SPANISH engineering consultancy Typsa has won a $US 9.96m contract to assess the viability of a 5.3km underground extension of Quito metro’s Line 1 from El Labrador to La Ofelia. The award was announced by Sercop, Ecuador’s public procurement authority.
Under the one-year contract, Typsa will assess the technical, economic and operational viability of the proposed extension and undertake detailed engineering studies and analysis of alternatives. This will make provision for a future extension towards Calderón in northern Quito.
In October 2025 Sercop suspended a similar tender, launched in July and valued at approximately $US 11.9m, following a formal complaint and procedural irregularities identified during the evaluation phase.
Finally awarding the contract marks a critical step towards delivering the long-envisioned northern extension of the line, which aims to improve connectivity for an estimated 500,000 residents of Quito’s rapidly-growing northern districts.
International funding is being sought in parallel. In December, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) approved an $US 80m loan for the Line 1 extension project.
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