History
The history of urban trains in Guadalajara dates back to the 19th century, with the first trams pulled by mules, going from the Cathedral to the Templo de la Merced. In 1974, several houses and streets in the city center were demolished to make way for a wide new roadway, named Avenida Federalismo (Federal Avenue), and the construction of a new public-transport tunnel underneath. Avenida Federalismo (also known as Calzada del Federalismo) replaced what had been Moro St. (but with a much wider right-of-way) and is one of Guadalajara's most major thoroughfares. The 6.6-kilometre (4.1 mi) tunnel underneath the avenue was designed for future use by a rail system, but due to a lack of funding at the time it was initially served by a new trolleybus system, which opened on December 15, 1976. Several years later, work began to convert the trolleybus tunnel and stations for use by a light rail line. The tunnel closed for trolleybuses in early 1988, but trolleybus service continued on other routes and is still in operation in 2011. The first light rail line, Line 1, opened on September 1, 1989.
A few years later, Line 2 was constructed, and it opened on July 1, 1994. Because of the continuing heavy traffic congestion on the city's streets and the large numbers of users of the rail system, there are plans to extend Line 2 to the west and to build a third line.
Line 1 is underground in the city center, but runs "at grade" north and south of the city center, and its surface sections include several level crossings, protected by crossing gates. The station platforms accommodate trains no longer than two cars. Line 2 is entirely underground except for a non-passenger section at its east end, connecting the last station to the maintenance facility. Its stations are long enough to accommodate trains of up to four cars.
The German company Siemens supplied the system engineering, signaling and telecommunication, power supply, and some components of the vehicles.
Legend
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Read more about this topic: Guadalajara Light Rail System
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