On August 24, 1965, the Chilean government established an advisory commission, called the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission,[57] aimed at designing solutions based on the studies of the Office of Special Projects of Metropolitan Equipment regarding the transportation situation in Santiago. In March 1966, the commission decided to request foreign aid and a competition for international studies was required;[58][59] 14 companies were submitted to said international tender, of which 3 options were selected for negotiations—BCEOM-SOFRETU, De Lew Carther and International Engineering Co., and Sigdo Koppers—,[60] being finally awarded in April of the same year to the French consortium BCEOM-SOFRETU. (BCEOM was the acronym for "Bureau central d'études pour les équipements d'outre-mer" ["Central Study Office for Overseas Equipment"] and SOFRETU for "Société française d'études et de réalisations de transports urbains" ["French Society for Urban Transport Studies and Implementations"]), who together with the local company CADE ("Consultants in Engineering and Administration" of Companies"), decide to present a project before the commission.[61]​[62]​[63]​.

On August 13, 1968, the "Study of the Santiago Metropolitan Transportation System" carried out by BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE was presented to the President of the Republic, Eduardo Frei Montalva.[64]​[65]​ The government, based on this project, approved the Santiago Transportation Regulatory Plan, in order to provide a comprehensive long-term solution to the transportation problem in the city.[66]​ This plan consisted of:

• - Creation of an Independent Transportation Network (RTI) with a metro system, made up of 5 lines with an initial extension of approximately 60 km, of which three would be urban and two suburban.

• - Construction of a Complementary Road Transport Network (RTVC), made up of a set of roads and spaces that make up the skeleton of the RTI collection and feeder system.

• - Restructuring of the bus system, basing its routes on those necessary to supply the Metro system.[67]​.

The Independent Transport Network was to operate before 1980 along the following priority routes:

• - Line 1: from the Las Rejas sector "Las Rejas (station)") to Los Leones "Los Leones (station)") and Vitacura, passing through Alameda and Providencia and Vitacura avenues.

• - Line 2: from the Hipódromo Chile to the commune of San Miguel "San Miguel (Chile)") using Vivaceta, Norte-Sur and Gran Avenida avenues to Paradero 12, an extension being planned to Américo Vespucio, and continuing along this avenue to Santa Rosa.

• - Line 3: from Mapocho Station to the center of Ñuñoa, along Puente, Ahumada, and Arturo Prat streets (in a north-south direction) and then turning east along Avenida Matta and Irarrázaval, continuing along Diagonal Oriente until reaching Tobalaba.

• - Line 4: from the Central Station to San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)"), using the existing railway strip to the south of the country.

• - Line 5: from the Ñuñoa station "Ñuñoa (station)") to Los Cerrillos "Cerrillos (Chile)"), using the Circunvalación Railway and the edge of the Aguada ditch.[68]​.

The metro network would be about 60 km long, extending to around 90 km in 1990, mainly with the extensions of Line 1 towards Pudahuel to the west and Manquehue to the east; from Line 2 towards the center of Conchalí and La Cisterna from their ends; from Line 3 to La Paz and Recoleta avenues "Recoleta (Chile)"); from Line 4 to the Yungay station "Yungay (station)") and from Line 5 to Maipú "Maipú (Chile)").[68]​.

On October 10, 1968, the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission approved the BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE study,[69]​ and on October 24 of the same year, the government of Eduardo Frei Montalva approved this proposal through a supreme decree that would mark the birth of the Santiago Metro. The first section to be built would be Line 1, between the Barrancas sector and Plaza Bulnes, and would be in charge of the General Directorate of Public Works.[61]​.

Tras meses de estudios y análisis, el 29 de mayo de 1969 el presidente de la República, Eduardo Frei Montalva, junto con los ministros de Hacienda y Obras Públicas —Andrés Zaldívar y Sergio Ossa— además de autoridades y directores de organismos relacionados, acordaron construir el Metro de Santiago y definieron las vías de financiamiento para las obras.[70]​ El 19 de junio del mismo año, el ministro de Obras Públicas, Sergio Ossa, anunció por cadena nacional de radio y televisión la construcción del Metro de Santiago,[71]​ y al día siguiente se dio inicio a las obras en la intersección de las avenidas Alameda y Las Rejas, donde finalmente se ubicaría la estación Las Rejas "Las Rejas (estación)") de la Línea 1. En esta misma década se crea el logotipo del Metro, consistente en tres rombos de color rojo, el cual significa —de acuerdo al diseñador Peter Himmel") y al arquitecto Jaime Escudero Sanhueza, quienes participaron en las primeras obras del tren subterráneo— la «indisoluble interconexión entre los tres elementos: la superficie (vialidad), la circulación sobre la superficie (buses) y la circulación subterránea (metro)».[72]​[73]​.

En marzo de 1970 el Ministerio de Obras Públicas adquirió el Palacio Bustamante Irarrázaval para instalar las primeras oficinas del Metro de Santiago.[74]​ El 30 de abril de 1970 la Dirección General de Obras Públicas (DGOP) convocó a una licitación privada internacional para la adquisición del material rodante para el Metro de Santiago, en la que se solicitó ofertas a 16 empresas de 8 países, de las cuales 11 empresas de 4 países retiraron los antecedentes correspondientes; finalmente se presentaron a la licitación 4 empresas francesas.[75]​ La adjudicación de la primera licitación de material rodante fue realizada el 29 de enero de 1971, mediante la resolución 112 de la DGOP, entregada al consorcio francés Alsthom Groupe Brissonneau con el cual se le encargó la fabricación de 135 coches.[76]​.

