Ie-Tram Yucatán

The Ie-Tram Yucatán is an under-construction bus network in the city of Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.

Ie-Tram Yucatán
Overview
LocaleMérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Transit typeBus rapid transit
Number of lines5
Number of stations67
Operation
Began operationDecember 2023 (planned)

It will be a fully electric bus rapid transit (BRT) network, making Mérida the fourth city in Mexico to have electric buses and the first to have a fully electric BRT system.

The system will operate entirely using buses of the Ie-Tram model (named for the system itself), manufactured by the Spanish company Irizar.

The bus network will be 116 kilometers long, and it will feature bus lanes. The network will have 67 bus stops, of which 46 will be in the bus lanes and 21 will be located in the streets. There will be terminals near the Tren Maya stations and a central station located near the new Parque de La Plancha.[1]

The Ie-Tram Yucatán will begin service in December 2023, coinciding with the opening of the connecting Tren Maya.[2]

Construction

The Ie-Tram is being constructed on top of old railroad right-of-way that passed within the city of Mérida. These tracks have been abandoned for years, and the state of Yucatán declared them to be in disuse. Hence, these tracks are able to be used for public transport, and the Ie-Tram can avoid road traffic for part of its route. The system will cost 2.820 million pesos, of which state government of Yucatán will contribute 61% of the investment; the federal government of Mexico, through Banobras, will contribute 23%; and private initiatives will contribute the 16% that will be used for the acquisition of the electric buses.

On 24 January 2023, the governor of Yucatán, Mauricio Vila Dosal, attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the section of the Ie-Tram connecting Teya and Kanasín.

The first stage of construction comprises approximately 5 km that goes from the park of La Plancha on 39th Avenue, to the exit in the Los Heroes division in the periphery of Mérida, being the first of several stages of its construction. This stage includes the removal of the old railway tracks, then the construction of the exclusive lanes, sidewalks, cycleways, traffic lights, improvements of the urban environment, and signs along the route.

The next stages of construction, of the lines to Umán, Poxilá and the Faculty of Engineering, will be completed between November and December 2023.

The buses will travel on exclusive, preferential and mixed lanes. The plan will also include charging points for the buses, bus stations, the remodeling of the urban environment and complementary works for the union with other means of transport.[3]

The first two routes, Teya and Kanasin, were completed by August 2023, the month in which the Tren Maya, as well as the connections between the two networks, will be tested.

Lines

The Ie-Tram network consists of 5 lines:[4][5]

Line Route
1 Parque La Plancha ↔ Kanasín
2 Parque La Plancha ↔ Teya railway station
3 Parque La Plancha ↔ Engineering Faculty of the UADY
4 Parque La Plancha ↔ Parque Umán
5 Parque La Plancha ↔ Umán railway station

Payment systems

It is intended that all public transport in the city of Mérida and its metropolitan area will be approved and fully electronic through the Va y Ven Smart Card, which will also be used on the Va y Ven bus network.[6][7]

  • Blue Card for general passage (MX$12.00) [8]
  • Yellow Card for students and seniors (MX$5.00) [8]
  • White Card for persons with disabilities (free) [8]

There will be 46 stations where you can make free transfers between Ie-Tram and the different transport routes of the Va and Ven.

Connection with other modes of public transit

The Ie-Tram will connect with various other modes of public transit.

  • Line 2 will connect with the Tren Maya at Teya Mérida station.
  • Line 5 will connect with the Tren Maya at Umán station.
  • Many stations on the Ie-Tram will connect with the Va y Ven.

References
  1. "El Ie-tram como sistema de transporte de la más alta calidad y precedente para el futuro, se consolida a través del trabajo conjunto impulsado por el Gobernador Mauricio Vila Dosal". Government of the State of Yucatán (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  2. "Yucatán estrenará en 2023, IE-TRAM, transporte público 100% eléctrico". energy21.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  3. "De España para Yucatán: así será el primer transporte 100% eléctrico que recorrerá las calles de este estado". Obras (in Spanish). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  4. "8*5 IETRAM_MAPA 2" (PDF). Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  5. "MAPA lETRAM". PDF. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  6. "lETRAM". PDF. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  7. "IE-TRAM en Mérida: Así será el sistema de cobros del transporte". www.poresto.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  8. "Tarifa va y ven junio 2022" (PDF).
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