Route 45 AMA: Sagrado Corazón – Piñones – Loíza
Route 45 connects Sagrado Corazón Station on the Tren Urbano with Piñones and Loíza, following the coast through Isla Verde and Boca de Cangrejos. It is the only bus in the network reaching the Piñones food kiosks and the municipality of Loíza.
Route and stops
Route 45 leaves the station and follows the coast eastwards, crossing the Boca de Cangrejos bridge into Piñones. This is the official ATI itinerary in the Sagrado Corazón → Loíza direction:
- Sagrado Corazón Station — Tren Urbano connection
- Ave. Sagrado Corazón
- Ave. Degetau
- Marginal Expreso Baldorioty
- Ave. Isla Verde
- Ave. Boca de Cangrejos
- Carr. 187 — the Piñones stretch
- Loíza
Itinerary as published by ATI. Check the official route map or the Transit app for real-time detail.
Schedule and frequency
Route 45 runs Monday to Saturday and on public holidays. These are the official ATI times:
| Direction | Days | First trip | Last trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Corazón → Loíza | Monday to Friday | 5:00 a.m. | 8:00 p.m. * |
| S. Corazón → Loíza | Saturdays | 5:30 a.m. | 8:00 p.m. * |
| S. Corazón → Loíza | Holidays | 6:10 a.m. | 8:00 p.m. * |
| Loíza → S. Corazón | Monday to Friday | 5:36 a.m. | 7:55 p.m. |
| Loíza → S. Corazón | Saturdays | 6:15 a.m. | 7:58 p.m. |
| Loíza → S. Corazón | Holidays | 5:30 a.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
* That last 8:00 p.m. trip only runs as far as Piñones; it does not continue to Loíza. See the notice below.
Frequency: every 45 minutes Monday to Friday, between 60 and 70 minutes on Saturdays and every 60 minutes on public holidays.
According to ATI’s official itinerary, the final 8:00 p.m. service only runs as far as Piñones, on all three types of day. If your destination is the town of Loíza, do not take that last bus: it will drop you short.
And if you are spending the day in Piñones, bear in mind that the last bus back leaves Loíza at around 7:55 p.m. on weekdays and at 7:00 p.m. on public holidays. Plan your return with room to spare.
AMA schedules may change and are not always met exactly. Check the actual arrival time in the official Transit app before you set off.
Fare
Right now travel is free because fare collection is suspended. When ATI reinstates fares, the price of Route 45 will be:
Payment will be made on boarding, with exact change or with the travel card sold at Tren Urbano stations. The card allows free transfers between train and bus within a 2-hour window.
Tren Urbano connection
Route 45 starts at Sagrado Corazón Station, the eastern terminus of the Tren Urbano and the largest interchange in the network:
- 🚆Sagrado Corazón StationRoutes 1, 2, 3, 10, 15, 21, 22, 35 and 36 also stop there
- 🔁Overlap with route 36Both run along Calle Loíza in Santurce, though route 36 stays within the city
To get here from anywhere on the line, take the train to Sagrado Corazón and change to this bus. From Bayamón, the other terminus, the train journey takes about 29 minutes.
Going to Piñones and Loíza by bus
Route 45 is the only way to reach Piñones and Loíza by public transport from San Juan. Two very different destinations on one route:
- Piñones: the stretch of Route 187 known for its roadside food kiosks — alcapurrias, bacalaítos, pinchos — as well as its beaches and mangrove forest. It is the classic weekend outing for the metropolitan area
- Loíza: a municipality with a strong Afro-Puerto Rican identity, the birthplace of bomba music and home to the Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol each July
The combined journey would be: Tren Urbano to Sagrado Corazón → Route 45. With the travel card, the transfer between train and bus is free within a 2-hour window.