San Rafael railway station

San Rafael is a commuter railway station serving the Ferrocarril Suburbano, a suburban rail that connects the State of Mexico with Mexico City. The station is located in the municipality of Tlalnepantla, State of Mexico, north of Mexico City.

General information
San Rafael station is located in the San Rafael industrial area in Tlalnepantla and it is the fourth station of the system going northbound from Buenavista. The station mainly services the factories area as well as inhabitants of the Tlayapa neighborhood.

As with Mexico City Metro, each station of the Ferrocarril Suburbano has a pictogram. San Rafael's pictogram depicts a fish. In many representations, Saint Raphael can be seen holding a fish, therefore, a fish was chosen as the station's pictogram.

Jardines del Recuerdo, one of Greater Mexico City's most notable graveyards is located near the station.

History
San Rafael station opened on 2 June 2008 as part of the first stretch of system 1 of the Ferrocarril Suburbano, going from Buenavista in Mexico City to the Lechería station in the State of Mexico.

Before its construction, most of the area was barren land, except for the nearby factories. Illegal housing could also be found in the zone. Once the construction of San Rafael station was announced and after the station was inaugurated, several housing projects were developed in the area.

During its first years of operation, San Rafael station reported very little ridership. In occasions, trains would stop at the station as it is customary, but would not open the doors, since there were no passengers at the station.

In 2009, between San Rafael and Lechería station, two trains crashed, with around 100 people injured.