A Miracle in the Underground: The Subway Tests End Earlier than Expected (Yes, You Read That Right)
In a turn of events as unexpected as finding a free seat during rush hour, Mexico City’s Metro Collective Transportation System (STC) has done the unthinkable: finish something before the promised date. That’s right, it’s not a New Year’s wish, it’s reality. The famous and eternal operational tests of the Juanacatlán-Observatorio section of Line 1 The head of the STC himself, Adrián Rubalcava“the tests of the new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system in #LaNuevaLínea1 were satisfactorily concluded.” Basically, the digital brain that will control the trains passed its final exam and there was no need to resort to the typical “already merit.” Thanks to this milestone, which for users is more epic than the last season of any streaming series, the train service on the Pantitlán–Chapultepec section will operate this Sunday at its usual schedule, until midnight. A small respite for the capital’s residents who were planning their return home with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. In an act of humility that we do not always see in high places, Rubalcava also took a moment to say thank you. Whom? To theElectric Transportation Service of the DF. (RTP) But wait, don’t put away your mobility card yet. The million-dollar question, the one we all ask ourselves with the anxiety of someone checking whether a tax refund has arrived, is: When the hell is Line 1 going to completely reopen? Because the tests are fine, they’re nice and all, but what people want is to get on a car without having to make a pilgrimage. Fortunately, someone with more authority than your dating app’s algorithm has the answer. The head of government, Clara Brugadatotal reopening to the public is projected for next November 16. Mark your calendars, set your phone alarm, make an offering to Saint Jude Thaddeus, patron saint of lost causes. It seems that the light at the end of the tunnel is, literally, the light of a Line 1 train. Let’s analyze this event a little, because it is no small thing. The implementation of the CBTC (Communications Based Train Control) system is not a simple software change; It is the equivalent of going from a rotary phone to a next-generation smartphone. This system allows for constant communication between the train and the track, resulting in safer, more efficient operation and, hopefully, fewer intervals between trains. It’s the technology that promises to prevent your trip from becoming a forced meditation session in a hot, dark tunnel. It is the great promise to decongest one of the most critical lines of the network, a modernization project that has had users navigating a labyrinth of alternative routes and complementary transport. The partial closure of Line 1 has been, without a doubt, one of those tests of faith for the average Chilango. It has tested our patience, our capacity for logistical improvisation and our tolerance for human heat in small spaces. Knowing that there is a date on the horizon, and that the tests are going well, is like receiving a message that your lost package has finally left customs. It generates cautious optimism, a hope that, perhaps, the city’s mobility chaos can have glimmers of order and foresight. While the long-awaited day of the official reopening arrives, we capital residents can enjoy this small victory: a Sunday with extended hours. A gesture that, in the grand scheme of things, is a wink from the transportation gods to remind us that all is not lost. That in the midst of traffic, pollution and stress, sometimes things can go well, and even go ahead. A phenomenon as rare as seeing a UFO, but infinitely more useful. Were you as happy about this news as we were?Share this glimmer of hope in the capital on your social networks and help us spread the word. And if you want to stay up to date with more news that reconciles Chilango with its city, explore more of our content on mobility and urban transformation.A Thank You That Sounds Like Relief (and RTP)