Los tres primeros vagones del Metro de Santiago llegaron a la capital el 3 de junio de 1973, provenientes del puerto de San Antonio, tras haber sido descargados del barco «Ciudad de México» que los trajo desde el puerto francés de La Rochelle. Durante los meses siguientes continuarían llegando los restantes carros hasta completar la flota que inauguraría el servicio en 1975.[77]​ Con respecto al suministro eléctrico, la Compañía Chilena de Electricidad inició en junio de 1973 los estudios de ingeniería al respecto, que desembocaron en la construcción de un sistema de alimentación subterránea de 110 000 voltios.[78]​.

Si bien el decreto que disponía la construcción de la Línea 2 fue firmado el 6 de febrero de 1973,[79]​ su construcción se inició varios meses más tarde: algunas fuentes señalan que en octubre del mismo año se iniciaron las construcciones de dicha línea, en los alrededores del Parque El Llano y del Parque O'Higgins,[15]​[80]​ mientras que Juan Parrochia señala que dichas obras comenzaron solo a inicios de 1974.[81]​.

La construcción del túnel principal de la Línea 1 se llevó a cabo utilizando técnicas de cut and cover, dejando inhabilitada durante varios años gran parte de la Alameda, principal vía de la capital; los primeros rieles fueron instalados en la vía en enero de 1973.[82]​ La pre-inauguración y el primer viaje de un tren dentro de los túneles del metro ocurrió el 14 de agosto de 1974, mientras que la vía fue electrificada durante diciembre de ese mismo año. Tras seis años de construcción, el primer tren del Metro de Santiago recorrió la Línea 1 entre las estaciones San Pablo "San Pablo (estación)") y Estación Central "Estación Central (metro de Santiago)") el 15 de mayo de 1975 en el marco de la marcha blanca") del servicio que se extendería por cuatro meses (el inicio de las pruebas en marcha blanca había ocurrido el 1 de abril). La inauguración técnica del servicio ocurrió el 15 de julio de 1975, mientras que el 15 de septiembre del mismo año el tramo entre San Pablo y La Moneda "La Moneda (estación)") fue abierto oficialmente al público tras la inauguración realizada por Augusto Pinochet.[1]​[83]​.

El servicio tenía un costo inicial cercano al triple de un viaje en microbús, por lo que se convirtió más en un servicio turístico que en una solución real a los problemas de desplazamiento de los santiaguinos, quienes aprovechaban de visitarlo como un entretenimiento, utilizando las exclusivas y modernas escaleras mecánicas que poseía. Debido al alto costo y una fuerte campaña de educación, el Metro de Santiago se caracterizó por ser un espacio limpio y cuidado.[61]​.

Las primeras extensiones de la red se materializaron en 1977 cuando —después de una serie de pruebas iniciadas el 7 de febrero—[84]​ se abrió el segundo tramo de la Línea 1, expandiendo el tramo entre La Moneda y la estación Salvador "Salvador (estación)"), el 31 de marzo. El mismo día pero de 1978 fue inaugurada la Línea 2 de la red, entre las estaciones Los Héroes "Los Héroes (estación)") y Franklin "Franklin (estación)"). El 21 de diciembre siguiente fue abierto el resto de la línea hasta Lo Ovalle "Lo Ovalle (estación)").

La construcción de la Red de Metro se realizó inicialmente exactamente como lo había enunciado el proyecto BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE de 1968; sin embargo, la publicación de la "Encuesta de Origen y Destino de viajes del Gran Santiago" de 1977 y otros estudios, ratificaron la necesidad de modificar los trazados con el fin de ajustarse a la nueva realidad urbana, debido a la expansión de la población en los sectores sur y oriente. A petición del director general de Metro Edgar Köster"), la extensión de la Línea 2 hacia el norte hasta la estación Buen Pastor fue suspendida y la Línea 1, que tendría su estación terminal en La Portada de Vitacura") (cerca de la actual estación Tobalaba "Tobalaba (estación)") y en la ubicación donde estará la futura estación Isidora Goyenechea) para en el futuro extenderse a lo largo de la avenida Vitacura, cambió su recorrido continuando por avenida Apoquindo hasta Américo Vespucio.[85]​ El tramo entre Salvador y dicha intersección, donde se construyó la estación Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (estación del Metro de Santiago)"), inició su construcción el 31 de octubre de 1978 y fue entregado el 31 de agosto de 1980, cerrando la primera etapa de expansión de la red del Metro; en el intertanto, el Metro amplió su horario de funcionamiento, pasando a abrir sus estaciones a las 6:30 de lunes a viernes a partir del 23 de abril de 1979, media hora antes del horario anterior.[86]​.

Relationship with other means of transport and cultural promotion

The General Directorate of Metro made proposals to promote the combination between this and other means of transport. The institution reached an agreement in March 1977 —as a result of the inauguration of the extension of Line 1 to Salvador— with the State Collective Transport Company (ETCE), which was in possession of some of the last trolleybuses, with the objective of covering the section between Salvador and Escuela Militar while it was under construction; This service was known under the name "Metrotrolley" and had route number 11. A combined service was also established with the Municipal Collective Transport Company of Maipú "Maipú (Chile)"), which generated a route that departed from the Las Rejas station "Las Rejas (station)") and connected with the commune of the western sector,[87] while in the following months new combined ETCE routes were established from Salvador to El Arrayán and from Baquedano to Tabancura and Puente Alto.[88]​.

The combined services with buses and trolleybuses were canceled the following year, something that also happened later with the ETCE. Other proposals, such as creating suburban train services from the Central Station to Buin "Buin (Chile)"), San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)") and Melipilla or to the north from Mapocho Station, were rejected.[85][89]​.

