Transport in Venezuela revolves around a system of highways and airports. Venezuela is connected to the world primarily via air (Venezuela's airports include the Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas and La Chinita International Airport near Maracaibo) and sea (with major seaports at La Guaira, Maracaibo and Puerto Cabello). In the south and east the Amazon rainforest region has limited cross-border transport; in the west, there is a mountainous border of over shared with Colombia. The Orinoco River is navigable by oceangoing vessels up to 400 km inland, and connects the major industrial city of Ciudad Guayana to the Atlantic Ocean. Venezuela has a limited national railway system, which has no active rail connections to other countries. Several major cities have metro systems; the Caracas Metro has been operating since 1983. The Maracaibo Metro and Valencia Metro were opened more recently. Venezuela has a road network of around 100,000 km (placing it around 47th in the world); around a third of roads are paved. As of 2019, about 80% of public transportation is not operational within the country. Railways total: 7000 km (?) (248 km privately owned, including Orinoco Mining Company) standard gauge: 682 km (40 km electrified) () Cities with underground railway systems Caracas (El Metro de Caracas, operated by C.A. Metro de Caracas) Los Teques Metro - opened in 2006. Maracaibo Metro - opened in 2006. Valencia Metro (Venezuela) - opened in 2006. See also East-West Railway, Venezuela Railway links with adjoining countries Guyana - no Brazil - no Brazil Colombia - yes, but inoperative (Railroad of Cúcuta) - proposed rebuilding Colombia Maps Encarta Standards Gauge: Coupling: AAR Brakes: Air Electrification: 25 kV AC 60 Hz Stations Timeline 2006 Venezuela awards contracts worth $2.2 billion to build two new railway lines. Construction on the two new lines connecting San Juan de los Morros to San Fernando de Apure and connecting Chaguaramas to Cabruta is expected to begin in Q2 2006 and is expected to take six years to complete. April 2006 in rail transport. In October 2006, Venezuela opened a new Caracas-Cúa railway, the first new railway in the country for 70 years "Towards the end of this month, we would have final discussions with Mittal Steel," said Mr Kapur, adding that the initial discussions took place in March. Moreover, Ircon is also likely to construct a new rail line in Venezuela at an estimated cost of $350