One of the most controversial projects of the last few years in Mexico City is undoubtedly the construction of the Metrobús’ Line 7. There are as many arguments for as there are against it. Some argue that Line 7 is unnecessary as there are already enough buses which serve that area; others say that the construction will devalue the historic heritage that is one of the most famous avenues in the country. The people who want the project to succeed argue that a Metrobús line will provide citizens with safer and more affordable public transportation.
The proposed Line 7 extends from Indios Verdes all the way to Santa Fe, stretching approximately 15 kilometers (nine miles). Mexico City’s government has said that the project could reduce travel time up to 35 percent.
While the controversy rages on, on June 12 a federal judge ordered the project to be stopped, under the argument that the National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH) declared Reforma avenue and the Chapultepec forest as historic landmarks. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera, for his part, said in an interview that the construction will continue eventually, as he is planning on challenging the judge’s order on a federal level.
The matter is complicated, as the planned date for the ending of the construction was October 15, a deadline now made impossible to fulfill. Also, Mexico City’s government had already purchased 90 double-decker buses, a cost representing nearly $55 million.
Members of the Mexican Environmental Rights Academy (AMDA) also managed to acquire an amparo (a Mexican legal process that protects citizen’s basic rights) to stop the construction of the line, under the pretense that it will affect the tree species of the area, affect transportation and create further pollution and endanger any possible anthropological findings.
Nobody is sure what is going to happen. Meanwhile, Reforma is full of holes and traffic has increased.