metro station is a transfer station on the Mexico City Metro in , Mexico City. is a combined underground and at-grade station divided into two lines. It serves Lines 3 (Olive Line) and 5 (Yellow Line), each with two side platforms. metro station is located between and stations on Line 3, and between and stations on Line 5. It serves the (neighborhoods) of and . The station is situated along Avenida de los Insurgentes and Eje Central.
metro station opened on 25 August 1978 as the temporary northern terminal of Line 3, with southbound service to . Service on Line 5 began on 1 July 1982. The station's pictogram represents the nearby , a pyramid-shaped structure dedicated to , Mexico's diverse native peoples and cultures.
The station is partially accessible to people with disabilities, including braille signage plates and elevators. The transfer tunnel is approximately long, making it the second-longest in the system. Inside, The Tunnel of Science permanent science exhibition features science and astronomy pictures and information. Also, there is an Internet café, a showcase exhibition, a library, and a mural titled , painted by Ariosto Otero Reyes. Outside, there is a bicycle parking station and a transportation hub serving local and intercity routes.
In 2025, metro station served 13,029,191 passenger entries. Since its opening, the station has been the site of several incidents, including a shooting and a train crash in the northbound tunnel, both on Line 3.
Location and layout
is a transfer metro station, located in the (neighborhoods) of and , in borough, northern Mexico City. The stop is situated below (Line 3), and along (Line 5). The station facilities offer accessibility for people with disabilities, featuring braille plates and elevators.
Within the system, it is followed by and stations on Line 3 and and stations on Line 5. The station has five exits. On Line 3, the northwest and southwest exits provide access to in , while the western exit leads to the avenue in . On Line 5, the northern exit provides access to and in , while the southern exit leads to .
The area is serviced by a (), a type of transportation hub covering . From there, commuters can access various routes and modes of transportation. The provides access to various routes and modes of transportation, including 1 and 3 of the Mexico City Metrobús system, Line 4 of the Mexibús system, Line 1 (formerly Line A) of the trolleybus network, Routes , 12, 23, , and 103 of the Red de Transporte de Pasajeros network, and Routes , , and of the city's public bus network. Street stalls are also present within the .
In August 2016, the Government of Mexico City installed a bicycle parking station outside Line 3.
The passenger transfer tunnel that connects Line 3 with Line 5 has an approximate length of , and is the second-longest in the system after Atlalilco metro station, which connects Lines 8 and 12 (the Green and Golden lines, respectively), whose length is . Inside the station, there is an Internet café, a help desk, and a library.
History and construction Name and pictogram
metro station pictogram was named after the nearby , a pyramid-shaped construction erected in 1940 in honor of ; the station's pictogram features the silhouette of the monument.
Line 3 The line was built by , , and , the latter being a subsidiary of . La Raza metro station opened on 25 August 1978, providing service southward toward station. It became the northern terminal of the line until service was extended northward to on 1 December 1979.
The station was built underground, and the stretch between La Raza and Potrero transitions from the underground level to the grade level. Its length is . The opposite tunnel toward Tlatelolco is long.
Line 5 built the line, which was inaugurated on 19 December 1981. The station opened on 1 July 1982, as part of the western expansion from to . The station was built at grade level and served as the terminus station, until the northwest extension toward opened on 30 August 1982. The section between and is long, while the opposite one toward Misterios is long, going from the street level to the underground one.
In 2008, Metro authorities performed maintenance work on the station's roof.
Incidents The station floods during periods of heavy rainfall.
On 28 September 1995, Ernesto Cruz Jiménez, a police officer from Huixquilucan, State of Mexico, entered a parked train and shot seven passengers, killing two. After his arrest, Cruz said that he felt depressed. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Following the shooting, the Government of Mexico City installed walk-through metal detectors in multiple stations.
On 15 May 2026, a shock group from the UNAM's College of Sciences and Humanities beat up a man in the transfer tunnel and set off firecrackers.
