Bogota’s Mayor’s Office gave a big surprise to some residents of the city by handing them VIP passes so they can be among the first privileged people to ride the city’s metro, whose construction is moving forward steadily. These rewarded Bogotanos will be able to become part of the city’s history, since that transportation system has taken more than seven decades to become a reality.
For that reason, Colombia’s capital is closely following with attention and expectation every advance of the project. Recently, a first phase of testing was carried out in which auxiliary vehicles pushed and moved train number two along the viaduct from the Bosa rail yard and workshop (south of the city) to the vicinity of Station 2, located at Villavicencio Avenue and Ciudad de Cali Avenue, on the border between the districts of Bosa and Kennedy and near the Americas Portal of TransMilenio.
Reward and gratitude for generous taxpayers
The district administration also carried out several educational activities in which it announced that voluntary taxpayers will have early access to the Bogota Metro experience, becoming the first citizens to interact with part of the infrastructure and operation of the project at the time of its projected opening in 2028. The strategy seeks to thank the more than 15,000 voluntary contributors who have given an extra 10 percent in the payment of their taxes.
For several years, tax payment receipts have included a voluntary option to contribute to the city. It consists of 10 percent of the tax obligation each taxpayer has. Those resources, according to the Bogota Mayor’s Office, are allocated to several of its programs. The administration wanted to thank those citizens with the metro VIP pass.
Those people who made the voluntary contribution received a special system card accrediting them as “part of the history” of the city. The card design is black, featuring the quoted slogan in the center, an image of the metro and the company logo, in addition to informational content in black and white.
Bogotanos who also want to receive that gift can obtain it by making the voluntary contribution with the payment of property tax (deadline July 10), vehicle tax (deadline July 24), and ICA tax (deadline February 12, 2027).
The first line of the Bogota metro will have an approximate extension of 24 kilometers and will connect the southwest of the city with the center and north of the capital. The route will go from the rail yard and workshop in Bosa to 72nd Street, crossing districts such as Kennedy, Puente Aranda, Los Martires, Santa Fe, Chapinero, and Barrios Unidos.
According to the Bogota Metro Company, several viaduct columns have already been completed and foundation and station construction work continues at different points throughout Bogota.
A project being fine-tuned
In fact, Bogota’s dream, Metro Line 1, is increasingly visible to the city’s residents, who see how the columns and viaduct continue to rise, as well as the construction of the 16 stations. “The dream of an entire city, which for more than 80 years has waited for the Metro, is finally becoming reality. This is Bogota’s Metro, for the entire city. Political differences do not matter, it is a project for everyone and by everyone,” said Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan.
The Mayor’s Office has also promoted educational programs aimed at district schools to explain the urban and social impact of the project. According to the District, the activities include workshops, guided visits, and educational spaces on mobility and civic culture. The Bogota metro is considered one of the largest infrastructure projects currently under construction in Colombia.
The infrastructure mega-project has already completed 14 kilometers of constructed viaduct, marking a milestone for this system. Works on Line 1 reached 77.53 percent progress during April 2026. Construction of the viaduct and the 16 stations is visible on Villavicencio Avenue, Primero de Mayo Avenue, South Highway, Eighth South Street, First Street, and Caracas Avenue. Of the 16 stations, 10 will have direct connection with TransMilenio.
Characteristics of the trains of Bogota Metro Line 1
• They are 134 meters long, 2.90 meters wide, and 3.90 meters high. They are composed of six cars, 2 type S (ends) and 4 type M (center cars).
• The train windows are designed to offer superior panoramic visibility: they are notably large and wide.
• The trains operate at an approximate height of 13.5 to 14 meters above ground level.
• They are 100 percent automatic and do not require a driver.
• Each car has the capacity to transport 300 people, that is, 1,800 passengers per train, of whom 252 will be seated.
• Each train has two spaces for people in wheelchairs.
• Of the 252 seats, 36 are designated for priority passengers (pregnant women, elderly people, and women carrying children in their arms).
• To move that number of users on a single train today would require seven bi-articulated buses or 12 articulated TransMilenio buses.
• The door systems, both on the trains and at the stations, have the highest quality standards prioritizing user safety.
• Users will be able to enter the trains through any of their 24 doors, four on each car.
• The seat material is fireproof, meaning it is not flammable.