División del Norte metro station

Pictogram of División del Norte metro station. It features the silhouette of a rider on a horse. División del Norte
Mexico City Metro
An almost empty subway hall.
The station hall in 2025. Its walls feature a musical design and display the biographies of numerous Mexican musicians.
General information
LocationDivisión del Norte Avenue, Cuauhtémoc Avenue and Universidad Avenue
Benito Juárez, Mexico City
Mexico
Coordinates19°22′48″N 99°09′32″W / 19.380021°N 99.158885°W / 19.380021; -99.158885
SystemMexico City Metro
OwnerGovernment of Mexico City
OperatorSistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsMexico City Metrobús Line 3 División del Norte
Construction
Structure type
Underground
Other information
StatusIn service
History
Opened25 August 1980 (1980-08-25)
Passengers
20254,557,795[1][a] Increase 1.87%
Rank115/195[1][a]
Services
Preceding station Mexico City Metro Following station
Eugenia
toward Indios Verdes
 Line 3 Zapata
toward Universidad
Location
División del Norte is located in Mexico City
División del Norte
Pictogram of División del Norte metro station. It features the silhouette of a rider on a horse. División del Norte
Location within Mexico City
Area map

División del Norte metro station[b] is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the city's borough of Benito Juárez. It is an underground railway stop with two side platforms serving Line 3 (Olive Line), between Eugenia and Zapata. It was opened on 25 August 1980, providing service north toward Indios Verdes and south toward Zapata.

División del Norte metro station services the colonias (neighborhoods) of Letrán Valle, Santa Cruz Atoyac, and Del Valle, in the intersection of Avenida División del Norte, Avenida Cuauhtémoc, and Avenida Universidad. The station's name references the avenue, which in turn honors the armed faction of the same name formed during the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920). Its pictogram depicts the revolutionary Pancho Villa riding a horse, who also formed part of the division, whose equestrian statue is nearby the station.

Inside, the station features a cultural display showcasing the biographies of numerous Mexican musicians. It also has a karaoke machine and a piano for visitors to use, although it no longer works. There is also a mural titled Encuentro de culturas by Graziella Scotese. Outside, there is the eponymous Metrobús station serving Line 3. In 2025, División del Norte metro station had an average daily ridership of 12,487 passengers, ranking it the 115th busiest stop in the network.

Location and layout

División del Norte is an underground metro station on Line 3 at the intersection of Avenida Cuauhtémoc, Avenida División del Norte, and Avenida Universidad. It serves the Colonias ("neighborhoods") of Letrán Valle, Santa Cruz Atoyac, and Del Valle, in the Benito Juárez borough, south-central Mexico City.[2]

División del Norte stop is located between Eugenia and Zapata stations on the line.[2] The area is serviced by the Metrobús bus rapid transit system (Line 3) at the eponymous División del Norte stop.[3]

The stop has five exits. The northeastern and southeastern exits lead to Colonia Letrán Valle along Avenida División del Norte. The former is located at the corner of Calle Matías Romero Oriente, and the latter at the corner of Calle Chichén Itza. The northwestern exit also leads to Avenida División del Norte, but in Colonia Santa Cruz Atoyac. The southern exit leads to Avenida Cuauhtémoc and Avenida Universidad in the same neighborhood. The final exit is located to the southwest, leading to Calle Matías Romero Poniente in Colonia del Valle.[2]

Due to the presence of multiple major avenues in the area, property values are relatively high near División del Norte station.[4]

Landmarks

Armando Manzanero singing into the karaoke microphone

División del Norte metro station was selected as an emblematic stop. Its interior features photographs and information about Mexican composers and singers, including Ricardo López Méndez, Reyli, Antonio Aguilar, Juan Gabriel, Alexander Acha, Aleks Syntek, and Ana Gabriel.[5][6]

The station has a karaoke machine that allows commuters to sing songs using its display.[5][6] It was inaugurated on 14 October 2017 by the head of government of Mexico City Miguel Ángel Mancera, who added, "music is bringing us comfort [...] expressing our emotions in our own way". Armando Manzanero was present at the event.[7] Also, the station has a piano, which allows metro passengers to play compositions.[8][9]

Additionally, División del Norte station has a cultural display, containing memorabilia related to singers,[7][10] and a mural by Graziella Scotese, titled Encuentro de culturas (transl. Encounter of the Cultures).[11]

History and construction

Line 3 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro, and Cometro, the latter being a subsidiary of Empresas ICA.[12] The section including División del Norte station formed part of a southward extension from Centro Médico to Zapata, opened on 25 August 1980, with service running north to Indios Verdes and south to Zapata.[13] The section between División del Norte and Eugenia station measures 715 meters (2,346 ft), while the opposite tunnel toward Zapata station is 794 meters (2,605 ft) long.[14]

The station formerly connected to Line O of the trolleybus system, which ran from San Antonio metro station to the Central de Abastos wholesale market.[15]

Name and pictogram

The station's pictogram features the silhouette of the equestrian statue of Pancho Villa found in nearby Parque de los Venados. The stop is named after the División del Norte armed faction, formed during the Mexican Revolution and led by Francisco "Pancho" Villa.[2] The statue formerly stood at the intersection where the station was later constructed, before being relocated.[16]

