Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: The project, expected to cost $2.5 billion, is expected to break ground in 2020 and be complete by 2026.
At the start of February, the Santiago Metro in Chile’s capital issued a tender for basic engineering services for Metro Line 7, a project expected to cost $2.5 billion. The documents, which can be found on the Metro de Santiago website, reveal plans to construct 19 stations on the line, with 23 excavations and 38 ventilation sites proposed. Bidding opens on April 17, and the contractors that are ultimately chosen will need to overcome considerable engineering challenges.
In June of last year, Santiago had formally announced its plans to construct a seventh metro line, aiming to unite the neighborhoods of Renca and Vitacura and reduce the heavy congestion on Line 1, benefiting over 1 million city residents. The project is expected to break ground in 2020, with a goal of opening the line by 2026.
The line would cover just over 25 km between the two neighborhoods in 35 minutes, passing through Avenida Providencia and Cerro Colorado, a modification which was recently introduced to bolster potential use. Furthermore, Line 7 is expected to interconnect with lines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, helping to generate a stronger public transportation network. In the Estoril and Renca areas, which have very few existing transportation links, the new line should encourage commerce to flourish.