As part of an initiative to promote culture headed by Enrique Campos Menéndez and Horacio Serrano Palma, in March 1978 the "Metro Museum" was created, consisting of exhibitions of reproductions of classical paintings on the platforms of the Santa Lucía and Salvador stations.[90] In 1979 the initiative would become the "Open Museum", dependent on the Department of Museums of the Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums since 1986, and which would expand to six other stations (including Tobalaba, Ciudad del Niño and San Pablo)[91]​ by installing showcases to display objects from different public museums.[92]​[93]​[94]​ Finally, in 1992 the MetroArte corporation was created, intended to develop cultural activities and install works of art in the Metro network.[95]​.

Tras la inauguración del tramo de la Línea 1 hasta estación Escuela Militar, se comenzó a planificar la segunda etapa de expansión de la Red del Metro. Sin embargo, varios hechos afectaron la aplicación del proyecto original. La crisis económica de 1982 prácticamente paralizó la construcción en el país y aceleró el término de las operaciones de los servicios ferroviarios en Santiago, que había comenzado en la década de 1960 y culminaría con el cierre de la Estación Mapocho en 1987. La construcción de nuevas extensiones se detuvo y la adaptación de los ferrocarriles en líneas suburbanas fue descartada.

La necesidad de cambios en el proyecto se hizo cada vez más urgente. La próxima entrega de la Línea 2, correspondiente a la extensión hacia el norte de la estación Los Héroes "Los Héroes (estación)") entre 1983 y 1984, fue modificada definitivamente y surgió una nueva idea de que, al contrario de seguir por la avenida Fermín Vivaceta, doblase en las inmediaciones de la Estación Mapocho y que siguiese bajo el Parque Forestal hasta empalmar con la Línea 1 en Baquedano "Baquedano (estación del Metro de Santiago)"), prolongándose hacia el sur por avenida Vicuña Mackenna hasta Rodrigo de Araya "Rodrigo de Araya (estación)"), solucionando el problema de accesibilidad al centro y captación de nuevos usuarios en los sectores sur y oriente. Este plan fue finalmente adoptado y en 1984 se retomó la expansión de la Línea 2 —en diciembre del mismo año se contrataron dos créditos con el Banco Nacional de París para financiar el proyecto—,[96]​ iniciándose las obras de la extensión hasta Mapocho el 21 de diciembre de dicho año.[97]​ En 1985, durante la construcción de la Línea 2 se encontraron restos del antiguo Puente de Calicanto, construido en 1782 y que fuera símbolo de la ciudad hasta su demolición en 1888. La estación que se ubicaría en ese lugar, planificada con el nombre de «Mapocho» "Puente Cal y Canto (estación)") finalmente fue denominada en honor al puente encontrado.

El 5 de diciembre de 1984 se presentó el “Anteproyecto Técnico para la Línea 3” que contenía importantes modificaciones al plan original. Debido al cambio en la Línea 2 hacia el suroriente en lugar de avanzar por Avenida Fermín Vivaceta, la parte norte de la Línea 3 iría por Avenida Independencia "Avenida Independencia (Chile)"), ubicada paralela entre Vivaceta y Recoleta, siendo esta última la avenida por la que inicialmente correría la línea. La Línea 3 serviría principalmente a la población del sector norte de Santiago, iniciándose en la intersección de las avenidas Dorsal e Independencia, continuando por esta última hasta cruzar el río Mapocho (combinando en Cal y Canto "Puente Cal y Canto (estación)") con la Línea 2), llegando a la Plaza de Armas y continuando hacia el sur por calle Arturo Prat, hasta llegar a la Avenida Matta. Por ella, se dirigiría hacia el oriente hasta cruzar Vicuña Mackenna, continuando por Irarrázaval hasta terminar en la Plaza Egaña. La Línea 3 tendría una extensión de 16 km y 20 estaciones; sin embargo, su construcción se realizaría progresivamente, iniciándose con el recorrido entre la Plaza Chacabuco y la Plaza Ñuñoa, con una extensión de 12,3 km, dejando los sectores restantes para futuras extensiones.

Sin embargo, el plan finalmente no vería la luz. Los fondos destinados a su realización fueron trasladados a la reconstrucción de las zonas devastadas por el terremoto del 3 de marzo de 1985 que destruyó gran parte de la zona central de Chile y parte importante del casco histórico de la capital. El día 11 de marzo, menos de una semana después del evento sísmico, fue anunciada la suspensión de la Línea 3 por parte del ministro de Obras Públicas, Bruno Siebert.[98]​[99]​ La construcción de la extensión a la Línea 2 hacia Rodrigo de Araya fue paralizada también y sólo se lograron terminar los avances hasta la estación Puente Cal y Canto, que fue construida incluyendo los andenes para la futura combinación con la Línea 3. El 25 de julio de 1986 se inauguró el tramo entre la estación Los Héroes y Santa Ana "Santa Ana (estación)"),[15]​ y el 15 de septiembre de 1987 fue terminado el tramo hasta Puente de Cal y Canto, mientras el proyecto de la Línea 3 era archivado indefinidamente.

Durante la década de 1980 el Metro de Santiago fue víctima de varios atentados terroristas:.

• - El 25 de marzo de 1983 una bomba estalló en un carro ubicado en la estación San Pablo.[100]​[101]​.

• - En la noche del 8 de enero de 1984 una bomba fue lanzada a las vías entre las estaciones Toesca y Los Héroes de la Línea 2, sin dejar heridos.[102]​.

• - En la madrugada del 26 de marzo de 1984 ocurrieron tres atentados con bombas que paralizaron el ferrocarril subterráneo: una entre las estaciones Baquedano y Salvador de la Línea 1 a las 5:18, otra en la estación Franklin de la Línea 2 a las 5:23, y la tercera en la subestación eléctrica del Parque O'Higgins a las 5:41.[101]​[103]​.

