Why are you in Quito?
For once I have a reason! I timed my arrival in Quito to coincide with the launching of the world’s newest subway system, the Metro de Quito!!!
For the past decade Quito has been working on what will be the most remote subway in the world and the highest altitude subway in the world. For a city that is not rich and is only 3 million people it’s a major accomplishment. I was so very excited to be here for the launch.
So what happened?
The Metro de Quito had it’s public launch on my last day in Peru, my idea was to be here for day two. Sadly the launch did not go according to plan, from the news I could find it seems the trains worked fine but all of the computer systems that handle scheduling, ticketing, fare gates, etc, lasted about an hour after opening to the public before completely melting down.
I arrived here on Saturday, the mayor had a press conference scheduled for Monday to update people on the situation. Heart-breakingly he announced the subway will remain closed until December while they find out what went wrong.
I am probably sadder than is logical, lol. I have talked to tons of locals about the situation, they think I’m a bit nutty but are also so proud that they are getting a real subway system. Traffic in Quito is bad as the mountain terrain means a lot of narrow, winding streets.
A Bit Gone 