Nopalera metro station

Nopalera metro station^[a] is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the colonia (neighborhood) of Miguel Hidalgo and the barrio of Santa Ana Zapotitlán, in Tláhuac, Mexico City. It is an elevated station with two side platforms, served by Line 12 (the Golden Line), between Olivos and Zapotitlán metro stations. The name of the station alludes to the numerous pig and poultry farms that used to occupy the area, and to the nopal cactuses that used to grow on their fields. Similarly, the pictogram for the station depicts the outline of a flowering nopal. The station was opened on 30 October 2012, on the first day of service between Tláhuac and Mixcoac metro stations.

Nopalera
STC rapid transit
Station platform, 2012
General information
Location	Tláhuac Avenue Tláhuac, Mexico City Mexico
Coordinates	19°18′00″N 99°02′46″W / 19.299970°N 99.046049°W / 19.299970; -99.046049
Owned by	Government of Mexico City
Operated by	Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC)
Line(s)	(Observatorio – Tláhuac)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Route: 162
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Bicycle facilities	Bicycle parking-only
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	In service
History
Opened	30 October 2012 (2012-10-30)
Previous names	Francisco Villa (planned)
Key dates
12 March 2014 (2014-03-12)	Temporarily closed
29 November 2015 (2015-11-29)	Reopened
19 September 2017 (2017-09-19)	Temporarily closed
30 October 2017 (2017-10-30)	Reopened
3 May 2021 (2021-05-03)	Temporarily closed
30 January 2024 (2024-01-30)	Reopened^[1]
Passengers
2023	0^[2]  0%
Rank	188/195^[2]
Services
Preceding station Mexico City Metro Following station Olivos toward Observatorio Line 12 Zapotitlán toward Tláhuac
Route map Legend Tláhuac yard Tláhuac Tlaltenco Zapotitlán Nopalera Olivos Tezonco Periférico Oriente Calle 11 Lomas Estrella San Andrés Tomatlán Culhuacán Atlalilco Mexicaltzingo Ermita Eje Central Parque de los Venados Zapata Hospital 20 de Noviembre Insurgentes Sur Mixcoac Operational Under construction Valentín Campa Álvaro Obregón Observatorio This diagram: view talk edit
Location
Nopalera Location within Mexico City
Area map

The facilities are accessible to people with disabilities as there are elevators, tactile pavings and braille signage plates and there is a bicycle parking station. In 2019, the station had an average daily ridership of 22,491 passengers, making it the 5th busiest station on the line. Since it was opened, Nopalera metro station has had multiple incidents, including a 20-month closure in 2014 due to structural faults found in the elevated section of the line, a closure caused by the 19 September 2017 earthquake that affected the station's track columns, and the subsequent collapse of the track near Olivos station in 2021.

Location

 

The station in 2012

Nopalera is a metro station along Tláhuac Avenue, located in the colonia (Mexican Spanish for "neighborhood") of Miguel Hidalgo and the barrio of Santa Ana Zapotitlán, in the Tláhuac borough, in southeastern Mexico City. Within the system, the station lies between Olivos and Zapotitlán metro stations.^[3] The area is serviced by Route 162 of the Red de Transporte de Pasajeros network.^[4]

Exits

There are two exits:^[3]

• North: Tláhuac Avenue and General Manuel M. López Avenue, Santa Ana Zapotitlán.
• South: Tláhuac Avenue and Las Bodas de Fígaro Street, Miguel Hidalgo.

History and construction

Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Empresas ICA, in association with Alstom Mexicana and Grupo Carso.^[5] Nopalera is an elevated station;^[6] the Nopalera–Zapotitlán interstation is 1,276 meters (4,186 ft) long, while the Nopalera–Olivos section measures 1,360 meters (4,460 ft).^[7] The station was opened on 30 October 2012, on the first day of the Mixcoac–Tláhuac service.^[8] The facilities are accessible to people with disabilities as there are elevators, tactile pavings and braille signage plates and there is a bicycle parking station.^[3]

The pictogram depicts the close-up of a prickly pear plant with two buds and a flower. According to the Metro system, the species is a Opuntia matudae plant (or xoconostle) and they decided to use a single pad to differentiate it from the Bondojito metro station pictogram, a Line 4 metro station whose signage depicts a complete prickly pear plant.^[3]

Originally, the station was projected to be named "Francisco Villa", after the Mexican revolutionary of the same name.^[9] Instead, the chosen name and pictogram allude to the pig and poultry farms that existed in the area which were surrounded by prickly pear plants.^[3]

