Although only in operation for a little under four years, Line Three of Guadalajara’s Tren Ligero (subway or light trains) is preparing for an expansion.
The idea is to extend the line connecting the centers of Zapopan, Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque for around seven kilometers as far as Tesistán, one of the northernmost suburbs in the municipality of Zapopan.
At the end of last month, the state Secretariat of Infrastructure and Public Works (SIOP) announced three initial tenders for development work on the extension project that, if approved, will be implemented by the incoming state administration that takes office in October.
Five possible new stations are planned: Ángel Leaño, Aviación, Valle Imperial, Carretera a Colotlán and Tesistán.
These new stations will service the many new neighborhoods that have sprung up in this part of Zapopan over the past 15 years.
Line Three currently runs 21.5 kilometers from the Arcos de Zapopan neighborhood (about 500 meters beyond the city ring road) to the New Bus Station (Central Nuevo de Autobuses) in Tlaquepaque. The 18-station line is elevated along the entire route, except for a below ground stretch encompassing five stations in the Guadalajara historic center.
The new extension shouldn’t overburden the line unduly. Data from August 2023 indicates that the line transports an average of 140,000 passengers each day. Its full capacity is reported to be around 230,000, according to various sources.
Work on the line began in 2014, and it was inaugurated by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2019. Over that period, its original price tag almost doubled from 17 billion pesos to 31.5 billion pesos.