Test results have confirmed that Colombia’s capital Bogota can begin constructing its first planned metro line, reported local media on Wednesday.
The Institute of Urban Development (IDU) confirmed that Bogota is suitable for the construction of the city’s first metro after 61 test drillings to analyze the city’s soil.
“We analyzed the geological profile of the first metro line’s 17 miles. In the west the ground is softer while in the east it becomes rockier. It takes a special drilling machine to ensure the stability of the tunnel and to prevent the water pressure from making the tunnel collapse,” the head of the IDU, William Camargo, told radio station Caracol.
According to Camargo, these specially designed drilling machines as used for the construction of the metro of Mexico City, which was built in a similarly moist soil.
The city still has other tests to do before May 2014, after which the construction of the metro system should follow. The construction is expected to be completed in 2018.
MORE: Bogota to have metro in 2018: Mayor
Planned route of Bogota’s Metro line 1
The metro line connecting both the east and the north to the downtown area is planned to have 28 stations. The exact locations of these stations are yet to be defined. Additionally, the city government said the route of the metro might change depending on the results of the study.
If all goes well, some 40 trains will be running the tracks at 20mph by the end of 2018.
Until now, the only city in Colombia with a metro is Medellin, which constructed the first line of an above-ground metro system in 1995.
Plans to construct a metro in Bogota have been on the table for years, but never materialized.