Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

San Francisco de Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Overview - Quito • References & Helpful Links • Asset Notes

MetrobusQ

• Troncal Central Trolebús (El Trole)

• Troncal Oriental Ecovía

• Troncal Occidental (Central Norte & Sur Occidental)

Quito Metro (Metro de Quito)

• Line 1 (Línea 1)

Overview - Quito

Located in a long valley in the Andes, Quito (San Francisco de Quito) is the capital and the second largest city by population in Ecuador. It has approximately 2,011,000 inhabitants in the city proper as of 2020. The Quito metropolitan area comprised 3,156,182 residents as of the 2020 INEC census estimate.

Quito's rapid transit network consists of a metro service and multiple bus rapid transit corridors grouped into three trunk lines.

Metrobus-Q

With the first trunk line opening in 1995, Metrobus-Q consists of three formerly-separate bus rapid transit trunk lines (of which only one acts as an open busway) that serve the city of Quito, Pichincha and the surrounding suburbs. Due to the three main corridors having been historically operated by separate competing companies, they still operate mostly independently.

Troncal Central Trolebús (El Trole)

The Troncal Central of Metrobus-Q ("El Trole") is a bus rapid transit line on a North-South alignment. It runs from Terminal Quitumbe in the south to El Labrador and Terminal Carcelén in the north, serving 42 stations of which seven are served in a single direction only. Infill stations are planned on the portion from El Labrador to Terminal Carcelén, which lacks dedicated bus rapid transit infrastructure.

The Troncal Central was opened in December 1995 and the last extension to the line was the closure of Estación Norte and its replacement by Plaza de Toros and El Labrador in June 2018. The Troncal Central is owned by the Government of Quito and is operated by EPMTPQ.

Troncal Oriental Ecovía

The Troncal Oriental of Metrobus-Q is a bus rapid transit line on a North-South alignment. It runs from Terminal Quitumbe and Terminal Sur Ecovía in the south to Terminal Río Coca and De Las Universidades in the north, serving 42 stations.

The Troncal Ecovía was opened in 2002 and the last extension to the line was to Terminal Sur Ecovía in 2016. The Cumandá terminus was shuttered in 2018. The Troncal Oriental is owned by the Government of Quito and operated by EPMTPQ.

Troncal Occidental (Central Norte & Sur Occidental)

The Troncal Occidental of Metrobus-Q is a bus rapid transit line on a North-South alignment comprising northern (Troncal Central Norte) and southern (Troncal Sur Occidental, along Av. Mariscal Sucre) components. Troncal Sur Occidental runs from Terminal Quitumbe in the south to Seminario Mayor in the north while Troncal Central Norte runs from El Playón de la Marín (cut back from Cumandá in 2018) and the city center loop in the south to Terminal La Ofelia in the north, serving 44 stations of which 6 are served in a single direction only and of which 4 are paired but located in separate locations.

The Troncal Oriental was opened in 2005 (refurbished in 2012). The Cumandá terminus was shuttered in 2018. The Troncal Occidental is owned by the Government of Quito and operated by EPMTPQ as well as private companies.

Quito Metro (Metro de Quito)

Opened 2023, the Quito Metro consists of a single metro service that serves the city of Quito, Pichincha and the surrounding suburbs.

Line 1 (Línea 1)

Line 1 of the Quito Metro is a metro service on a North-South alignment. It runs from Terminal Quitumbe in the south to El Labrador in the north, serving 15 stations.

Line 1 was opened temporarily in May 2023 but was closed due to technical issues before being reopened in December 2023.