Chile to review metro maintenance after service interruptions

Chile's Metro de Santiago will commission an external audit of its maintenance processes after two incidents interrupted service at peak hours in recent days.

The state-owned subway company has also sacked maintenance manager Raúl Elgueta.

The first incident took place on August 13, when Metro halted service at five stations on line No. 4, which connects south and east Santiago, because of a crack in the tracks. The service was interrupted for nearly 24 hours on a critical stretch, leading to the collapse of Santiago's transport system as hundreds of thousands of people crowded onto buses and other metro lines.

A week later, a blackout halted the entire service on line No. 5, which runs south-west, again causing mayhem as thousands of people were attempting to return to their homes in the evening rush hour.

"The two incidents may not be a coincidence and could reflect how much pressure the metro system is under," urban development expert Iván Poduje told Sonar radio.

"We will take all necessary steps to guarantee service," transport minister Andrés Gómez-Lobo said in a statement.

Metro, which serves 2.5mn passengers a day, has seen traffic soar since the government launched its mass transport system Transantiago in 2007.

The government is currently building two new metro lines, 3 and 6, with investment of US$2.78bn, and plans to expand the network further.