Polanco metro station
Polanco metro station is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the city's borough of Miguel Hidalgo. It is an underground stop with two side platforms serving Line 7, between station (Mexico City)|San Joaquín] and Auditorio. It was opened on 20 December 1984, providing service north toward Tacuba and southwest toward Auditorio.
Polanco metro station services the colonia of Polanco, one of the most expensive shopping districts in the country, and is named after it. The pictogram depicts the clock tower at nearby Lincoln Park. The station is one of the deepest on the network, and the facilities offer partial accessibility for people with disabilities, including elevators. In addition to escalators, commuters can use the staircases, including a giant piano-shaped set equipped with motion sensors that play key sounds whenever the steps are used. In 2025, the station had an average daily ridership of 33,463 passengers, making it the 17th busiest station in the network.
Location and layout
Polanco is an underground metro station located along Horacio Avenue, in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City. It serves the affluent Colonia of Polanco, one of the most expensive shopping districts in the country, benefiting visitors of American Park, Uruguay Square and Presidente Masaryk Avenue. The area is the most expensive to live in near a metro station, with an average price of Mex$94,800 per as of 2019.The station's pictogram features the silhouette of the clock tower found in nearby Lincoln Park. The stop is named after the neighborhood, which takes its name from a river unofficially named after Juan Alfonso de Polanco, a Spanish Jesuit priest. The station has two exits: the west exit at the corner of Horacio Avenue and Temístocles Street, and the east exit at the corner of Arquímedes Street on the opposite side of Horacio Avenue. It has a partially accessible service for people with disabilities with elevators and escalators. The latter were renovated in 2018 due to their obsolescence.
Polanco metro station is located between San Joaquín and Auditorio stations on the line. The area is serviced by Route of the city's public bus system and by the Ecobici network.
Landmarks
In collaboration with the National Polytechnic Institute, authorities decorated the staircase connecting the platforms with the next level to resemble a piano. It has 54 steps divided into three sections, with two landings. The white steps are made of white marble, and the black ones of black granite. Each white step has a motion sensor that produces a key sound when activated, while black steps have two sensors allowing users to produce accidental notes. The inferior section produces low tones, and the upper part high tones. Laser sensors were installed instead of contact sensors to accommodate high ridership. Their service life is five years but can be extended with proper maintenance. The decoration, installed in 2014, was designed to promote physical stimulation among commuters.Inside the station's lobby, there are four cultural showcases. In 2017, Polanco was selected as a system's emblematic station in order to promote UNESCO's past and future programs in Mexico.
History and construction
Line 7 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Cometro, a subsidiary of Empresas ICA. Its first section opened on 20 December 1984, operating from Tacuba to Auditorio stations. The tunnel between Polanco and San Joaquín spans, while the section toward Auditorio measures. The station is one of the deepest on the network, with staircases totaling around 110 steps.Incidents
On 16 October 2019, the escalators suddenly stopped, causing four commuters to fall, including an 82-year-old man. Three were taken to a hospital, but none sustained serious injuries. Investigations revealed that the incident was triggered by a fight between two men on the escalators, who then fled after causing the stoppage.On 15 January 2023, two cars separated when the train arrived at the station. Witnesses reported an explosion and smoke from the affected area, but no injuries occurred. The accident took place amid government allegations that the transport system faced potential sabotage and other "atypical incidents" supposedly linked to opponents of the Fourth Transformation, the political platform of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, following the 2023 [Mexico City Metro train crash]. Guillermo Calderón, director of the Mexico City Metro, explained that a loosened and a disgorged bolt caused a safety cylinder to break, separating the cars. He denied that the incident resulted from maintenance issues, noting that the train had been overhauled just days earlier.
Another stoppage occurred on 24 October 2023, when the escalator abruptly halted and recoiled, injuring seven commuters. Metro authorities reported that damaged fuses in the internal connection suggested it had been manually stopped. Among those injured was Fátima Neri, an international archer and medalist, who suffered a broken leg and was left with a disability due to an alleged misdiagnosis at the hospital where the authorities transported her.
Ridership
According to the data provided by the authorities, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport, commuters averaged per year between 32,300 and 35,700 daily entrances between 2016 and 2019.The station had a ridership of 12,214,282 passengers in 2025, marking an increase of 411,141 passengers compared to 2024, and ranked as the 17th busiest station out of the system's 195 stations.