Santiago Metro

Universidad de Chile station is decorated with works of art

Cristóbal Colón station, Line 4

Metro de Santiago is the metro system serving Santiago, the capital of the Republic of Chile. It is a network of five lines with a total of 85 stations, with some currently under construction.

History

Origin and first project

Popular, modern, secure and efficient, it serves a city of 5.5 million inhabitants. Since its opening in 1975, el Metro has changed the city; it is one of Chile's most important construction projects.

The rapid growth of the population in the city (in 1920, 507,296 habitants; in 1940, 1,073,699 habitants) was the principal factor in the birth of the idea. The first plan was in 1944, but only in 1968 did the works begin. The original idea was 5 lines:

• Line 1, between Las Rejas and Los Leones by the Alameda and Providencia Avenue.
• Line 2, between Conchalí and San Miguel by Vivaceta, Panamerican Highway and Gran Avenida.
• Line 3, between Mapocho and Ñuñoa, by Ahumada and the avenues Matta and Irarrázaval.
• Line 4, between Estacion Central (Alameda) and San Bernardo, following the Railway to the South
• Line 5, between Los Cerrillos and Ñuñoa, using the Beltway Railway.

Extension

On September 15th, 1975, the Metro de Santiago was opened between the stations San Pablo and La Moneda on Line 1. Line 2 was opened in 1978 between Los Héroes and Lo Ovalle, and Line 1 was extended to Escuela Militar in 1980. Line 2 was extended to the north and found the remains of the Cal y Canto Bridge (built in 1782 and destroyed in 1880). The extension between Los Heroes and Cal y Canto (former Mapocho Station) was inaugurated in 1987.

The city had changed since 1968 and the plan had to be changed too. La Florida had become the most populous zone of the city, and the Metro needed to go there. Line 5 was built south from Baquedano along Vicuña Mackenna Avenue and was opened in 1997. The Line 5 was extended in 2000 to the west and entered the historical Centre of the City (Plaza de Armas Station), and in 2004 the extensions of Line 2 to the north and south and Line 5 to the west were opened.

In 2002 the construction of Line 4 and Line 4A began to connect Puente Alto and the southeast of the City to the Red de Metro.

At the almost end of 2005, the President Ricardo Lagos said that the government will start to plan the construction of another extension of line 5. It would reach to Maipú, one of the municipalities that are farther away from the center of Santiago.

At this moment, the metro consists of four lines which total 64.4 kilometres and a total of 69 stations and five transfer stations: Los Héroes, Baquedano, Santa Ana, Tobalaba and Vicente Valdés; shortly, there will be a total of 31 new stations. The table shows the evolution of the Metro de Santiago:

Art in the Metro

The Metro does not only function as a transport system: it also has a cultural, artistic and social function.

Art is an important element in the stations. The station Universidad de Chile has a giant mural created by Mario Toral and represents the history of the country. Other pieces of art are in Baquedano (featuring modern art and a concert space), Bellas Artes (multimedia art), Santa Lucía (Portuguese azulejos, a gift made by the Lisbon Metro), República (with realistic painting representing typical landscape), and various other stations.

Additional information

The Metro de Santiago functions from 6:00 to 22:30 all the week. The fare depends on the time of the use of the Metro. The cost of a ticket in hora alta (Rush Hour) is $430 (US$ 0.75) and in "hora baja" (Rest of day and Sat–Sun) is $340 (US $0.6). The eldest persons (65 and more) and school and university students pays $120 pesos (US $0.21).

External links

• ((Spanish)) Metro S.A.
• ((English)) UrbanRail.net/Santiago
• Plan and Authority of Transit of Santiago de Chile, TranSantiago
• Regional Government of Metropolitan Region of Santiago
• Flickr Group about Chilean metros

See also

• List of metro systems
• Stations of Metro de Santiago