WITH the start of construction on the line’s only underground stop at San Germán, the Metro de la 80 light rail project in the Colombian city of Medellín is now over 52% complete, according to Medellín Metro.
Also known as Line E, Metro de la 80 is so named as it largely follows the alignment of 80th Avenue through the west of the city. It runs for a total of 13.25km almost entirely at grade from Caribe station on Medellín Metro Line A southwards via San Germán to La Aguacatala, also on Line A. The new line will serve a total of 17 stops.
Including a fleet of 22 LRVs, the project is expected to cost Pesos 3.5 trillion ($US 1.09bn), with finance provided by the Colombian government (70%) and the city of Medellín (30%). Metro de la 80 is expected to benefit around 1 million residents or 38% of the population of Medellín.
Construction of the San Germán station began last month and is due to be completed during the first quarter of 2028. The underground section will be 500m long, avoiding conflicts with road traffic at the junction of 80th Avenue and 65th Street. The double-track line will have a maximum speed of 60km/h, with an end-to-end journey time of 32 minutes and capacity for 14,000 passengers per direction per hour.
In 2022 a contract to undertake civil works and supply rolling stock was awarded to a joint venture of CRRC and Mota-Engil, with a budget of €105m for rolling stock and Pesos 1.3bn for civil works and utility diversion. Work on the project officially started in 2023 and as suppliers to the joint venture, Ineo Urban Transportation Solutions is providing telematic systems and Siemens Mobility power supply systems and signalling.
“This project reduces CO2 emissions by 131,000 tonnes,” says the major of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.
For detailed data on Latin American light rail and metro projects, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