Incidents

Since 2010, the Superior Auditor of the Federation has audited Line 12 several times and has reported several faults, like cracks and detachments along the line, including some at the Nopalera–Zapotitlán–Tlaltenco overpass.^[10][11] From 12 March 2014 to 29 November 2015,^[12][13] Nopalera was closed due to technical and structural faults in the stretch Atlalilco–Tláhuac.^[14][15] After the 19 September 2017 earthquake damaged Line 12 tracks, Nopalera remained closed until 30 October 2017.^[16][17] According to the official report provided by the Metro system, the Olivos–Nopalera overpass was secured^[18] as Column 69 had a flexo-compression failure at the lower end. To repair it, weight was released, epoxy resins were injected, additional reinforcement was placed, and the column was enlarged to its maximum stress zone.^[19] On 3 May 2021, the station was closed after a portion of Line 12's elevated railway collapsed between Olivos and Tezonco stations.^[20]

 

The system identified Curves 11 and 12 along Tláhuac Avenue as a railroad wear zone.

Between Nopalera and Zapotitlán metro stations, there are two sharp curves close to each other; the system marks them as Curves 11 and 12. Curve 11 has a radius of 200 m (660 ft) while Curve 12 has a radius of 201.9 m (662 ft)—both are the tightest of the overpass.^[21] According to the Metro union leader, the trains wear out the rails and wheels when there are sharp curves and cause them to clatter. This damage structures such as girders and columns.^[22] After the 2017 earthquake, a girder in the section was reinforced with a diagonally-reinforced beam^[23] because a seismic top on Column 41 was damaged during the incident.^[24] The line uses FE-10 steel-wheeled trains by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles. They have a length of 140 m (460 ft) and a width of 280 cm (110 in).^[25][26] According to the former director of the system, Joel Ortega, trains do not exit a curve when they are already on the next one, and the maximum speed for taking them was adjusted to 25 km/h (16 mph) for safe train travel but the speed wears and tears on the tracks and wheels. He also said that damage to the tracks had been reported since 2012 and that 900 m (3,000 ft) of track had been replaced within a month of its inauguration.^[27]

Ridership

According to the data provided by the authorities, except for the years when Nopalera metro station was closed for several months, commuters averaged between 13,900 and 22,500 daily entrances. In 2019, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport, the station's ridership totaled 8,209,571 passengers,^[28] which was an increase of 842,644 passengers compared to 2018.^[29] In the same year, Nopalera was the 71st busiest station of the system's 195 stations, and it was the line's fifth busiest.^[28]

Annual passenger ridership
Year	Ridership	Average daily	Rank	% change	Ref.
2023	0	0	188/195	NA	^[2]
2022	0	0	176/195	−100.00%	^[30]
2021	1,619,653	4,437	152/195	−70.12%	^[31]
2020	5,420,824	14,810	52/195	−33.97%	^[32]
2019	8,209,571	22,491	71/195	+11.44%	^[28]
2018	7,366,927	20,183	89/195	+20.80%	^[29]
2017	6,098,309	16,707	109/195	+3.56%	^[33]
2016	5,888,690	16,089	112/195	+1,295.16%	^[34]
2015	422,079	1,156	191/195	−59.59%	^[35]
2014	1,044,607	2,861	187/195	−92.43%	^[36]

Notes

1. Estación del Metro Nopalera. Spanish pronunciation: [no.pa'leɾa] ^ⓘ. The name of the station literally means "Prickly pear plant" in Spanish.

