Bogota, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, has been waiting for a metro system to operate and facilitate mobility and ease congestion for years. Nearly 80 years later that wait is almost over for Colombia’s capital city with the first metro line set to open in September. According to governmental sources, the train is still under construction in China and will soon be embarked on its way to Bogota.
According to WSP, the lead civil and system designer for Bogotá’s Metro Line 1, the infrastructure will accommodate 72,000 passengers per hour in each direction, totaling 1.05 million daily. Each driverless train will carry up to 1,800 passengers, 15% of whom will be seated, and will travel at an average speed of approximately 42.5 km/h. Trains will run at 90-second intervals, allowing passengers to complete a journey from one end of the line to the other in as little as 27 minutes.
What to expect from Bogota’s Metro Line 1
According to the Mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galan, as soon as the first train arrives in the city, a period of technical trials will begin. It is expected that starting with the arrival of the first train in September, two more trains will continue to arrive each month until the entire fleet for Line 1 is complete.
The company ‘Metro de Bogota’ has stated that 30 trains are expected for Metro Line 1 each consisting of six wagons with a capacity for 1,800 passengers, including 252 seats. Thirty-six of these seats will be of exclusive use for pregnant women, women with small children and elderly individuals. The trains will be eco-friendly, as they will run on electricity and operate automatically using advanced technology. There will be no driver on board, and operations will be monitored from the Operational Control Center (CCO).
With a total length of 23.9 kilometers (14.9 miles), Bogota will stand out with one of the most extensive metro lines on the continent, surpassing cities like Ecuador’s capital, Quito (22 km / 13.7 miles), Panama Metro Line 2 (21 km / 13 miles), São Paulo’s Metro Line 15 (20.4 km / 12.7 miles), Santiago de Chile Metro Line 1 (19.3 km / 12 miles), Ciudad de México’s Line 12 (18.8 km / 11.7 miles), Rio de Janeiro’s Metro Line 2 (16 km / 9.9 miles), Santo Domingo’s Metro Line 2 (14.5 km / 9 miles), and Caracas’ Metro Line 1 (20.4 km / 12.7 miles).
So far, Colombia has only one metro system, located in Medellin, opened in November 1995. Medellin’s metro network is one of the most extensive in Latin America, spanning 31.3 km (19.4 miles) across two lines. Medellín’s Metro Line A, at 25.8 km (16 miles), will remain the longest in Colombia even after the completion of Bogotá’s Metro Line 1.
Works in progress
Progress on Metro Line 1 continues, with at least 10,000 workers distributed across 138 fronts working tirelessly to meet the schedule. So far, 1,570 meters of viaduct have been constructed, with expectations to reach 5.000 meters or more by May 2025 to enable trial operations in Bogota. According to information published on the mayor’s office official website, the trains’ load capacity will be tested using sandbags and even water tanks to simulate human movement inside the train.
Once full operations of Bogota’s Metro Line 1 begin, it is expected to benefit at least 78 of the most populated neighborhoods across nine districts in the city. In Bogota, where an average of 12.7 million trips take place daily—most of which rely on public transportation such as Transmilenio (bus rapid transit system) and Taxis (50,1%), or occur on foot and by bike (25,1%)— the metro will serve as a crucial addition to the city’s mobility system, significantly improving the quality of life of its citizens.