• - El 29 de abril de 1984 una bomba en las vías cerca de la estación Pajaritos dejó alrededor de 30 heridos, 6 de ellos graves.[101]​.

• - El 10 de diciembre de 1985 un grupo armado detonó una bomba detrás de un tren en la estación Ciudad del Niño.[101]​.

• - El 16 de junio de 1986 ocurrió el más grave atentado terrorista en la historia del Metro de Santiago: dos bombas estallaron en las estaciones Los Héroes y Tobalaba "Tobalaba (estación)"). Mientras en la primera estación los daños fueron menores, en la segunda destruyeron un tren NS 74, matando a una persona y dejando 7 heridos.[104]​.

• - El 5 de septiembre de 1986 una bomba fue instalada debajo de unos asientos en un tren que se encontraba en la estación San Pablo, dejando dos conductores heridos.[101]​.

• - El 17 de abril de 1989 dos bombas de explosivo plástico R-2 y una de amongelatina estallaron en la estación San Pablo, destruyendo un vagón y sin dejar heridos.[105]​.

• - El 5 de octubre de 1991 ocurrió uno de los últimos atentados, cuando nuevamente en la estación San Pablo una bomba detonó en uno de los últimos asientos de un carro.[101]​.

Intermodality projects and administrative changes

The General Directorate of Metro sought to develop new interconnection systems between the metropolitan railway and other means of transport, with the aim also of decongesting the streets, for which it launched on August 3, 1987 the Metrobus system "Metrobus (Santiago de Chile)"), which initially had combination sectors between metro and minibuses at the Escuela Militar, Las Rejas and Lo Ovalle stations.[106] In 1992, the service called "Metro" emerged. Trolley" that allowed subway passengers to combine at the Puente Cal y Canto station "Puente Cal y Canto (station)") with the trolleybus line that began to circulate on December 24, 1991 and existed until July 9, 1994.[107] A circular monorail line was also proposed in Las Condes in 1993, promoted mainly by Mayor Joaquín Lavín, and which would run Apoquindo, Las Condes, Kennedy and Américo Vespucio avenues—combining with Metro Line 1 at the Escuela Militar station "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)")—, which was never built.[108][109]​.

Another important event occurred on January 28, 1989 when Law 18,772 was published, which transformed the administrative structure of the Santiago Metro. The General Directorate of Metro, until that date dependent on the Ministry of Public Works of Chile, became a public limited company. Metro S.A., the resulting company in charge of the administration of the system, was thus detached from the ministry and with great autonomy, depending directly on its state shareholders, the Production Promotion Corporation and the treasury through the Ministry of Finance of Chile.

On November 27, 1986, in a meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, the Santiago Metro was one of the creators of the Latin American Metro and Subway Committee along with the Mexico City Metro, the Rio de Janeiro Metro, the São Paulo Metro and the Buenos Aires Subway, which in October 1987, in a meeting held in Caracas, became the founders of the Latin American Subway and Subway Association (Alamys).[110]​.

In 1991, the first female train drivers joined the Metro, after the requirement that applicants had to be male was eliminated.[111]​ The fare system also underwent modifications to adapt to the growing demand of passengers: on April 23, 1990, the school fare debuted,[110]​[112]​ and in 1994 the system of differentiated fares according to time was implemented, establishing a "peak schedule" in the busiest hours, a "off-peak schedule" where the fare for a subway trip was lower, and a "low schedule" at the beginning and end of the day of operation of its services.[113]​.

Planning

Beginning in the 1980s, an important change occurred in the city's demographics. The expansion that had occurred in the northern, northwestern and southern sectors of the capital had stopped, while the southeastern sector grew exponentially, mainly along the axis of Vicuña Mackenna Avenue, around the communes of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)") and Puente Alto, integrating this old industrial city into the Santiago conurbation. This important change would finally end up ending the BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE project, as this sector was prioritized instead of those originally proposed by the plan.

In 1989, once the economic rhythm had recovered after the crisis and the earthquake, the government presented the “Technical Draft of Line 5” in which the layout of this line was presented between the center of Santiago "Santiago (commune)") and the commune of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)"), the most populated in those years in the capital. The route of the line would begin at the Universidad de Chile station "Universidad de Chile (station)") (connecting with Line 1), following the original layout of the postponed Line 3, until the intersection of Avenida Matta with Avenida Vicuña Mackenna. There, it would enter the old lands of the Circunvalación Railway, where the San Eugenio Workshops would be installed, and then turn south until it reached Américo Vespucio, traveling this section in the form of a viaduct almost entirely.

A month after the return to democracy "Transition to democracy (Chile)"), rumors arose that Patricio Aylwin's government would restart the expansion of the Metro Network. The statements of Óscar Guillermo Garretón, president of the board of directors of Metro S.A., regarding the decision to build Line 5 clashed with those of the Minister of Transportation Germán Correa, who denied it. The discussion regarding whether or not it was necessary was extensive. Floridians actively pushed for the construction of the line with the support of several politicians in the area, and even Jaime Estévez requested the extension to the Puente Alto commune. However, dissident voices also arose, especially due to the high cost of construction: deputy Guido Girardi said that these could be used for health improvements, while regionalist groups protested the use of resources in the capital instead of regional projects.[99] Given this debate, the possibilities of installing alternative systems arose, such as a light rail project presented by Siemens AG, Concarril and Ferrostaal with financing from the German bank KfW. The French group Alsthom, supplier of the carriages for lines 1 and 2, pushed for the construction of a metro itself and offered its new generation of MP 89 trains with pneumatic wheels designed for the Météor project "Line 14 (Paris Metro)") of the Paris metro, in addition to a credit managed by the French Treasury. A third project would have been presented by the Japanese company Sumitomo.[99]​.

