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Bogotá Metro Begins Test Runs on Elevated Viaduct
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Energy & Infrastructure

Bogotá Metro Begins Test Runs on Elevated Viaduct

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Bogotá's Metro has begun test runs with a train on its elevated viaduct, marking a significant step in the city's long-awaited public transport project.
  • The train, composed of six wagons, was moved by auxiliary vehicles to inspect the newly installed infrastructure.
  • The first line of the metro, a major engineering feat for Colombia, has a 77.53% completion rate and is expected to begin operations in March 2028.

Bogotá is finally witnessing tangible progress on its long-promised Metro system, a project that has been in the works for over half a century. The recent test runs of a train on the elevated viaduct, as reported by EFE, represent a crucial milestone. Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán's presence at Station 1 in Gibraltar underscored the significance of this moment, marking the first time a train has been mobilized on the viaduct.

The construction, awarded to Chinese companies China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) and Xi'an Metro Company Limited in 2019, has reached a 77.53% completion for the first line, with 14 kilometers of viaduct already built. This progress is a testament to the engineering capabilities being deployed, a stark contrast to the decades of planning and delays that have characterized the project.

Today is a special date and it is a special moment. We want to share this special moment with you. We are at Station 1, here in (the neighborhood of) Gibraltar, on the western side of the station. And today begins the process, the first phase of the train testing process on the Metro viaduct.

— Carlos Fernando GalánMayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, speaking at the start of the train test runs.

While Medellín has had a functional metro system since 1995, Bogotá's journey has been fraught with challenges. The current administration's commitment to operationalizing the first line by March 2028 offers a concrete timeline, a much-needed assurance for the city's residents who have long yearned for efficient public transportation. This development is not just about infrastructure; it's about fulfilling a generational promise and transforming urban mobility in Colombia's capital.

This is the first time that a train of the 30 we will have is being placed on the viaduct. It has already made the journey from the workshop yard to here.

— Carlos Fernando GalánMayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, commenting on the significance of the test run.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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