San Rafael is a
commuter railway station serving the
Ferrocarril Suburbano, a
suburban rail that connects the
State of Mexico with
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
. The station is located in the municipality of
Tlalnepantla, State of Mexico, north of Mexico City.
General information
San Rafael station is located in the San Rafael industrial area in
Tlalnepantla and it is the fourth station of the system going northbound from
Buenavista. The station mainly services the factories area as well as inhabitants of the Tlayapa neighborhood.
As with
Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro ( es, Metro de la Ciudad de México) is a rapid transit system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City, including some municipalities in Mexico State. Operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC), it is ...
, each station of the
Ferrocarril Suburbano has a pictogram. San Rafael's pictogram depicts a fish. In many representations,
Saint Raphael can be seen holding a fish, therefore, a fish was chosen as the station's pictogram.
Jardines del Recuerdo, one of
Greater Mexico City
Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico ( es, Zona metropolitana del Valle de México). It encompasses Mexico City itself and 60 adjacent municipalities of the S ...
's most notable graveyards is located near the station.
History
San Rafael station opened on 2 June 2008 as part of the first stretch of system 1 of the
Ferrocarril Suburbano, going from
Buenavista in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
to the Lechería station in the
State of Mexico.
Before its construction, most of the area was barren land, except for the nearby factories. Illegal housing could also be found in the zone. Once the construction of San Rafael station was announced and after the station was inaugurated, several housing projects were developed in the area.
During its first years of operation, San Rafael station reported very little ridership. In occasions, trains would stop at the station as it is customary, but would not open the doors, since there were no passengers at the station.
[
In 2009, between San Rafael and Lechería station, two trains crashed, with around 100 people injured.]
Station layout
References
{{Commons cat, San Rafael Station (Tlalnepantla de Baz)
2008 establishments in Mexico
San Rafael
Railway stations opened in 2008
Tlalnepantla de Baz
Railway stations in the State of Mexico