Layout and construction

On August 30, 1991, Patricio Aylwin's government finally announced the construction of Line 5, accepting Alstom's project, which had a social profitability of 13.2% (higher than the 12% required) and an estimated average demand of 16,000 passengers per hour in each direction.[114] The French government acted in an important way to support the financing of the construction, signing cooperation protocols with its Chilean counterpart in the city of Paris on June 30, 1993. The protocol granted a maximum financing of 580 million francs distributed in direct loans from the Treasury and various bank credits,[115]​ to which an additional 31 million were added in 1995.[116]​.

The following year, a study called “Analysis and Study of Line 5 Layout Alternatives” was delivered, which presented three alternatives, which differed mainly due to the section north of the workshops until the connection with Line 1. Project A was based on the one presented in 1989 and allowed that if Line 3 was reactivated in the future, the common section could be used jointly. Project B went below Bustamante Park to connect with Line 1 at the Baquedano station "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)"). Project C, meanwhile, was similar to B but continued between Baquedano and Los Héroes station "Los Héroes (station)") as a joint operation with Line 1. Finally, project D was identical to project B, but continued from Baquedano to Puente Cal y Canto below the Forest Park, covering 12.5 km and would have 14 stations.

The proposals generated an immense debate, especially due to the rejection of the inhabitants in the area of ​​Bustamante Park to the intervention and possible destruction of it. The government finally decided to change its original project and chose alternative B, which had a profitability of 14.7% and a demand of 18,000 passengers per hour in each direction, which had a budgeted cost of 14,892.9 thousand UF.[114] Thus, on January 27, 1994, construction of Line 5 began,[117] on the land of the current Santa Isabel station "Santa Isabel (station)"). To avoid rejection by neighbors, the construction used the so-called NATM ("New Austrian Tunneling Method"), which significantly reduced surface traffic interruptions and some 90 tree species native to Bustamante Park were moved to a special nursery located in the same park.[114] The line was built underground between Baquedano and the San Eugenio workshops, where it emerges and continues on a viaduct to the station. Bellavista de La Florida "Bellavista de La Florida (station)"). The viaduct was built between the months of November 1994 and December 1996, with a total length of 5948 m.[118]​.

This line, the third of the Santiago Metro, was finally inaugurated on April 5, 1997 by President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle. Taking advantage of the inauguration of the line, Metro began a process of renewal of its corporate image and the signage of the stations, which was in charge of the designers Sergio Mancilla, Mónica Ventura and Alejandro Orellana, and which also included the development of its own typographic font, called "Métrika".[119] In December 1997, the process of changing the signage in the stations of the La Moneda-Salvador section on Line 1 began, continuing in the subsequent months to the rest of the network.[120]​.

First extension

Even before it was inaugurated, the Frei government announced that Line 5 would be extended at its northern end. This meant crossing the entire founding center of the city, reaching the heart of it, the Plaza de Armas of Santiago. In March 1995, three options were announced that were being considered for said extension:

• - The first option considered connecting with Line 2 at the Puente Cal y Canto station, with a route that would follow José María Caro Avenue (Costanera Sur) with an intermediate station on Loreto Street.

• - The second alternative considered the route along Monjitas Street to the Plaza de Armas, where it would turn north and connect with Line 2 at Puente Cal y Canto. It had 2 intermediate stops: one at the National Museum of Fine Arts "Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Chile)") and another in the Plaza de Armas.

• - The third proposal proposed a route similar to the second alternative but continuing towards the west along Cathedral Street, connecting with Line 2 at the Santa Ana station and presenting intermediate stations at the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Plaza de Armas and another at Teatinos Street.[121]​.

Finally, the third option was chosen, connecting with Line 2 at the Santa Ana station "Santa Ana (station)"), although without building the station that was contemplated on Teatinos Street, maintaining the other 2 intermediate stops. On January 11, 1997, construction work began on the extension of the line to the Santa Ana station.[122]​.

The construction of the tunnel generated significant archaeological conservation concern as a result of the potential discoveries that could be found during the work.[123] Indeed, various elements of historical value were found. In the Bueras pique sector next to the Forest Park, remains of the brick breakwaters built by Joaquín Toesca from 1792 to 1805 to defend the city from river flooding were found, while under the Plaza de Armas ceramic pipes from the old colonial water basins and human bones were found along with glazed ceramics of Spanish origin and obsidian jewelry.[124]

Although a less invasive system such as the NATM was used for the construction of the tunnel, the three stations built required an open shaft, especially complex in the case of the Plaza de Armas. The sector was also considered a "typical area" by the Council of National Monuments of Chile, so Metro S.A. had to reach an agreement with this institution to be able to carry out the works.[123]​ The stations were finally built using a shoring system with piling and anchoring to the ground itself, reducing the size of the excavations,[125]​ which in the case of the Plaza de Armas, served to build underground parking in the area and completely remodel the plaza.

On March 3, 2000, and in his last days of presidency, Eduardo Frei inaugurated the extension of Line 5 that allows connectivity between the three lines existing until that date.

Plans and proposals

The government of Ricardo Lagos, between March 11, 2000 and March 11, 2006, strongly developed the expansion of the Metro Network. Lagos, as Minister of Public Works during the government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, mentioned in September 1995 the intentions of creating a line along Recoleta Avenue, but ultimately the plan did not materialize and by 2000, Metro had no expansion plans. During his presidential campaign, one of Lagos's main promises had been a reform of Santiago's public transportation system, so a month after taking office he commissioned the creation of an advisory committee that finally published the "Santiago Urban Transportation Policy and Plan, 2000-2010" in August 2000.[126]​.

