Quito mulling metro line extension to Calderón

The Quito mayor's office is analyzing an expansion of metro line No. 1 to the town of Calderón, north east of the Ecuadoran capital.

“With an estimated population of between 400,000 and 500,000, obviously we have to think about an extension of metro line 1 to there,” said mayor Pabel Muñoz during his weekly work report.

The initiative has feasibility studies. At the moment there are no definitive investment figures, but in the past it was estimated that the extension could require some US$500mn.

According to Muñoz, there are two options: a line running from the Y sector, without stops, until reaching Calderón, or having a route up to the Ofelia sector, and from there arriving at Calderón.

Line No. 1, which required an investment of US$2bn and was financed by the IDB, the World Bank and Latin American development bank CAF, will begin full commercial operations in December.

Muñoz, who took office in May, decided that the partial operation with restricted hours that the previous mayor, Santiago Guarderas, implemented will end so all the trains and stations can be ready, the collection system completed, emergency plans drawn up and maintenance and inspection contracted.

The 22.6km line has 15 stations and its trains will operate automatically.

The operator is a consortium formed by France’s Transdev and Metro de Medellín.