The Quito Metro (officially Metro Q) is Ecuador's first metro system and one of the highest in the world, running at around 2,850 m above sea level. A single line, 22.5 km long and entirely underground, links Quitumbe in the south with El Labrador in the north in 34 minutes.
The Quito Metro is a single-line rapid transit system serving Ecuador's capital. It is operated by Empresa Pública Metropolitana Metro de Quito, a municipal company, and it is the country's first metro.
The line runs north to south along the length of the city, from the Quitumbe terminal in the far south to El Labrador in the north. The full journey takes 34 minutes, compared with well over 90 minutes by road at peak times.
Because Quito sits in a narrow Andean valley, the entire alignment is underground — there is no elevated or surface section anywhere on the line. At roughly 2,850 metres above sea level, it is among the highest metro systems in operation anywhere.
The Metro is integrated with the city's existing bus corridors — Trolebús, Ecovía and Metrobús-Q — at several interchange stations. See the Line 1 guide for the full station list.
Planning began in the early 2000s, as Quito searched for a way to relieve chronic congestion in a city stretched along a narrow valley where road capacity cannot easily be widened.
Between 2 and 11 May 2023 the Metro ran a short free trial period for the public before closing again to complete testing and staff training. Full paid service has run continuously since December 2023.
The system is operated under a six-year contract by Empresa Operadora Metro de Medellín Transdev (EOMMT), a joint venture between Colombia's Metro de Medellín and the French operator Transdev, on behalf of the municipal company that owns the infrastructure.
22.5 km, 15 stations, 100% underground. End-to-end journey time of 34 minutes at a commercial speed of about 38 km/h.
Bored beneath the city at an altitude of roughly 2,850 m, which makes this one of the highest metro tunnels ever built.
Five stations are integrated with existing bus terminals and corridors, including El Recreo, La Magdalena and El Labrador.
Fares are flat and do not depend on distance travelled: USD 0.45 standard, USD 0.22 reduced, USD 0.10 for passengers with disabilities. See the fares page for who qualifies.
The fleet consists of 18 CAF MQ117 trainsets, built by the Spanish manufacturer CAF specifically for the altitude and gradients of the Quito alignment.
All stations have lifts and escalators, platform information screens showing waiting times, ticket offices and automatic machines for the Metro Q card, and staffed security.
The Metro runs every day of the year, including public holidays:
Access is by the rechargeable Metro Q card, issued free of charge at station ticket offices; it is activated with a USD 1 top-up that remains on the card as credit. Full details on the how-to-use guide and the schedule page.
There is no Line 2 under construction, despite what some sources suggest. What is planned is an extension of Line 1 itself northwards, from El Labrador to La Ofelia.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | ~5.3 km |
| New stations | 4 |
| Estimated cost | ~USD 520 million |
| Environmental licence | Granted February 2026 |
| Final studies | Due October 2026 |
| Works | From 2028, ~36 months |
| Estimated opening | 2031 |
This is a project at the study stage, not a confirmed timetable. Beyond La Ofelia, a further technical assessment towards Calderón has been discussed but nothing is committed.