Santiago Metro

Early projections

Metro network projection in 1944.

The idea to build an underground railway network in Santiago dates back to 1944, when new ways to improve the chaotic transport system were sought after the rapid population growth the city was experiencing since the early 1930s. However, ideas would begin to take shape in the 1960s, when the government released an international tender for the development of an urban transport system. On 24 October 1968, the government of Eduardo Frei Montalva approved the draft submitted by the Franco-Chilean consortium BCEOM SOFRETU CADE, in which the construction of five lines with an extension of approximately 60 kilometres by 1990 was proposed. On 29 May 1969, works finally began for the construction of the first line, which would link the Civil District and the area of Barrancas (current-day Lo Prado).

On 15 September 1975, the first line of the metro was opened by Augusto Pinochet during the military regime. Line 1, during its opening stage, was mostly underground from San Pablo to La Moneda, running below the Alameda. In 1977, the line was extended towards Providencia and by 1980, the line reached as far as Escuela Militar.

In March 1978, Line 2 was opened. Its initial section ran at ground level from Los Héroes to Franklin. By December, the second segment of the line was opened, running underground towards the south along the Gran Avenida up to Lo Ovalle.

Project changes

Projected metro network for 1987 according to the original plans.

Despite the fast growth of the network, the severe economic crisis that affected the country in 1982 halted the original plans. Furthermore, studies showed that southeast Santiago was becoming more populated than the north end of the capital, area that was then covered by the planned extensions of the service.

In order to supply future demand, the layout for Line 2 was changed and the extension would start at Los Héroes and go around the Civic District, crossing Line 1 again at Baquedano to head south through Vicuña Mackenna. Meanwhile, Line 3 was projected through Independencia and Irarrázaval to supply the northern area that Line 2 was supposed to run.

However, these plans were affected once again when an earthquake struck the Chilean Central Valley on 3 March 1985. Most of the funds destined for the construction of the Line 2 extension and Line 3 were used to rebuild the city. The opening of two new stations towards the north in 1987 were the only finalised works from these plans: Santa Ana and Mapocho stations on Line 2. The latter would change its name later, as remains of the old Calicanto Bridge –emblem of the city for over a century– were discovered during the excavation process. That same year, the Metrobús service was launched with services operating from Escuela Militar, Lo Ovalle and Las Rejas.

Institutionally, the management of Metro de Santiago was changed at the end of the decade. The former General Directorate of Metro, a branch of the Ministry of Public Works, became a state-funded public company, Metro S.A., with the provisions of Law 18,772 published on 28 January 1989.

Following the economic recovery after the second miracle, the metro's expansion plans resurged. Population growth in the southeastern area of the capital became unstoppable during the 1980s, and La Florida became the most populous commune in the country, thus the construction of a new line to supply that area was paramount. The first plans were drawn in 1989 and it was officially announced in 1991 by President Patricio Aylwin. This new line would start from Baquedano and head southwards to Américo Vespucio Avenue, crossing through Vicuña Mackenna.

NS-74 train on Line 5, opened in 1997.

Line 5 was opened on 5 April 1997 by President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle. This new line would have a length of 10.3 kilometres initially running underground from Baquedano to Irarrázaval, emerging as a viaduct on Vicuña Mackenna and going underground before reaching its southeastern terminus, Bellavista de la Florida.

In March 2000, a new section of Line 5 crossing the historic centre of the capital was opened to the public. The new connection between Baquedano and Santa Ana through Plaza de Armas and Bellas Artes meant that all three at-the-time existing lines would be connected.

New lines and line extensions

With the election of Ricardo Lagos as President of Chile in 2000, one of his main objectives was an overhaul of the transport system serving the capital. To achieve this, a new extension for Line 5 was designed, heading westwards to Quinta Normal, following Catedral street, and an extension for Line 2 from both ends of the line to reach the northern and southern ends of the Américo Vespucio ring road.

Despite this, the biggest announcement was made in 2002 when Lagos disclosed the construction of a fourth line for the metro, serving the southeastern communes of Santiago to reach the heart of Puente Alto, which had taken over La Florida as the most populous commune of the country. With these new projects, the Metro network would double its extension by 2010, year in which the country would celebrate its bicentennial.

These new projects were designed to make Metro the key element of the new transport reform plan for the city, Transantiago. Along with the new extensions, exchange stations were designed to allow for a better interaction between the urban railways and other means of transport, mainly buses. The first exchange station would open in Quinta Normal after the Line 5 extension was finalised on 31 March 2004. However, the original plan to host a railway station would be discarded following the failure of the Melitrén construction.

On September 8th 2004, the Metro would make another breakthrough when the Mapocho river was crossed underground, with the opening of Patronato and Cerro Blanco stations on Line 2. On 22 December 2004, the southern extension of the same line opened its new stations, El Parrón and La Cisterna. A second stretch of Line 2 towards the north would open on 25 November 2005, and the last in the series of extensions opened on 22 December 2005, with a total cost of US$170 million and a 27-million passenger increase annually.