References

1. "Reapertura de la Línea 12 del Metro: ¿Qué estaciones abren, cuándo y a qué hora?". El Financiero (in Spanish). 28 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
2. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2023" [Station traffic per line 2023] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2024. from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
3. "Nopalera" (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
4. "Red de Rutas" [Routes network] (in Spanish). Red de Transporte de Pasajeros. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
5. "¿Quién construyó la línea 12 del Metro?" [Who built Line 12?]. Expansión (in Spanish). 11 March 2014. from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
6. Rodríguez G., Luis Bernardo; Soria C., Bardomiano (2 April 2019). "La Ingeniería Civil en la línea 12 del metro de la Ciudad de México" [The Civil Engineering of Mexico City's Metro Line 12]. Vector (in Spanish). from the original on 13 September 2019.
7. "Longitud de estación a estación por línea" [Station-to-station length per line] (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro. from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
8. "Que no se te vaya el tren" [Don't let the train go]. Chilango (in Spanish). 30 October 2020. from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
9. Quintero, Josefina; Bolaños, Ángel (9 August 2007). "Presentó Ebrard el proyecto de la línea 12 del Metro, que irá de Tláhuac a Mixcoac" [Ebrard presented the Line 12 project, which will run from Tláhuac to Mixcoac]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
10. Velázquez, Alma Sofía (5 May 2021). "ASF detectó 11 mil fallas en Línea 12 del Metro" [ASF detected 11 thousand faults on Metro's Line 12]. Noticieros Televisa. from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
11. Robles de la Rosa, Leticia (5 May 2021). "Se han detectado 11 mil fallas en Metro Línea 12" [11 thousand faults on Metro Line 12 were detected]. Excélsior (in Spanish). from the original on 7 May 2021.
12. "Línea 12 del metro cierra 12 estaciones por seis meses" [Metro Line 12 closes 12 stations for six months]. Animal Político (in Spanish). 11 March 2014. from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
13. Rodea, Felipe (29 November 2015). "Mancera reabre Línea 12 del Metro" [Mancera reopens Metro's Line 12]. El Financiero (in Spanish). from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
14. "Caos en primer día de cierre en 12 estaciones de la Línea Dorada del Metro" [Chaos on the first day of closure of 12 stations in the Metro's Golden Line]. Proceso (in Spanish). Mexico City. 12 March 2012. from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
15. "¿Por qué el GDF cerró la Línea 12 del Metro?" [Why the Mexico City Government closed Metro Line 12] (in Spanish). Aristegui Noticias. 11 March 2014. from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
16. "Cuatro estaciones de L12 del Metro permanecerán cerradas durante 4 semanas" [Four Metro L12 stations will remain closed for 4 weeks] (in Spanish). Noticieros Televisa. 24 September 2017. from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
17. "Metro reabre tramo dañado de Línea 12" [Metro reopens the damaged section of Line 12]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). 30 October 2017. from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
18. "Estación Olivos: Temían en 2017 colapso de Línea 12 del Metro tras el sismo" [Olivos Station: Feared collapse of Metro Line 12 after the earthquake in 2017]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City. 3 May 2021. from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
19. Montes, Rafael; López Méndez, Rafael; Ríos, Cecilia (5 May 2021). "Línea 12 del Metro: mal hecha, dañada por el sismo, sin mantenimiento..." [Metro Line 12: poorly built, damaged by the earthquake, no maintenance...]. Milenio. Mexico City. from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
20. "Cierran toda la Línea 12 del Metro; RTP brindará servicio de apoyo" [All Metro Line 12 is closed; RTP will provide back-up service]. Chilango (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
21. "Concluyen desmantelamiento de vía en las curvas 10, 11 y 12 de la Línea 12" [Conclusion of track dismantling at curves 10, 11 and 12 of Line 12]. Portal Automotriz (in Spanish). 9 August 2015. from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
22. Sarabia, Dalila (5 May 2021). "La columna 69 de la Línea 12, un riesgo desde el boceto que acabó en derrumbe" [Column 69 of Line 12, a risk from the sketch that ended in collapse]. Animal Político (in Spanish). from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
23. "Concluyen trabajos de reforzamiento en la Línea 12 del Metro" [Reinforcement works on Metro Line 12 conclude]. López-Dóriga Digital (in Spanish). 8 January 2018. from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
24. "El Metro reabre estaciones de la Línea 12 afectadas por el sismo" [Metro reopens Line 12 stations affected by the earthquake]. Expansión. 30 October 2017. from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
25. López, Jonás; Miranda, Alan. "Tiene L12 trenes cortos y andenes largos" [L12 has short trains and long platforms] (in Spanish). Colegio de Ingenieros Civiles. Reforma. from the original on 4 May 2016.
26. "Línea 12: rentó Ebrard trenes más anchos, sin licitar, y reservó datos" [Line 12: Ebrard rented wider trains, without bidding, and reserved data]. La Razón (in Spanish). 13 March 2014. from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
27. "Los más de 10 errores de diseño de la Línea 12 del Metro" [The more than 10 design errors of Metro Line 12]. Atracción 360 (in Spanish). 19 March 2014. from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
28. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2019" [Station traffic per line 2019] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2020. from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
29. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2018" [Station traffic per line 2018] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2019. from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
30. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2022" [Station traffic per line 2022] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2023. from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
31. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2021" [Station traffic per line 2021] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2022. from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
32. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2020" [Station traffic per line 2020] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2021. from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
33. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2017" [Station traffic per line 2017] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2019. from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
34. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2016" [Station traffic per line 2016] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2017. from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
35. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2015" [Station traffic per line 2015] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2016. from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
36. "Afluencia de estación por línea 2014" [Station traffic per line 2014] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2015. from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

External links

•   Media related to Nopalera (station) at Wikimedia Commons
• "Metro Nopalera". At the Official Guide to Mexico City.