Construction to begin on second line of Lima Metro

The $5.2 billion construction of a second line for Lima’s Metro light rail system begins on Tuesday in the eastern districts of the city.

“Construction of six ventilation shafts and emergency exits for five stations, each of which will span 500 feet, and the first section of the three-mile tunnel will begin May 26,” said a statement from the transport ministry.

Last week saw the gradual closure of over three miles of the Carretera Central highway, a key thoroughfare accessing Lima from the interior of Peru. The city began implementing an intricate network of detours for heavy trucks and passenger cars using different avenues in the Ate and Santa Anita districts of Lima. The highway will be closed for two years between Cesar Vallejo avenue near the Santa Anita wholesale food market and the Evitamiento bridge near Mall Aventura Plaza.

The new line will connect the eastern Ate district to Callao and serve 10 districts of Lima with 27 train stations stretching over 21 miles. The transport ministry projects the line will reduce travel time from Ate to Callao from over two hours to 45 minutes. The entire line will be completed in 2020 and serve over 660,000 passengers per day.

However shorter sections of the rail line will be opened before 2020. The transport ministry projects the section where the Carretera Central is closed will open next year and an extension to Plaza Bolognesi in Breña will open in 2018.

Tunnel boring machines capable of digging 3,744 tons of rock and soil to clear 30 to 40 feet per day will arrive in February. The project will employ over 3,000 workers, and the underground labor will continue 24 hours a day until it is finished.

Stations for the line are planned in the districts of Santa Anita, Ate, San Luis, El Agustino, La Victoria, Cercado, Breña, Carmen de la Legua, Bellavista and Callao.

Sources

Trabajos de construcción de Línea 2 del Metro de Lima comenzarán el 26 de mayo (Andina)

Se inició aplicación gradual de desvíos en carretera Central por obras de Línea 2 de Metro (Andina)

PROYECTO DE LA LÍNEA 2 DEL METRO DE LIMA Y CALLAO PERMITIRÁ AHORRAR TIEMPO CON TRANSPORTE MODERNO, SEGURO Y DE CALIDAD (ProInversion)

Dos topos metálicos excavarán subsuelo de Lima para construir Línea 2 del Metro (La Republica)

Línea 2 del Metro estará lista en el 2020 y ya no en el 2019 (El Comercio)

PortadaLimaLo que debes saber sobre la Línea 2 del Metro de Lima (RPP)