Balbuena metro station

Pictogram of Balbuena metro station. It features the silhouette of four flowers with four petals. Balbuena
Mexico City Metro
Picture of a sign indicating one of the entrances to Balbuena station.
Station sign, 2012
General information
LocationCalzada Ignacio Zaragoza
Venustiano Carranza, Mexico City
Mexico
Coordinates19°25′23″N 99°06′08″W / 19.42306°N 99.10222°W / 19.42306; -99.10222
SystemMexico City Metro
Owned byGovernment of Mexico City
Operated bySistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC)
LineMexico City Metro Line 1 (Observatorio – Pantitlán)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusIn service
History
Opened5 September 1969 (1969-09-05)
Key dates
11 July 2022 (2022-07-11)Temporarily closed
29 October 2023 (2023-10-29)Reopened
Passengers
20252,671,330[1][a] Increase 23.57%
Rank160/195[1]
Services
Preceding station Mexico City Metro Following station
Moctezuma
toward Observatorio
 Line 1 Boulevard Puerto Aéreo
toward Pantitlán
Location
Balbuena is located in Mexico City
Balbuena
Pictogram of Balbuena metro station. It features the silhouette of four flowers with four petals. Balbuena
Location within Mexico City
Area map and exits

Balbuena metro station[b] is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the city's borough of Venustiano Carranza. It is an underground stop with two side platforms serving Line 1 (Pink Line) between Moctezuma and Boulevard Puerto Aéreo. It was inaugurated on 4 September 1969, and opened the following day, providing service west toward Chapultepec and service east toward Zaragoza.

Balbuena metro station services the colonias (neighborhoods) of Jardín Balbuena and Moctezuma 1ª sección, along Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza. Its pictogram depicts the silhouette of four four-petaled flowers, symbolizing the Balbuena Garden in the neighborhood of the same name, from which the station takes its name. The station facilities offer accessibility for people with disabilities, featuring elevators, escalators, tactile pavings and wheelchair ramps. Outside, there is a transportation hub servicing local bus routes.

It was closed from July 2022 to October 2023 due to modernization works on the tunnel and the line's technical equipment. In 2025, Balbuena metro station had an average daily ridership of 7,318 passengers, ranking it the 160th busiest station in the network.

Location and layout

Image of a station entrance behind a car.
The northern entrance in 2020

Balbuena is an underground metro station located along Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza, in the Venustiano Carranza borough of Mexico City.[2][3] The stop serves two Colonias (neighborhoods), Jardín Balbuena and Moctezuma 1ª sección. The station's pictogram depicts the silhouette of four four-petaled flowers, representing the nearby Balbuena Garden park, which was named after Bernardo de Balbuena, a Spanish poet known for his work "La grandeza mexicana" ("The Grandeur of Mexico").[2]

Balbuena metro station has two exits leading to Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza. The north exit is near Calle 17 in Colonia Moctezuma 1ª sección, and the south one at the corner of Avenida de la Portilla in Colonia Jardín Balbuena.[2] The building offers accessible service for people with disabilities with elevators, escalators, wheelchair ramps and tactile pavings.[2][4][5]

Balbuena metro station is located between Moctezuma and Boulevard Puerto Aéreo stations on the line.[2] The area receives service from the adjacent Centro de transferencia modal (CETRAM), the stop's transportation hub, which connects to various transit routes.[6]

History and construction

Line 1 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro and Cometro, the latter being a subsidiary of Empresas ICA.[7] Its first section, where Balbuena metro station is located, was inaugurated on 4 September 1969, running from Chapultepec to Zaragoza metro stations, and opened to the general public the following day.[8] The tunnel between Balbuena and Boulevard Puerto Aéreo spans 595 meters (1,952 ft), while the section towards Moctezuma measures 703 meters (2,306 ft).[9]

Balbuena metro station underwent renovation works in 2016, which included the installation of antibacterial porcelain panels and LED lighting. In addition, leaks were sealed and electrical panels were replaced as part of the upgrade.[10] The station was closed on 11 July 2022 for modernization work on the line's tunnel and technical equipment.[11][12] After fifteen months of renovations, authorities reopened Balbuena station on 29 October 2023.[13] Excélsior reported in July 2024 that all the modernized stations had leaks of varying dimensions, with containers placed under the leaks at Balbuena station. Authorities had previously stated that these leaks would be sealed during the 2022 modernization works.[14]

Incidents

On 20 January 2021, the station experienced a sewage flood due to a sump system failure attributed to power outages caused by the Central Control Center fire that had occurred two weeks earlier.[15]

