CHILE: A 3·8 km northwestern extension of Santiago metro Line 3 has opened from Los Libertadores to Plaza Quilicura.
The ceremony on September 25 was attended by President Gabriel Boric, Minister of Transportation & Telecommunications Juan Carlos Muñoz, and other dignities.
The extension serves two intermediate stations including Ferrocarril, where interchange would be provided to the planned Santiago – Batuco suburban railway.
Green areas, outdoor sports facilities, and bicycle racks were also created at the new stations. The total project cost was US$378·5m. Construction started in 2019.
‘As a government, we are moving forward with concrete works to improve the quality of public transportation in areas that were neglected for many years’, said Juan Carlos Muñoz at the opening ceremony. ‘From today, more than 271 000 inhabitants of the Quilicura neighbourhood will benefit from the development. The message for them is: enjoy it and take care of it because it belongs to all public transport users, but especially to you who waited for nine years for the completion of this work.’
Meanwhile, the 5·2 km southern extension of metro Line 2 from La Cisterna to Hospital El Pino has reached 99% completion and is expected to be inaugurated in the fourth quarter of this year.
- Subscribers can read an interview with Felipe Bravo, General Manager of Metro de Santiago, from the August 2023 issue of Railway Gazette International.
