SYSTRA is once again providing assistance to the Santiago Metro in Chile for a review of design, and for the construction and commissioning of new extensions.
Following an international call for tenders, SYSTRA was appointed, in partnership with its local subsidiary, SYSTRACADE, to assist METRO SA with the construction, testing and commissioning of the extension to line 1 in the direction of Los Dominicos (around 4 km in length) and the extension to line 5 as far as Maipu (around 14 km). Both lines are designed to carry trains that run on rubber tyres. The contract is due to last 28 months.
As with previous lines and extensions using rubber tyres, and from 2004 to 2007, lines 4 and 4A where trains run on steel wheels, METRO has once again put its trust in SYSTRA’s experts. They will be fully integrated into its teams of specialists with the aim of ensuring that lines continue to operate in safety, despite the construction works and modifications. They will also make sure that systems meet the required quality standards, deadlines and budgets.
This is another exciting challenge, as the timetable for the project is extremely tight :
- Commissioning and launch of the extension to line 1 and the first section of line 5 (7km) is due by December 2009 at the latest,
- Launch of the complete extension to line 5 is planned for December 2010
Furthermore, it will be necessary occasionally to work on the installations currently in service on line 1, which is one of the busiest metro lines in the world and carries over 1.4 million passengers a day !
On 5th January, a team of 10 experts from SYSTRA started verification of the detailed design drawn up by the contractors. Inspection of the installation will begin in April 2009.
By the end of 2010 once these extensions are complete, the Santiago metro will stretch over 104.5 km and include 105 stations, which, as its Chairman, Clemente Perez says, will put it in the “Premiere League” for metros around the world.
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