The World Bank will initially provide $70m as part of the $600m requested by the government to carry out preliminary construction works, as well as audits and technical studies for the Bogota metro project. The remaining $530m will be used in future operations, the World Bank said.
The metro project is also financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Investment Bank World Bank, IDB and EIB financing in this initial phase totals $190m.
The 24km first line of the metro will be built in the southwest of the city. Its 23 trains will pass through 15 stations and each will be able to carry 1,800 passengers. It is due to start running in 2026.
The project is part of the capital’s 2016-19 Municipal Development Plan, which also includes linking the bus system to the metro and building 14km of cycle paths.
Ulrich Zachau, World Bank director for Colombia and Venezuela, said that the metro project would improve the lives of thousands of people in Bogota and it will also reduce air pollution.
He said: “I expect that the metro will generate important benefits, especially for lower-income sectors of the population, which depend on public transportation.”