The PTUS was mainly in charge of the buses, so the subway agenda ran in parallel mainly from the presidential office. On May 24, 2000, Ricardo Lagos announced the first expansion plans: Line 2 would extend two stations north along Recoleta Avenue and two south along Gran Avenida, while Line 5 would extend three stations to the west, reaching Quinta Normal. These extensions were intended to connect with other transportation systems that were planned at the time and that would be announced months later: a tram along Recoleta and Independencia avenues and the Melitrén suburban train that would leave from the proposed Matucana station "Quinta Normal (Santiago Metro station)") on Line 5 to the towns of Batuco (to the north) and Melipilla (to the south). These projects were evaluated at a cost of 318 million dollars, but were later corrected to 436 million.[126] Both extensions—of Line 2 to Vespucio Norte and Line 5 to Quinta Normal—began construction in May 2001, while the extension of Line 2 from Lo Ovalle to La Cisterna began construction in January 2002.[127]​.

The tram project (also called "light train" or "light metro") for the northern sector of Santiago contemplated a line that would begin on the General San Martín Highway (close to the current Los Libertadores station "Los Libertadores (station)"), would advance south along Independencia Avenue, turning east in Santos Dumont (where it was planned to combine with the Cerro Blanco station "Cerro Blanco (station)") of Line 2) and continue north along the avenue Recoleta to the intersection of Recoleta Avenue and Santa Clara, in the commune of Huechuraba. This project was finally abandoned and replaced by the extension of Line 2 to Américo Vespucio,[128]​ while the section along Independencia Avenue would be definitively discarded with the construction of Metro Line 3.[129]​[130]​.

The Transportation Planning Secretariat (Sectra) published in October 2000 the "Executive Summary of the Santiago Urban Transportation Plan" based on the original PTUS and in which the Metro was definitively incorporated, defining it as the structuring network of the capital's new transportation system.[126] The decision, however, was not received with enthusiasm by some members of the advisory committee, especially by the former Minister of Transportation Germán Correa who argued that said measure had no proper support. to the limited coverage of the Santiago Metro.[126]​.

Line 4

Days after the second public account to the country of the government of Ricardo Lagos, on May 23, 2001, the main project regarding the Metro was announced: the construction of Line 4. The plan, announced as a consolidation of the Metro as the structuring axis of Santiago's transportation, consisted of a line from the Tobalaba station "Tobalaba (station)") along the homonymous avenue, then following Circunvalación Américo Vespucio Avenue to the intersection with the terminal station of Line 5, Bellavista de La Florida "Bellavista de La Florida (station)"). From there, the new line would have two branches: one to the south along Vicuña Mackenna Avenue until reaching the center of Puente Alto and another to the west reaching Line 2 at the La Cisterna station "La Cisterna (station)") that was under construction as part of the extension projects.[131] Other options had initially been considered, such as an extension of Line 5 to Puente Alto, a route exclusively by Américo Vespucio from Tobalaba to La Cistern, and the creation of an independent line from Bellavista de La Florida to Puente Alto, among others.[132]​.

Line 4 thus reinforced the network in the eastern sector of the city, covering a total of 11 communes and an estimated annual demand at the time of 350 million passengers per year. The line would be built underground in its section between the Tobalaba and Grecia stations "Grecia (station)"), in a trench along the Vespucio Sur Highway and on an elevated viaduct over Vicuña Mackenna Avenue to Puente Alto. It was estimated that the cost would be 1,007 million dollars.[131]​.

The extension to the eastern sector was criticized by mayors of other communes, in particular of Maipú "Maipú (Chile)"), which at that time was already the second most populated commune in the country after Puente Alto, and of Independencia when they saw how the Line 3 plan was once again postponed. As a way to alleviate congestion problems in these communes, the government committed to the construction of the Melitrén and the tram along Independencia Avenue, as well as another tram from La Cisterna to Maipú passing near the land of the old Los Cerrillos airport, in the west of the city. In addition, the project included the integration of the Metro into the microbus network by creating seven transfer stations and the introduction of Multivía, a contactless smart card as a means of payment.[131]​.

Line 4 would introduce trains with steel wheels and various conglomerates presented themselves for the tender. The French company Alstom maintained the contract with the Santiago Metro for the project, defeating proposals from Siemens AG, Bombardier and CAF. Hyundai, which had expressed interest, was unable to participate in the tender as it arrived two hours late at the close of applications.[133]​.

Start-up

After the announcements and the beginning of the works, various changes arose in the projects being executed. Line 4 changed the original structure of its branch: instead of combining with Line 5 in Bellavista de La Florida, it was extended to give rise to the Vicente Valdés station "Vicente Valdés (station)"), located a little further south along Vicuña Mackenna, while the branch was moved to the Vicuña Mackenna station "Vicuña Mackenna (station)"). The original proposal of having trains that made the routes from Tobalaba to the combination with Line 2 was finally discarded and the section between Vicuña Mackenna and La Cisterna was separated, thus forming Line 4A. The extension of Line 5 to the west was also modified, after it was decided not to open the Libertad station "Libertad (station)") until human traffic in the area increased, while the station originally planned under Plaza Brasil was moved a few blocks to the east to Ricardo Cumming "Cumming (station)") to better cover the sector above the so-called "ghost station" Libertad. A situation similar to the Libertad station occurred with the stations Arturo Prat&action=edit&redlink=1 "Arturo Prat (station) (not yet written)") (which finally ended up as a shunting queue for the Plaza de Puente Alto terminal) and San José de la Estrella "San José de la Estrella (station)") of Line 4 and Echeverría "Echeverría (station)") of Line 4A, whose bases were built for future expansions.

