Ayesa Engineering, a global provider of engineering and technology services, has been awarded a key specialist advisory contract by Santiago Metro to provide project management support for the development of Line 9. The future Line 9 will be fully underground, and add 27km to the existing network. It will run through the districts of Recoleta, Santiago, San Miguel, San Joaquín, La Granja, San Ramón, La Pintana, and Puente Alto—benefiting two million residents by substantially reducing travel times.
Santiago Metro currently spans 149km and is one of the most modern and extensive networks in Latin America—serving as a vital backbone of sustainable urban mobility, carrying approximately 2.5 million passengers daily. While construction of Line 7 continues and engineering for Line 8 progresses, planning is already underway for Line 9, backed by a US$2.733bn investment.
Under this new contract, Ayesa will provide engineering management advisory services, counterpart engineering, environmental and community relations consultancy, works coordination, service change management, expropriation and easement management, as well as project planning and control.
Line 9 will be the first in Santiago to feature a four-line interchange at Cal y Canto station—strategically located at the edge of the historic city centre. Connecting with Lines 2, 3, and 7, it will serve as a major transfer hub with six interchange points, easing pressure on Line 4 and providing faster, more direct routes into the heart of the city.
The new line will comprise 19 stations, along with depots and maintenance facilities.
“To integrate Line 9 with the existing network, some stations will need to be constructed at depths exceeding 40m, which presents a significant engineering challenge,” explains Mariluz Ramírez, Director of Transport LATAM at Ayesa. “We’ll need to design highly efficient vertical transport systems to manage heavy passenger volumes between Line 9, surface access, and connecting lines.”
This latest award further strengthens Ayesa’s partnership with Santiago Metro. In 2022, Ayesa was appointed to provide technical inspection services for the installation, testing, and commissioning of systems and equipment for the Line 3 extension. The company is also currently supervising civil works on sections 2, 3, and 4 of Line 7.
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