Ridership

Graphic showing daily ridership
Daily ridership for Balbuena station in 2024

According to the data provided by the authorities, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport, commuters averaged per year between 12,400 and 13,600 daily entrances between 2016 and 2019. The station had a ridership of 2,671,330 passengers in 2025 and ranked as the 160th busiest station out of the system's 195 stations.[1]

Annual passenger ridership[a]
Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref.
2025 2,671,330 7,318 160/195 +23.57% [1]
2024 2,161,715 5,096 167/195 +476.23% [1]
2023 375,147 1,027 187/195 −76.64% [1]
2022 1,606,016 4,400 164/195 −28.50% [1]
2021 2,246,042 6,153 131/195 −17.85% [16]
2020 2,734,008 7,469 125/195 −44.23% [17]
2019 4,902,639 13,431 133/195 +2.33% [18]
2018 4,791,005 13,126 130/195 +5.27% [19]
2017 4,551,153 12,468 132/195 −7.92% [20]
2016 4,942,850 13,505 125/195 −3.00% [21]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The data here is limited to the most recent ten years to avoid excessive listings; earlier figures can be found in this page's history or on the Mexico City Metro website. To calculate the average daily ridership, the annual total is divided by 365 days (366 in leap years), with decimals omitted from the result. Each station per line is ranked individually, as the system counts transfer stations separately. The percentage change is calculated automatically using the data from the current year and the previous year.
  2. ^ Estación del Metro Balbuena. Spanish pronunciation: [balˈβwena] ⓘ

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Afluencia de estación por línea (2022–presente)" [Station traffic by line (2022–present)] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2025. Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Balbuena" (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  3. ^ Zamarrón, Israel (2 September 2021). "En declive y con 52 años, la Línea 1 del Metro apunta hacia los trenes autónomos" [At 52 years old and in decline, Metro Line 1 is moving toward the adoption of driverless trains]. Forbes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Accessibilidad en estaciones" [Stations accessibility] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  5. ^ @MetroCDMX (13 August 2024). "Las guías podotáctiles son una herramienta de apoyo y accesibilidad para las personas con discapacidad visual; la red cuenta con este tipo de guías en las estaciones de mayor afluencia, así como en las estaciones en operación de la Línea 1; por lo que se exhorta a las personas usuarias a evitar obstruirlas o sentarse sobre éstas. El Metro es de todos, cuídalo" [Tactile guides are a support and accessibility tool for people with visual disabilities. The network features these guides in high-traffic stations, as well as in the operational stations of Line 1. Users are encouraged to avoid obstructing or sitting on them. The Metro belongs to everyone; please take care of it] (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Centros de Transferencia Modal (CETRAM): Alcaldía Venustiano Carranza" [Modal Transfer Centers: Venustiano Carranza Borough] (in Spanish). Órgano Regulador de Transporte. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Línea 1, Ciudad de México" [Line 1, Mexico City] (in Spanish). iNGENET Infraestructura. 20 July 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Los primeros usuarios del Metro" [The first users of the Metro]. El Universal (in Spanish). 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Longitud de estación a estación por línea" [Length from station to station by line] (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  10. ^ Valdez, Ilich (10 April 2016). "Metro lanza licitación para modernizar 4 estaciones de Línea 1" [Metro launches a tender to modernize four stations on Line 1]. Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. ^ González, Juan Pablo (23 September 2021). "Cerrarán parcialmente la Línea 1 del Metro durante el primer semestre del 2022" [Line 1 of the Metro will be partially closed during the first half of 2022]. Noticieros Televisa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ^ Salazar, Juan Pedro (27 June 2022). "La L1 del Metro de CDMX cerrará de Pantitlán a Salto del Agua, desde el 11 de julio" [Line 1 of the Mexico City Metro will close from Pantitlán to Salto del Agua starting 11 July]. La Lista (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  13. ^ De la Rosa, Yared (29 October 2023). "Con 7 meses de retraso, reabren Línea 1 del Metro; sólo se podrá ingresar con tarjeta" [With a 7-month Delay, Line 1 of the Metro Reopens; Entry Will Only Be Allowed with Card]. Forbes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  14. ^ López, Jonás (27 July 2024). "Nueva L1, con goteras y humedad" [New Line 1, with leaks and humidity]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  15. ^ Pantoja, Sara (20 January 2021). "La estación Balbuena del Metro se inunda con aguas negras (Video)" [Balbuena metro station flooded with wastewater]. Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2021" [Station traffic by line in 2021] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2020" [Station traffic by line in 2020] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2021. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2019" [Station traffic by line in 2019] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2018" [Station traffic by line in 2018] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2017" [Station traffic by line in 2017] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2019. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2016" [Station traffic by line in 2016] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2017. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  • Media related to Estación Balbuena (Metro de México) at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Metro Balbuena". At the Official Guide to Mexico City.
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