The attached railway projects were seriously affected when the Melitrén tender had to be closed without bidders due to the high cost involved in enabling the tunnel between the Central Station and Quinta Normal. The large dimensions of this last station, initially called Matucana, would ultimately have no use and the intermodal station initially planned was also cancelled. A similar fate was experienced by the tram projects to Recoleta, Independencia and Maipú, which never saw the light of day. As a way to compensate for the cancellation of these projects, Metro announced in June 2003 the expansion of Line 2 north beyond Santos Dumont "Cerro Blanco (station)") (finally inaugurated as Cerro Blanco) to the intersection of Recoleta with Américo Vespucio, including the stations Valdivieso "Cementerios (station)") (now Cementerios), Einstein "Einstein (station)"), Dorsal "Dorsal (station)"), Sapadores "Sapadores (station)") and Vespucio Norte "Vespucio Norte (station)"), which would have a cost of US$ 200 million.[126]​.

The works began to be inaugurated in 2004. The first section was the extension of Line 5 between Santa Ana "Santa Ana (station)") and Quinta Normal "Quinta Normal (Santiago Metro station)"), on March 31 of that year.[61]​ Some months later, it was followed by the extension of Line 2 to the north between Puente Cal y Canto "Puente Cal y Canto (station)") and Cerro Blanco "Cerro Blanco (station)") (planned as Santos Dumont) on September 8,[61] managing to cross the Mapocho River for the first time. On December 22, it was the turn of the southern extension of the same line, between Lo Ovalle "Lo Ovalle (station)") and La Cisterna "La Cisterna (station)").[61]​ The section between Cerro Blanco and Einstein was opened on November 25, 2005.[61]​.

Two weeks before the inauguration of Line 4, on November 15, 2005, President Ricardo Lagos and the president of Metro S.A. Fernando Bustamante made public the extension to the east of Line 1 along Avenida Apoquindo to Plaza Los Dominicos and a new line towards Maipú "Maipú (Chile)").[136]​[137]​.

The eastern extension of Line 1 required an investment of 245 million dollars, 50 of which were financed by the Illustrious Municipality of Las Condes.[138]​ The original design contemplated an extension from the Escuela Militar station "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)") following Apoquindo Avenue to the east, adding four stations;[137]​ however, the planned station at the intersection with La Gloria was discarded and finally only three stations: Manquehue "Manquehue (station)"), Hernando de Magallanes "Hernando de Magallanes (station)") and Los Dominicos "Los Dominicos (station)"), all underground and inaugurated on January 7, 2010.[139]​.

The desires of the Maipú community to have an extension of the Metro were finally materialized with the announcement of Lagos, although in a different way than that imagined in previous projects, which were based on building a new line along Avenida Los Pajaritos from the center of Maipú "Maipú (Chile)") to the Las Rejas station "Las Rejas (station)"), which served until that date as the main connection door for the inhabitants of the commune with the underground train network. The project originally presented incorporated a route that connected Maipú with the Quinta Normal station "Quinta Normal (Santiago Metro station)") on Line 5, crossing the communes of Pudahuel, Lo Prado and Quinta Normal. This project, called the Maipú-Pudahuel-Lo Prado Line (LMPL), was intended as an independent line, which would run from the Plaza Mayor of Maipú north to Avenida Circunvalación Américo Vespucio, cross through residential sectors to Avenida Teniente Cruz and then turn east along Avenida San Pablo, without combining with the adjacent Line 1, until reaching the combination station, Quinta Normal. This initial route had 13 stations and a length of 13.7 kilometers.[140]​ The route avoided loading Line 1 with more passengers, which after the operation of Transantiago had increased the number of users to the edge of its capacities, and diverted a significant number of them towards Line 5, decongesting the main line of the network.

Although the project largely maintained its original route idea, it faced important changes. A part of the original route of the LNMP was under soil with poor conditions for tunnel construction, which increased costs, to which was added the high number of expropriations to be carried out in the residential section between Américo Vespucio and Teniente Cruz. Faced with this situation, various proposals were raised to define the route, with the extension of the route along Avenida Los Pajaritos between Américo Vespucio and Teniente Cruz being accepted, taking the latter avenue towards the north.[141] The idea of an additional line, meanwhile, was finally discarded and it became a direct extension of Line 5. The last change to the plan was the elimination of a station in the center of Maipú (interspersed between the current Santiago Bueras and Plaza de Maipú). and the announcement of the construction of the Del Sol station "Del Sol (station)") two years after the start of work, on July 15, 2008. This last station was located at the intersection of Pajaritos with the Autopista del Sol "Autopista del Sol (Chile)") in order to serve as an intermodal station with intercity buses from the south-west sector of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago.[142]​.

The first section of the extension of Line 5, between the Quinta Normal and Pudahuel stations "Pudahuel (station)") was officially inaugurated on January 12, 2010. The rest of the stations up to the terminal in Plaza de Maipú "Plaza de Maipú (station)") were officially inaugurated on February 3, 2011,[143]​ including Del Sol, even though its opening was expected by the end of 2011.[142]​ The inauguration of the extension of Line 5 allowed a reduction in travel times for the inhabitants of the most populated commune in Chile from 90 minutes to 26 between the Plaza de Armas in Santiago and the Plaza Mayor in Maipú.[143]​.

