metro station is a transfer station on the Mexico City Metro in , Mexico City. is a combined underground and at-grade station divided into three lines, each with two side platforms and one island platform, employing the Spanish solution layout. It serves Lines 2 (Blue Line), 8 (Green Line), and 9 (Brown Line).

metro station is located between and stations on Line 2, between and stations on Line 8, and between and stations on Line 9. It serves the (neighborhoods) of , , and . The station's pictogram features an apricot and its name derives from a nearby street that once had several apricot trees.

metro station opened on 1 August 1970, initially providing northbound service on Line 2 toward station and southbound service toward station. Service on Line 9, running west to east from to , began on 26 August 1987. Line 8 service, with trains running southeast toward and north toward station, commenced on 20 July 1994. The Line 2 station was rebuilt when the transfer facilities were constructed.

The station is accessible to people with disabilities, with elevators, escalators and wheelchair ramps. Outside, several local bus routes serve the area. Inside are an Internet café, an information desk, a cultural showcase, a private library, and a mural titled by José de Guimarães. The station was used as a filming location for the 1990 film Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Javier Álvarez named a composition after the station. In 2025, the station recorded an average of 32,793 daily passenger entries.

Location and layout

is a transfer metro station, located in the borough, in central Mexico City. It is situated along (Line 2), beneath Calle Juan A. Mateos (Line 8) and beneath Eje 3 Sur – Calzada Chabacano (Line 9). The station serves three (neighborhoods) of , , and .

metro station serves as an interchange for three lines. It is located between and stations on Line 2, between and stations on Line 8, and between and stations on Line 9.

Several bus routes serve the station. The (RTP) bus system includes Routes , , 33, , and , while the public bus system includes Routes , , , , , and .

metro station has multiple exits serving its various lines. For Line 2, there are two exits: the eastern exit is located between , , and in , while the western exit is located between , , and in .

Line 8 has three exits: north, southeast, and southwest. These are located at the respective corners of and in . Line 9 has four exits: the northeast and southeast exits are located at the corners of and . in , while the northwest and southwest exits are at the corners of and in .

Unlike the system's other transfer stations, which are linked by underground tunnels, the transfer passageway between Lines 2 and 9 is elevated due to limited space for a tunnel. The bridge crosses several houses and streets and is long. Commuters using Line 8 must navigate two additional sets of stairs that connect to a tunnel running between and .

History and construction

Name and pictogram The station is named after the avenue of the same name, which once had several apricot trees, and its pictogram features the silhouette of its fruit. means "apricot" in Mexican Spanish; in other regions, it can mean "tacky" or "vulgar".

Line 2 The line was built by , , and , the latter being a subsidiary of . station opened on 1 August 1970, as part of the inaugural – service. The station was built at grade level with a design similar to other stations in the at-grade section, including an island platform. The section between and is long, while the section between and measures .

When construction of Lines 8 and 9 began, the station was rebuilt to improve passenger boarding and alighting. The Spanish solution was implemented across all platforms, whereby alighting passengers use the central platform, while boarding passengers use the side platforms on the opposite side of the train. The station offers accessibility features, including four elevators.

As part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, authorities implemented partial closures at the station starting on 9 February 2026, to carry out rehabilitation work on the line. The station was connected to the , a pedestrian overpass built during the renovation works that runs above the Line 2 tracks toward .

Line 8 built the line, whose first and only section opened on 20 July 1994, running from to . is an underground station; the tunnel between and is long, while the section between and measures .

Line 9 built the line, whose first section, including , opened on 26 August 1987, running from towards station. is an underground station; the tunnel to is long, while the tunnel toward measures long.

The station provides accessible facilities, including wheelchair ramps, two elevators, and escalators. These facilities were renovated in 2021 to address obsolescence.

Incidents On 28 December 2010, an elderly passenger attempting to help two people who had dropped their belongings onto the tracks fell onto the rails and was struck and killed by an approaching Line 2 train. On 4 June 2018, a law student was arrested for attempting to access the Benito Juárez library inside the station after the station manager denied him entry, stating that it was reserved for metro personnel. The public prosecutor’s office declined to pursue charges, deeming the restriction unjustified under the City Libraries Code, as the facility is located in a public space. Metro authorities later clarified that the library is open to the general public upon registration.

