Transport in Guatemala

Last updated

Toll to enter Guatemala City Peaje - Via Alterna del Sur.jpg
Toll to enter Guatemala City

Transportation in Guatemala includes roads, waterways, airports and a short cross-border rail line from Mexico.

Contents

The Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing oversees the planning, maintenance and development of infrastructure and transport systems. [1] The General Directorate of Roads is responsible for the planning, design and supervision of construction works and maintenance of the country's roads. [2]

Roads

Guatemala has an extensive road network, where 12.72% of the roads connect with Mexico and Central America, 17.27% are National Roads, 43.84% are Departmental and 26.17% are Rural. All the country's roads have Guatemala City as their point of origin. Among the busiest international routes in the country are the Pan-American highway that connects Mexico with Central America and the CA-9 highway that connects Puerto Barrios in the Guatemalan Caribbean with Puerto Quetzal in the Pacific. [3]

Urban transportation

The urban transport system began in Guatemala City in the 1990s and since then it has been one of the most used means of transport within metropolitan areas. Bus services such as Transmetro and Transurbano differ from other means of transportation, such as private or departmental public transport as they are regulated by lines with defined stops and are primarily used for short-distance transportation.

Urban Transport Systems in Guatemala
Rutas Express, Guatemala City-Mixco.jpg
TransMio de Villa Nueva GT.jpg
Autobus Bi-articulado Transmetro Guatemala.jpg
Ruta Express de Mixco, Guatemala.jpg
Transurbano2.jpg

Intercity transportation

The Intercity system connects various cities, departments, and countries. It is mainly used for long-distance travel. In Guatemala, it is common to see Chicken buses, which are recycled and often colorfully painted former US school buses. There are also Pullman buses that offer different destinations within Guatemalan territory.

Intercity Transport Systems in Guatemala
Yutong Guatemala Workshop Bus.jpg
Autobus Interurbano de Guatemala.jpg
Autobus Galgos de Guatemala.jpg
Chicken Buses in Antigua Guatemala.jpg

Streets

Guatemalan streets tend to be one-ways to ease congestion and move traffic.

Highways

  • Total: 14,095 km
  • Paved: 4,863 km (including 75 km of expressways)
  • Unpaved: 9,232 km (1999 est.)

Airports

ATR 72-500 of TAG Airlines, Guatemala's flag carrier at La Aurora International Airport. ATR 72-500 TAG Airlines La Aurora Int Airport.jpg
ATR 72-500 of TAG Airlines, Guatemala's flag carrier at La Aurora International Airport.

Guatemala has a total of 402 airports and airstrips. Among these, three are international: La Aurora International Airport located in Guatemala City, Mundo Maya International Airport in Santa Elena de la Cruz, and Western International Airport in Quetzaltenango.

The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) is the state agency responsible for regulating civil aviation throughout the country. Its primary functions include: managing the airports of Guatemala, controlling traffic in the national airspace, and overseeing the operation and acquisition of aircraft throughout the republic.

Named airports

Airports - with paved runways

Airports - with unpaved runways

Railways

total:

narrow gauge: 884 km 3 ft (914 mm) gauge (single track)

Waterways

260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season

Pipelines

Ports and harbors

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Merchant marine

None (1999 est.)

Boats

Ferries serve as a mode of transportation in certain regions, such as Sayaxché and for traveling between the cities of Puerto Barrios and Livingston. They are also used to connect multiple coastal towns in Lake Atitlán.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "civ.gob.gt - Objetivos". www.civ.gob.gt. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  2. ↑ Caminos, Dirección General de. "Dirección General de Caminos". Dirección General de Caminos (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  3. ↑ Esteban (2014). "Red Vial de Guatemala 2014" (PDF). www.caminos.gob.gt. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Railway between Guatemala and Mexico, connectivity across Puerto Chiapas". www.puertochiapas.com.mx. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  5. ↑ RDC
  6. ↑ Closure
  7. ↑ Central America going nowhere. Railway Gazette International August 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.