THE Lima and Callao Urban Transport Authority (ATU) reports that the first week of operations saw over 93,000 passengers travel on the first section of Lima metro Line 2, running underground for 5km from Mercado Santa Anita to Evitamiento.
Travel is free of charge during the 90-day period of trial operations, although passengers have to pay Soles 7.50 ($US 2) for a rechargeable card that can be loaded with tickets when revenue services commence. These cards can also be used on Line 1 and other public transport services in the Peruvian capital.
Trial operations began after the official opening of Stage 1A on December 21 by the president of Peru, Ms Dina Boluarte, accompanied by minister for transport and communications, Mr Raúl Pérez Reyes.
Stage 1A has three intermediate stations at Óvalo Santa Anita, Colectora Industrial and Hermilio Valdizán. The end-to-end journey time is 7 minutes compared with 30 minutes by bus.
When completed, Line 2 will run for 27km from the district of Ate Vitarte east of the city centre to the port of Callao in the west. It is expected to carry 644,000 passengers per day with an end-to-end journey time of 45 minutes.
The first section of Line 2 was originally expected to open in 2017 with the remaining three sections completed by 2021.
Concession
The Consorzio Metro Linea 2 consortium of ACS Dragados and FCC, Spain, Salini Impreglio, Italy, Hitachi Rail Italy, Ansaldo STS and Cosapi, Peru, was awarded a 35-year PPP concession to finance, build, operate and maintain Line 2 in 2014. The consortium has provided $US 1.2bn in financing for the $US 5.8bn project.
Hitachi has supplied a fleet of 42 six-car articulated trains for Line 2, each accommodating up to 1168 passengers including 168 seated. Line 2 is electrified at 1.5kV dc overhead, with Siemens awarded a contract to undertake this work in 2016.
Elsewhere on Line 2, the Ministry of Transport and Communications announced on January 8 that 4km of tunnel has been completed on Stage 1B from San Juan de Dios station, west of Evitamiento, as far as Cangallo.
The latest drive undertaken by the tunnel boring machine (TBM) at a rate of 16m per day was the 902m section from 28 de Julio to Cangallo, constructed of 531 rings formed of 3717 tunnel lining segments.
The TBM will now proceed to Manco Cápac and conclude tunnelling for Stage 1B at Parque Murillo. This will be followed by a drive on Stage 2 to Insurgentes, where the second TBM has so far completed 4km of tunnel towards Puerto del Callao.
“This project has been stuck for 11 years, but when there is a political decision, it can be unblocked and move forward,” Boluarte says.
“Four months ago we announced the start of trial operations and we are fulfilling that promise. This government is one of deeds and not words.”
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