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How to use the Tren Suburbano in Mexico City

​​Posted: May 5, 2022 | Tagged: Mexico, Travel Hacks

Travelling on el Tren Suburbano from Buenavista, Ciudad de México to Cuautitlán in Estado de México.
Tren Suburbano Buenavista
The Tren Suburbano is a commuter train. It has no real practical use for the tourist. It serves outlying districts in Mexico City and Estado de Mexico.

I have previously written posts about the Metro, the Metrobus and the Trolleybus and more recently a detailed guide to using Public Transportation in CDMX so make sure to check those articles out.

For fun and informational purposes for the blog, I rode the Tren Suburbano from Buenavista to Cuautitlán.

The Tren Suburbano line was inaugurated on June 2 2008.

Estanciones del Suburbano:

The Tren Suburbano runs from Buenavista, in CDMX to Cuautitlán in Estado de México.

There are 7 stations:
  1. Buenavista
  2. Fortuna
  3. Tlalnepantla
  4. San Rafael
  5. Lechería
  6. Tultitlán
  7. Cuautitlán

Like the stations on the Metro, each station has its own unique symbol, a concept created when Mexico's literacy rate was low.
Estanciones del Suburbano
Mapa del Tren Suburbano - From Buenavista (Mexico City to Cuatitlán (Estado de México):
Mapa del Tren Suburbano - From Buenavista to Cuatitlán
The line is 27 kilometres in length.

A second line, linking Lechería to the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport in Zumpango is under construction but the project is hopelessly delayed.

Here is a promotional map (Mapa de Ruta ampliación AIFA) for the Tren Suburbano with the link to the AIFA airport:
Mapa de Ruta ampliación AIFA

How to Buy Tickets for the Tren Suburbano:

You need to buy a rechargeable Tarjeta del Suburbano, which costs 16 Pesos, from the 'taquilla', ticket office, or ticket machine, and then top it up.

The Mexico City Metro smart card is not valid on the Tren Suburbano. You need the Tarjeta del Suburbano:
Smart card for the Tren Suburbano in Mexico City
Ticket office for theTren Suburbano in Cuautitlán, Mexico
There are machines for 'Venta y Recarga de Tarjetas', for buying and topping up:
Venta y Recarga de Tarjetas machine on the Tren Suburbano
Venta y Recarga de Tarjetas machine on the Tren Suburbano
And there are machines 'Solo Recarga de Tarjetas', just for topping up:

Unlike the METRO, on the Tren Suburbano you need to swipe your card on exiting the station.
Recarga de Tarjetas ticket machines Tren Suburbano
Recarga de Tarjetas ticket machines Tren Suburbano

How much is the Tren Suburbano?

The fares are based on the number of kilometres travelled:

Viaje Corto 0 km - 12.89 km 10.50 Pesos

Viaje Largo 12.9 km - 25.59 km 24.50 Pesos

Here are the fares between each stop (correct as of October 2024:
fares for the Tren Suburbano in Mexico City
The Tren Suburbano operates as follows:

Monday to Friday: 05:00 to 00:30
Saturdays: 06:00 to 00:30
Sunday and holidays: 07:00 to 00:30

Journey time from Beunavista to Cuautitlán is 25 minutes.

In comparison to the Metro, it is quite expensive and for those who need to ride the Tren Suburbano, the stations are not always so conveniently located, thus needing a microbus (or taxi) to get nearer to their final destination.

I rode it for kicks. There is no real need to ride this train for tourist purposes per se. But it will be once the line is extended to the new airport. I'll be publishing updates about this as soon as things are operational.

The Tren Suburbano at Buenavista station:
Tren Suburbano

The Tren Suburbano arriving back in Buenavista:
Tren Suburbano in Mexico City
Advertising the Tren Suburbano app:
Tren Suburbano app advert
The Tren Suburbano at Cuautitlán station before going back to Buenavista:
Tren Suburbano from Buenavista to Cuautitlán
The mini van station at Cuautitlán:
Tren Suburbano sign in Mexico City
Cuautitlán station in Estado de México:
Tren Suburbano Cuautitlán station
Cuautitlán, this train terminates here, all change please, all change:
Cuautitlán Station in Mexico
Cuautitlán station, last station on Line 1 of the Tren Suburbano, linking Mexico City to Estado de México:
the Tren Suburbano from Buenavista to Cuautitlán

History:

The Buenavista Railway Station opened in 1873, served as Mexico City's terminus station, with the first passenger trip being Mexico City to Veracruz, operated under Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico (N de M) and later FNM until 2005.

The station served many cities including Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Veracruz, Monterrey and Mérida.

The original station was demolished in 1958 and the present building, reopened in 1958 by the then President, Adolfo López Mateos.
Estacion Buenavista in Mexico City
The TCC Teziutlan Copper Co. No.2 outside the Buenavista Station:
TCC Teziutlan Copper Co. No.2 Buenavista Station

Related Posts:

Tren interurbano in Santa Fe Mexico
"El Insurgente" - Tren Interurbano
Tren ligero Mexico city
Tren Ligero - Tasqueña to Xochimilco

​Previous Post: ​Cairo to Cape Town - Overland - The Proof
Next Post: ​Free Museums in Mexico City

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  • HOME
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