Damaged and insufficient bus stops at Medellín Metro stations, according to El Colombiano

Passengers who use the bus stops of the integrated routes that connect with the Metro de Medellín face damaged, missing or insufficient shelters, according to El Colombiano. The newspaper cites complaints from users on social media and at the stops themselves, with the most serious cases reported along Line A.

Where the problems are

According to the report, some of the worst-maintained stops are located where there is no elevated viaduct. At Estrella station, which about 24,700 people use each day, the stops on the Autopista Sur side are described as twisted and covered with torn plastic, with only about four stops for a large demand. Vendors and users told the newspaper that queues can stretch about 200 metres in the rain.

At Sabaneta station, about 16,000 users arrive daily, and the stops on the Itagüí side are described as having only poles and metal benches left. On the Sabaneta side of Itagüí station, which serves about 25,400 passengers a day, one stop on the Autopista has been closed, so passengers must find other ways to board and alight from buses.

At Envigado, Ayurá and Aguacatala stations, the main issue is the number of stops rather than their condition. Usually there are only one or two per station exit. At Poblado, one of the busiest stations with almost 50,000 daily users, the Avenida Regional side has no integrated stop at all. At Industriales, the report says that stops have not been attended to for four months and that their roofs are broken.

Responses from authorities

The Metro de Medellín told El Colombiano that it has 31 stops on loan in the area around some of its stations. It said the remaining stops, including their maintenance and construction, are the responsibility of each municipality.

The Alcaldía de Medellín said that 793 of the 802 stops under its care are in operation. The other nine have major damage, mainly from vandalism or crashes, and are checked weekly for repair. The newspaper notes that this differs from what users described. Earlier in the report, the total for Medellín was given as 833 stops.

The Itagüí municipality committed to repairing the affected stops at Sabaneta station and said work would begin in about 20 days, with no new stops planned for the area. The Alcaldía de La Estrella stated that maintenance of those stops belongs to Sabaneta for jurisdictional reasons. According to El Colombiano, Sabaneta had not replied by the time the article was published.