World Bank supports significant construction phase of the Bogotá Metro

WASHINGTON, December 5, 2025 - The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved a loan to support the most intensive construction phase of Bogotá's First Metro Line, supporting more jobs, inclusion, and urban development. This operation will enable the completion of the viaduct and stations, installation of key systems, and the commissioning of 23 trains for the start of commercial operations in 2028.

The project, with an investment of US$530 million, will enhance the quality of public transportation in Bogotá and expand access to socioeconomic opportunities. Line 1 will reduce travel times, improve access to jobs, enhance user experience, reduce emissions, and strengthen road safety, incorporating an inclusive approach that considers gender, income, and youth.

"This financing reaffirms our commitment to supporting infrastructure projects that create more and better jobs and contribute to making Colombia's cities more sustainable, safer, and inclusive," said Mark R. Thomas, World Bank Country Director for Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. "Bogotá Metro will not only reduce travel times but also improve air quality and expand access to better jobs for the most vulnerable populations."

To date, Line 1 has generated nearly 17,000 direct and indirect jobs and engaged more than 500 Colombian companies. With this new financing, Empresa Metro de Bogotá estimates that the figure will rise to 115,000 jobs in construction, administration, services, and traffic management. During operations, Line 1 will sustain around 1,500 permanent jobs.

Fully electric and automated, Line 1 will connect Bogotá's southwest with the expanded downtown via a 24-kilometer elevated viaduct and 16 stations, integrating into the city's Integrated Public Transport System (SITP). It is expected to directly benefit 2.92 million people across nine localities and 78 neighborhoods, reduce travel times along the Caracas corridor from 93 to 29 minutes, and carry up to 1.05 million passengers per day, primarily in vulnerable areas of the city.

Line 1 is part of Bogotá's vision for an integrated, resilient, accessible, and inclusive transport system for vulnerable populations and people with disabilities. Its works will improve pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, provide safer and better lit public spaces, and include measures to increase women's participation in the transport sector and implement protocols against harassment in public transportation.

The Bogotá's First Metro Line is co-financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional support from the World Bank Group's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), mobilizing over US$670 million in private capital and reinforcing the project's financial sustainability.

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