are best avoided, period, and not just for runs to the airport).
Be prepared
At each stop, the metro does not stop for very long. The doors open for just around 10 seconds. There is no announcement inside the metro for the stations, the station names can flash past before you have a chance to register them, and if you are standing, which is more often the case, you can’t see the name plaque anyway.
Assuming you know that your stop is coming up, shuffle towards the doors in plenty of time, always watching your phone with one hand and hanging on with the other and get out sharpish. The opening and closing of the doors is accompanied by a loud beep-beep.
Viaja Segura – Solo Mujeres y Niños
Women and kids under 12 can use designated carriages:
Fabulous looking system. I did the Peso-USD conversion; wow that is a cheap and convenient way to get around the city. Excellent guide.
Thanks for the thumbs up. Yes,it’s cheap.
Have to laugh at some blogs which say that it costs 20 cents which is around 5 pesos. Umm. No. It’s fixed in pesos. Lol. And USD is for ever changing.