en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Bogotá Metro Line 1 in Colombia, constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), recently completed its running test. With a total length of 23.96 km and a rated operating speed of 42 km/h, this line is the first metro in Bogotá's history. It adopts an "investment-construction-operation integration" model, covering investment and financing, design, construction of 16 stations, and procurement of 30 six-car trains, with a concession period of approximately 28 years.
Planning for the Bogotá Metro began in 1945 but never materialized. In 2019, a consortium formed by CHEC and Xi'an Metro officially signed a contract with Bogotá Metro Company, launching the project. Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán has repeatedly stated that the metro is not just an engineering project but a response to the aspirations of generations across the city.
During construction, the project team implemented millimeter-level control standards, inspecting indicators such as cable laying, track alignment, conductor rail fit precision, and line clearance dimensions one by one. From May 29 to June 20, 2024, the team completed cold running, hot running, and full-line integrated tests in 22 days, laying the foundation for the running test. During the running test, the train covered 5.7 km in one go from Station 1 to Station 4, spanning multiple viaduct stations and sections, verifying the comprehensive performance of the entire engineering system.
The vehicle design incorporates a "people-oriented" concept: full-view windows allow passengers to enjoy the urban scenery along the route; high-quality soundproofing materials are used to control noise; information service screens are fully covered inside the carriages, equipped with a human-machine interaction system tailored to Latin American cultural habits.
The project team developed a localization talent training plan in advance, jointly establishing the Colombia Quadripartite Rail Transit Joint Academy with the Bogotá Metro Line 1 owner, Xi'an Rail Transit Group, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Colombia's Julio Garavito Engineering University. The Chinese technical team provided hands-on training in line surveying, equipment commissioning, fault handling, and passenger services. Additionally, CHEC organized two batches of 49 Colombian technical personnel for advanced studies at Xi'an Railway Vocational and Technical Institute. These trainees have returned to Colombia and are participating in the operation and maintenance management of the Bogotá Metro.
Once completed, Metro Line 1 will cover Bogotá's core urban area, alleviating local traffic congestion, and will become a representative project of China-Colombia infrastructure cooperation.