Incidents

Judith Velasco, Cuban actress and vedette, killed herself at the station. She gained popularity in Mexico during the 1970s and 1980s through appearances in productions such as El ministro y yo, Bellas de noche, La Carabina de Ambrosio, and Madres egoístas. According to acquaintances, she had experienced depression, faced declining work opportunities after being rejected by producers, and felt isolated in the days before her death. On the morning of 16 February 1994, Velasco left her home in Colonia del Valle, entered the station, and died by suicide after being struck by a train. Her remains were identified through her membership card from the National Association of Actors. As she had no family in the country, colleagues arranged her burial.[17]

Ridership

Graphic showing daily ridership
Daily ridership for División del Norte station in 2024

According to official data, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the station recorded between 17,900 and 19,500 average daily entries from 2016 to 2019. In 2025, it recorded 4,557,795 passengers, ranking 115th among the system's 195 stations.[1]

Annual passenger ridership[a]
Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref.
20254,557,79512,487115/195+1.87%[1]
20244,474,02212,224110/195−1.49%[1]
20234,541,80512,433104/195+8.76%[1][a]
20224,176,14311,441103/195+48.32%[1]
20212,815,7217,714116/195−19.55%[18]
20203,499,8059,562106/195−46.58%[19]
20196,552,06317,950100/195−3.24%[20]
20186,771,49918,55294/195+0.96%[21]
20176,706,79418,37495/195−5.62%[22]
20167,106,34419,41689/195−0.02%[23]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 The data here is limited to the most recent ten years to avoid excessive listings; earlier figures can be found in this page's history or on the Mexico City Metro website. To calculate the average daily ridership, the annual total is divided by 365 days (366 in leap years), with decimals omitted from the result. Each station per line is ranked individually, as the system counts transfer stations separately. The percentage change is calculated automatically using the data from the current year and the previous year.
  2. ↑ Estación del Metro División del Norte. Spanish pronunciation: [diβiˈsjon del ˈnoɾte] ⓘ. The name of the station literally means "Northern Division" in Spanish.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Afluencia de estación por línea (2022–presente)" [Station traffic by line (2022–present)] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2025. Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "División del Norte" (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "L3: mapas barrio" [L3: Area maps]. Mexico City Metrobús (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Domínguez Prieto, Olivia (2010). Trovadores posmodernos: músicos en el Sistema de Transporte Colectivo metro [Postmodern troubadours: musicians in the Metro public transit system] (PDF) (in Spanish). National Autonomous University of Mexico. p. 83. ISBN 978-607-02-1451-6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 Burgos Orozco, Ricardo (14 October 2019). "Karaoke en la estación del Metro División del Norte" [Karaoke at División del Norte metro station]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 "¡A cantar! instalan karaoke en Metro División del Norte" [Let's sing! Karaoke is coming to the División del Norte Metro station]. Milenio (in Spanish). Mexico City. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 Páramo, Arturo (14 October 2017). "'También de dolor se canta'; Mancera inaugura karaoke en el Metro" ['We sing about pain, too'; Mancera opens a karaoke bar in the Metro]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Meza, Humberto (15 January 2020). "Metro División del Norte, un espacio de homenaje permanente a compositores mexicanos" [División del Norte metro station, a permanent tribute to Mexican composerse]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Organización Editorial Mexicana. Archived from the original on 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Miranda, Erick (15 January 2019). "Olvidan estaciones emblemáticas del metro" [Iconic subway stations are being overlooked]. Reporte Índigo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "7 Galerías, museos, y espacios culturales en el metro de la CDMX" [7 Galleries, museums, and cultural venues in the Mexico City subway system]. Time Out (in Spanish). 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "STC Metro invita a recorrer sus murales durante Semana Santa" [STC Metro's invitation to explore its murals during Holy Week]. Expansión (in Spanish). Notimex. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ Ingeniería [Engineering] (in Spanish). Vol. 52. National Autonomous University of Mexico. 1982. p. 130.
  14. ↑ "Longitud de estación a estación por línea" [Length from station to station by line] (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Línea O, Eje 5 y 6 Sur" [Line O, Eje 5 and 6 Sur]. Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 February 2004. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "¿Dónde está Pancho Villa en el DF?" [Where is Pancho Villa in Mexico City]. Chilango (in Spanish). 20 November 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Orona, Karla (28 October 2022). "Judith Velasco: La bella actriz del Cine de Ficheras que terminó con su vida de la peor forma" [Judith Velasco: the Cine de Ficheras actress who died by suicide under tragic circumstances]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2021" [Station traffic per line 2021] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2020. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2020" [Station traffic per line 2020] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2021. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  20. ↑ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2019" [Station traffic per line 2019] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2018" [Station traffic per line 2018] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  22. ↑ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2017" [Station traffic per line 2017] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2019. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  23. ↑ "Afluencia de estación por línea 2016" [Station traffic per line 2016] (in Spanish). Sistema Transporte Colectivo Metro. 2017. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Estación División del Norte (Metro de México) at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Metro División del Norte". At the Official Guide to Mexico City.
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