Acting Bogota mayor maria Fernando Campo on Wednesday announced the suspension of the capital’s troubled metro project until at least June, but assured that this does not mean the end of the project.
In a press conference, Campo confirmed that she had ordered a new study into the building of a metro, but assured that Colombia’s 8-million capital will have a metro.
“This is the committment of the district and national government. However, at this point we are developing a study to determine the demand, which will be delivered in the middle of this year. With this study we will be able to define the layout of the metro line,” Campo said.
The announcement came hours after reports that the World Bank decided to withdraw its financial support for the metro and no longer finance “anything until there is more clarity,”
The World Bank director for Mexico and Colombia, Gloria Grandolini, said that the financial institution’s decision is due to the suspension of Bogota mayor Samuel Moreno, who is suspected of corruption with public works.
“Our position is that for now, even though the funds are available to work in the preparation of this project, we are not going to finance any design job until there is clarity and until we have direct instructions of the government and mayoir’s office,” the World Bank official said.
The construction of the Bogota metro line is due to start in 2012 with an estimated cost of $43.8 million.