BOLIVIA: President Luis Arce inaugurated two Mi Tren light rail routes in the city of Cochabamba on September 13.
The Red Line runs 5·3 km from Estación Central southeast along Avenida Petrolera to UMSS Facultad de Agronomía, with four intermediate stops.
The initial 14·9 km section of the Green Line runs along Arquímedes as far west as Quillacollo with 10 intermediate stops.
The Cochabamba LRT network will eventually total 42 km. It is being built by the TUNARI consortium of Spanish construction company Grupo Joca and Swiss-German engineering consultancy Molinari Rail, with Irecfer supplying electrification equipment.
Three routes have been under construction since August 2017, with opening originally scheduled for 2020 at a cost of 3·1bn boliviano. There has some been delay and controversy, especially over the potential environmental impact of the 7·7 km Yellow Line alignment along the bank of the River Rocha.
Construction of the Red and Green lines has proved simpler, as they follow a former metre gauge railway alignment.
A central interchange has been built on Av 6 de Agosto, with the Red and Green lines meeting end-on about 700 m south of the original railway station.
The depot occupies the approach to the former terminus, where a fleet of 12 Stadler three-section Metelitsa units is based. The three-section low-floor LRVs are 33 m long and 2 500 mm wide with a mamxim speed of 80 km/h and a capacity of 376 passengers including 66 seated. Features included air-conditioning and wi-fi. The manufacturer will provide technical support for three years.
The remaining 12·5 km section of the Green Line is under construction, forming an inter-urban route west to Vinto then south to Suticollo and adding 11 stops.