2023 train crash
Two trains collided inside the – interstation tunnel while both headed toward metro station on 7 January 2023. The accident killed one person and injuring 106 others. Twenty days later, the Mexico City Attorney General's Office attributed the accident to two factors: reported cable theft in the area the previous day and negligent driving by the operator, who had failed to deactivate the autopilot and switch to manual operation in the affected area, as required by the procedure manual. Following the accident, the Mexico City government deployed National Guard personnel to monitor Metro stations, alleging that opponents had sabotaged the system without providing evidence to support the claim. A Metro driver subsequently published a video showing the condition of the tunnels, including areas with inadequate lighting.
Landmarks
The Museum () is a permanent exhibition that displays images and information about science and astronomy on the walls inside the transfer tunnel. It was inaugurated on 30 November 1988, becoming the first Latin American scientific exhibition installed in a public transport facility. It was installed to provide scientific information to passengers, particularly aimed at young people, many of whom are students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).
The tunnel covers an area of and features images of autumn-sky constellations, planets and satellites, and the Milky Way. In the middle of the tunnel, there is a drawn-to-scale representation of the celestial sphere displaying the 12 zodiac constellations in luminous paint. The exhibition was installed by Universum, UNAM's science museum. It is estimated that 60,000 people visit the exhibition through guided tours. In 2018, the remodeled the exposition.
Other exhibitions On 25 November 2008, the Metro authorities installed the mural (1997; ), painted and donated by the Mexican painter .
In June 2015, the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV) of the IPN exhibited multiple human brains, showcasing their anatomy, and some injuries they had suffered. In April 2016, the displayed rocks, fossils, minerals, and a shark jaw. In June 2016, the system featured an exhibition of 80 preserved human body parts by the Tominaga Nakamoto University, a display of 50 sculptures by Nour Kuri depicting human bodies, and six photographs by Duilio Rodríguez representing pain.
In May and June 2018, La Raza metro station hosted exhibitions by Manuel de la Cera, Norma Patiño, Teresa Olalde, and the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM)'s LibroFest. From 21 August to 15 October 2018, the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SAGARPA) and the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) presented an exhibition in the tunnel focused on bees and their ecological importance. In 2020, the station temporarily displayed pictures, landscapes, and sculptures created by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger.
Gallery
Ridership
According to official data, Line 3 records higher usage than Line 5, which is among the least accessed in the system. Prior to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, La Raza metro station recorded a total ridership of 14,942,281 passengers in 2019, averaging 40,937 daily entries.
The station's total ridership for 2025 was 13,029,191 passengers, with a daily average of 35,696 entries. By line, Line 3 recorded 9,968,302 passengers, averaging 27,310 per day. Line 5 recorded 3,060,889 passengers, averaging 8,385. In the same year, when considered individually among the system's 195 stations, the Line 3 station ranked 30th busiest, while the Line 5 station ranked 148th.
Annual passenger ridership (Line 3) Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 9,968,302 27,310 30/195 2024 9,428,172 25,760 31/195 2023 9,077,998 24,871 29/195 2022 8,873,704 24,311 26/195 2021 6,278,397 17,201 33/195 2020 6,817,252 18,626 33/195 2019 11,364,171 31,134 38/195 2018 11,761,940 32,224 35/195 2017 11,820,693 32,385 36/195 2016 11,237,304 30,703 43/195
Annual passenger ridership (Line 5) Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 3,060,889 8,385 148/195 2024 3,352,554 9,159 135/195 2023 3,418,439 9,365 124/195 2022 2,972,607 8,144 133/195 2021 2,414,062 6,613 125/195 2020 2,230,054 6,093 146/195 2019 3,578,110 9,803 155/195 2018 3,624,651 9,930 154/195 2017 3,638,243 9,967 152/195 2016 3,484,215 9,519 151/195
Notes
References
External links
El túnel de la ciencia Official Website (in Spanish)