On 12 September 2020, the station was vandalized by feminists protesting reported cases of harassment and restrictions on street vendors within the metro system. Following the collapse of a bridge on Line 12, which resulted in 26 deaths, demonstrators vandalized the station again and assaulted metro staff, whom they held responsible for the accident. On 1 April 2022, a woman slipped on an escalator, triggering a chain reaction that knocked down seven other people, all of whom sustained minor injuries.

Landmarks, cultural events and popular culture

The station includes an Internet café, an information desk, a cultural display, a private library, and a mural titled (English: "Culture and Civilization") by Portuguese artist José de Guimarães. Created on a ceramic surface, the mural is divided into two sections and is located on Line 9. Inaugurated on 6 November 1996, it features elements from the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mesoamerica. According to de Guimarães, "two fundamental archetypes have prevailed throughout the centuries [in pre-Hispanic culture in Mexico]: the serpent as a symbol of water-life and the jaguar as a symbol of earth-fertility. Without these two important elements for man, history would not take place".

Due to its size, metro station has held cultural programs in its lobby. The station has hosted mini-concerts featuring musicians such as Trans-X, Ji-Hae Park, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán.

Scenes from the 1990 film Total Recall were filmed at the station at night. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and set in the year 2084. The film depicts a future in which humanity has colonized Mars. In one scene on Earth, Douglas Quaid, a secret agent with erased memories, escapes from attackers by entering a subway station and leaping through the window of an outbound train. During filming, Schwarzenegger accidentally cut his wrist when the crew failed to detonate the window on time. To transform the building for the scene, the film crew painted the walls and a train in cement gray, covered the signage, and added monitors throughout the station. Mexican composer Javier Álvarez named one of his compositions after the metro station. It was played live by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano at the station during an exhibition in September 1991.

By 2020, the station and its surrounding area had become a popular location for buying and selling used and vintage clothing, particularly on weekends.

Ridership

According to official data, Line 2 records higher usage than Lines 8 and 9, which are among the least accessed in the system. Prior to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic the station recorded a total ridership of 15,920,404 passengers in 2019, averaging 43,584 daily entries. System authorities estimated that an average of 83,000 passengers traveled through the station daily in 2021.

The station's total ridership for 2025 was 11,969,655 passengers, with a daily average of 32,793 entries. By line, Line 2 recorded 7,932,688 passengers, averaging 21,733 per day. Line 8 recorded 1,273,326 passengers, averaging 3,488 per day. Line 9 recorded 2,763,641 passengers, averaging 7,571 per day.

In 2025, when considered individually among the system's 195 stations, the Line 2 station ranked 47th busiest; the Line 8 station ranked 188th in the system, while the Line 9 station ranked 155th.

Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 7,932,688 21,733 47/195 2024 7,057,566 19,282 53/195 2023 8,005,603 21,933 43/195 2022 8,005,603 20,024 43/195 2021 4,497,267 12,321 61/195 2020 6,707,998 18,327 34/195 2019 10,452,786 28,637 47/195 2018 10,831,155 29,674 45/195 2017 10,264,980 28,123 47/195 2016 10,272,203 28,066 49/195 Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 1,273,326 3,488 188/195 2024 1,283,378 3,506 180/195 2023 1,479,067 4,052 170/195 2022 1,170,770 3,207 171/195 2021 988,177 2,707 177/195 2020 884,432 2,416 189/195 2019 1,554,977 4,260 191/195 2018 1,571,045 4,304 191/195 2017 1,424,001 3,901 191/195 2016 1,394,042 3,808 191/195 Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 2,763,641 7,571 155/195 2024 2,401,683 6,561 155/195 2023 3,073,903 8,421 132/195 2022 3,091,961 8,471 128/195 2021 2,813,390 7,707 117/195 2020 2,119,283 5,790 150/195 2019 3,912,641 10,719 150/195 2018 4,014,545 10,998 146/195 2017 3,997,946 10,953 143/195 2016 3,998,201 10,924 144/195

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