On November 30th 2005, the first underground leg of Line 4 from Tobalaba to Grecia, and the viaduct between Vicente Valdés and Plaza de Puente Alto opened to the public. The unfinished track from Grecia and Vicente Valdés was covered by a rail replacement bus service operated by Transantiago until March 2 2006, when the remaining stations and track were finished. Line 4 at this time was the longest of the network, with an extension of 24.7 kilometres and 22 stations serving Providencia, Las Condes, Ñuñoa, La Reina, Peñalolén, Macul, La Florida and Puente Alto. This new line also saw the introduction of new rolling stock, the AS-2002, manufactured by Alstom in Brazil, featuring more interior space than those running other lines. Finally, Line 4 would be complemented with the opening of a branch service on August 16 2006, Line 4A, which connected Line 2 from La Cisterna with Line 4 at Vicuña Mackenna, running through the Américo Vespucio ring road.

On May 26 2016, Metro announced the extension of Lines 2 and 3, adding 8.9 kilometers and 7 new stations to the Metro network. Both extensions are expected to begin operations during the second half of 2021. The extension of Line 2 to the south will add 5.1 kilometers and 4 new stations connecting the current terminal station in La Cisterna with San Bernardo locality. The new terminal station will be located next to the El Pino Hospital in San Bernardo. Meanwhile, the extension of Line 3 to the west will add 3.8 kilometers and 3 new stations to the Metro network, connecting future station Los Libertadores with Quilicura.^[7]

On November 2 2017, the new Line 6 was inaugurated from Cerrillos to Los Leones adding 10 new stations. This new line does not have manned ticket offices; instead there are automatic machines for ticket sales and loading money onto bip! cards. It has platform-edge doors to protect passengers, and traction power is supplied by overhead line equipment, not by conductor rails as on the other lines. It has new entrance and exit turnstiles at stations.^[8] The trains on Line 6 only have steel wheels, and are driverless.

Timeline

Line		Length	Stations	Opening Date	Type
	San Pablo – La Moneda	8.2 km	12	15 Sep 1975	Underground
	La Moneda – Salvador	3.2 km	5	31 Mar 1977	Underground
	Los Héroes – Franklin	4.9 km	4	31 Mar 1978	Ground Level
	Franklin – Lo Ovalle	4.8 km	6	21 Dec 1978	Underground
	Salvador – Escuela Militar	4.5 km	6	22 Aug 1980	Underground
	Los Héroes – Puente Cal y Canto	1.7 km	2	15 Sep 1987	Ground level
	Baquedano – Bellavista de La Florida	10.3 km	11	5 Apr 1997	Viaduct/Underground
	Baquedano – Santa Ana	2.7 km	2	4 Mar 2000	Underground
	Santa Ana – Quinta Normal	1.9 km	2	31 Mar 2004	Underground
	Puente Cal y Canto – Cerro Blanco	1.6 km	2	8 Sept 2004	Underground
	Lo Ovalle – La Cisterna	2.1 km	2	22 Dec 2004	Underground
	Cerro Blanco – Einstein	1.9 km	2	25 Nov 2005	Underground
	Bellavista de La Florida – Vicente Valdés	0.6 km	1	30 Nov 2005	Underground
	Vicente Valdés – Plaza de Puente Alto	10.9 km	9	30 Nov 2005	Viaduct/Underground
	Tobalaba – Grecia	7.7 km	7	30 Nov 2005	Underground
	Grecia – Vicente Valdés	6.1 km	5	2 Mar 2006	Ground level
	Vicuña Mackenna – La Cisterna	7.7 km	6	16 Aug 2006	Ground level
	Einstein – Vespucio Norte	3.6 km	3	21 Dec 2006	Underground
	San José de la Estrella	0 km	1	5 Nov 2009	Viaduct
	Escuela Militar – Los Dominicos	4 km	3	7 Jan 2010	Underground
	Quinta Normal – Pudahuel	5.8 km	5	12 Jan 2010	Underground
	Pudahuel – Plaza de Maipú	8 km	7	3 Feb 2011	Viaduct
	Cerrillos – Los Leones	15.3 km	10	2 Nov 2017	Underground
	Los Libertadores – Fernando Castillo Velasco	21.7 km	18	2019	Underground
	La Cisterna – Hospital El Pino	5 km	4	2022	Underground
	Los Libertadores – Plaza de Quilicura	3.8 km	3	2022	Underground
	Isidora Goyenechea	1.4 km	1	2026	Underground
	Brasil – Estoril	24.8 km	19	2026	Underground
	Los Leones – Puente Alto	20 km	14	2026	Underground
	Santa Lucía – La Pintana	17 km	12	2026	Underground
	Plaza de Puente Alto – Bajos de Mena	4 km	3	2026	Underground
	Los Dominicos – El Alba	4.5 km	3	2032	Underground

Security and safety

Various private security agencies have day-to-day responsibility for maintaining order in the metro and deterring petty crime or attempts to board without paying. The largest transfer stations, such as Tobalaba, also feature depots of the Carabineros de Chile, the national police force. Metro staff man the ticket counters in closed box offices and distribute tickets and money through small transaction windows.

Signage to advise customers of safety hazards is extensive, and each platform has a painted yellow line which customers are advised to not cross except to board a train. During rush hour, Metro staff line the platform edge to keep people from being crowded off the platform and to support disabled customers. There is no physical barrier between the edge and the tracks (with the exception of recently opened Line 6), including the hazardous, electrified third rail. However, the line 6 uses overhead lines as the powersource of the trains.

Metro travelers are advised to keep a close guard on their belongings, as petty or opportunistic theft is somewhat of a problem in lines that connect some districts to the center of Santiago.^[12] This is most apparent with passengers who reverse their backpacks so that the bag is across the stomach, to ensure that no one can pilfer the pockets out of sight.