Indios Verdes station services the colonias (neighborhoods) of Residencial Zacatenco and Santa Isabel Tola. The station and its surrounding area are named for the verdigris statues of Itzcoatl and Ahuitzotl, both Aztec rulers. Located in the nearby Parque Mestizaje, these statues are collectively known as the Monumento a los Indios Verdes, and their silhouettes are depicted in the pictogram.
The station facilities are accessibleto people with disabilities featuring tactile pavings and braille signage plates. The station is commonly ranked among the busiest in the system.
In 2019, it recorded an average daily ridership of 107,376 passengers, making it the third-busiest station overall and the busiest on its line.
The area is serviced by a Centro de transferencia modal (CETRAM), a transportation hub covering 91,785 square meters (987,970 sq ft). From there, commuters can access various routes and modes of transportation.[6] Among the available options are Lines 1, 3, and 7 of the Metrobús system,[7][8]Line IV of the Mexibús system, Line 1 of the Cablebús network, and Line 2 of the Mexicable network.[7][9]
Local buses departing from the area include Routes 101, 101-A, 101-B, 101-D, 102, 107-B, and 108 of the Red de Transporte de Pasajeros network.[10] Additionally, as of 2017, there were 28 pesero routes (bus and minibus routes) originating from various locations within the city and the metropolitan area.[11]
Street stalls abound in the CETRAM, where commuters can purchase street food, clothing, accessories, flowers, gifts, and phone accessories. According to the vendors themselves, there are about 1,000 stalls.[11][12]
History and construction
Line 3 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro, and Cometro (a division of Empresas ICA);[13] the Indios Verdes–Deportivo 18 de Marzo stretch has a length of 1,166 meters (3,825 ft).[14]
Indios Verdes metro station opened on 1 December 1979, on the first day of the Indios Verdes–Hospital General service.[15] Originally, Line 8 (which runs from downtown Mexico City to Constitución de 1917 station in Iztapalapa) was planned to run from Pantitlán, in eastern Mexico City, to Indios Verdes station. The project was canceled due to potential structural issues it would have caused near the Zócalo zone as it was planned to interchange with Line 2 at Zócalo station.[16] The project of Line 8 was later modified to run from Indios Verdes to Constitución de 1917 station. However, its construction did not go beyond Garibaldi / Lagunilla metro station, its provisional terminal since 1994.[17][18]
The CETRAM began reorganization in 2020. The project plans to demolish the Metrobús station serving lines 1 and 3 and the temporary Mexibús station and place them next to the metro station. It is also intended to reorganize the bus hub and facilitate the connection of the stations with a series of pedestrian bridges that will connect them to the Cablebús, Metrobús Line 7, and Mexicable services.[7][19][20]
Name and pictogram
The station is named after the verdigris statues of Aztec TlatoqueItzcoatl and Ahuitzotl, collectively known as the Monumento a los Indios Verdes (Green Indians Monument). The pictogram also features silhouettes of the statues.[4] In April 2023, Adriana Espinosa de los Monteros, a representative for the National Regeneration Movement party in the Congress of Mexico City, proposed renaming the metro station to Estación Emperadores Mexicas (Mexica Emperors station), because she believes that the term Indian is derogatory, discriminatory, and "[is still used] with the intention of hurting the susceptibility of the receiver of the message by considering him or her inferior because he or she is poor or because he or she comes from a native people" and that the change is necessary "in order to respect the spirit of the Political Constitution of Mexico City".
The proposed renaming would only apply to that particular metro station; it makes no mention of any nearby stations or the Monumento a los Indios Verdes.[21] Transport operators in the station area considered that the change is unnecessary and that it will not have any effect on commuters.[22]
Incidents
Around 7:30 in the morning on 12 April 2013, an explosion was heard on the stairs leading to CETRAM's I platform with no injuries or damage reported.[23] A box containing explosives, cables, pellets, a battery, and a watch was allegedly deposited on the steps leading to exit I by a man, who was aided by an accomplice who functioned as a lookout, according to the authorities.[24] On 10 February 2021, in the midst of a rainy afternoon, an approaching train caught fire on the platform with no passengers reported harmed.[25]
On 20 April 2021, the third railcar of a train derailed when the driver performed a maneuver at the Ticomán railyard. No injuries were reported but the train had to be taken out of service.[26] Again, on March 30, 2023, another train had a similar incident.[27]
Indios Verdes is one of the metro stations that floods the most frequently when it rains heavily.[28]
Ridership
According to the data provided by the authorities since the 2000s, Indios Verdes metro station has been one of the busiest stations of the system's 195 stations. Before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport, commuters averaged per year between 107,376 and 120,800 daily entrances between 2014 and 2019; the station had a ridership of 39,192,273 passengers in 2019,[29] which represented a decrease of 1,109,896 passengers compared to 2018.[30] Also in 2019, Indios Verdes metro station was the third busiest of the system's 195 stations and it was the busiest of the line.[29]
West view of the CETRAM in 2015. In the background on the right is the Metrobús station serving lines 1 and 3. The metro station is not visible, but is located to the far right.
Exit to the CETRAM's platforms A and B located east of the station.
Notes
^Estación del Metro Indios Verdes. Spanish pronunciation: [ˈindjosˈβeɾðes]ⓘ. The name of the station literally means "Green Indians" in Spanish.
^The metro website does not mention the southern exits.
^Navarro, Maleny (19 August 2021). "Avanza Línea Verde del Mexicable, conectará al Edomex con CDMX" [The Green Line of the Mexicable is progressing and will connect the State of Mexico with Mexico City.]. El Sol de México (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
^"Red de Rutas" [Routes network] (in Spanish). Red de Transporte de Pasajeros. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
^Solis, Vania (23 January 2017). "¿Qué hay en el Metro Indios Verdes?" [What's at Indios Verdes metro station?]. máspormás (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
^"Línea 3, Ciudad de México" [Line 3, Mexico City] (in Spanish). iNGENET Infraestructura. 20 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
^"Línea 8, Ciudad de México" [Line 8, Mexico City] (in Spanish). iNGENET Infraestructura. 20 July 2009. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
^ abc"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.
^ ab"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.
^"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.
^"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.
^"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.
^"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.
^"Afluencia de estación por línea 2015" [Station traffic by line in 2015] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2016. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
^"Afluencia de estación por línea 2014" [Station traffic by line in 2014] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2015. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.