After the implementation of Transantiago and the significant increase in passenger flow, the Metro management initially ruled out planning them until an evaluation of the operation of Transantiago for at least two years, and according to its results it would be determined whether the construction of extensions or new lines was profitable and necessary.[144] In any case, the Interministerial Secretariat of Transportation Planning called in mid-2006 a tender for the design of the possible expansion of the Metro for medium and long term.[145]​ Within the bases, projects were presented that had to be compulsorily designed by the proponents: a new line through Irarrázaval and Matta avenues, to then turn north through San Diego and Independencia "Avenida Independencia (Chile)") (equivalent to the postponed Line 3), an extension of Line 4 north towards Vitacura or Huechuraba passing through Costanera Center, an extension of Line 4A towards Maipú "Maipú (Chile)"), a new line along Santa Rosa Avenue and another along the Los Leones-Macul-La Florida axis and may even be extended along Camilo Henríquez Avenue.

However, due to the existing congestion problems on Line 1 since the implementation of Transantiago, it was prioritized to build an alternative to said line to decongest it. In 2007, the director of Metro S.A., Clemente Pérez, suggested that the alternatives could be the equivalent of the postponed line 3 or a new line along Santa María Avenue,[146] although a group of construction companies presented a proposal (at a cost of US$900 million) to build an express line under the current one and with stops at only nine stations: Pajaritos "Pajaritos (station)"), Estación Central "Estación Central (Santiago metro)"), Los Héroes "Los Héroes (station)"), Universidad de Chile "Universidad de Chile (station)"), Baquedano "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)"), Pedro de Valdivia "Pedro de Valdivia (station)"), Tobalaba "Tobalaba (station)") and Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)").[147]

Thus, in September 2009 the possibilities were reduced to only three alternatives: the line along Av. Santa María, Line 3 through Irarrázaval-Matta-San Diego-Independencia, and a new line from the Pedro de Valdivia station "Pedro de Valdivia (station)") to the south to Guillermo Mann behind the National Stadium to the west using the old railway line to then turn south west and connect with the future City Park. Bicentennial "Parque Bicentenario (Cerrillos)") in Cerrillos "Cerrillos (Chile)"). In this way, real estate projects would be activated in a deteriorated area of ​​the city, as well as lower costs due to the use of old railway lines.[148]​.

Line 6

Towards the end of President Michelle Bachelet's first term, there was speculation about the announcement of a new metro line. The president of Metro S.A. Clemente Pérez assured that there were 15 proposals presented by SECTRA and that an early definition was necessary as it would avoid "losing the experience of the team of contractors that make it possible to carry out Metro's tasks." Within the plans, refloating Line 3 was the most mentioned, as were versions of it with its separate Independencia and Matta-Irarrázaval sections and an extension of Line 4 to the Parque Bicentenario de Vitacura "Parque Bicentenario (Vitacura)").[149] However, Bachelet announced on December 29, 2009 the construction of a recently designed line that had strongly attacked last months.[148]​.

Line 6 would begin in Tobalaba "Tobalaba (station)") next to the Costanera Center real estate complex to connect with the Pedro de Valdivia station "Pedro de Valdivia (station)") (L1) to the west, then turning south to the National Stadium and from there to the west using the old railway line (crossing lines 5 and 2 at the Ñuble and Rondizzoni stations, respectively), until connecting with the then future Ciudad Parque Bicentennial "Parque Bicentenario (Cerrillos)") in Cerrillos "Cerrillos (Chile)"). This route, which would benefit the communes of Cerrillos, Estación Central, Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Pedro Aguirre Cerda (commune)"), Santiago "Santiago (commune)"), San Miguel "San Miguel (Chile)"), San Joaquín "San Joaquín (Chile)"), Ñuñoa, Providencia "Providencia (Chile)") and Las Condes, would have an investment initially estimated at 900 million dollars to be operational in 2014.[150] Among the reasons given for the construction of this line, which was initially also called the "Southern Express Line", was the decongestion of Line 1, the incorporation and activation of the south-central area of Santiago, especially in the Zanjón de la Aguada and Parque Bicentenario sector and the use of the railway belt, lowering costs compared to other alternatives.[151]​.

The announcement caused various reactions, especially for leaving aside Line 3, which was considered the favorite to be built. Criticism came mainly from the political opposition "Alianza (Chile)") in the context of the 2009 presidential elections "Chilean Presidential Elections (2009-2010)"): the standard bearer (and future president) Sebastián Piñera stated that the announcement was a “political offer” and that he was “playing with the people's hopes.”[153]​ Along these lines, the person in charge of Transportation of his programmatic team He said that in an eventual government this line would be re-studyed, since Cerrillos did not ensure the necessary demand for a line.[154]​ The mayors of the communes involved also participated in the criticism: Pedro Sabat in Ñuñoa assured that the route was “rasca” (vulgar),[155]​ while Claudina Núñez, mayor of Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Pedro Aguirre Cerda (commune)"), said that she would defend the route. and that a re-study would affect the working classes.[156]​[157]​ Regarding technical studies, a team from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile determined that Line 6 presented greater social benefit than Line 3 by considering more factors than passenger mobility (especially due to the urban renewal of the southern sector of the capital).[158]​ A SECTRA study ensured that, although Line 3 could be more profitable, Line 6 was considerably cheaper than Line 3. execute.[159]​.

Reevaluation and joint project with Line 3

In the campaign days prior to his election in the second round, Sebastián Piñera assured residents of Conchalí that the Line 3 project was viable and that it would be carried out under his mandate, calling into question the construction of Line 6 if he won. Days later, SECTRA said that a joint construction of both lines was possible, as long as it was carried out in stages.[159] The earthquake of February 27, 2010, however, would change the priorities of the new government and the possibility of expansion of the Santiago Metro was in danger just as in 1985.

Although Bachelet's announcement expected that construction work would begin in July 2010, a month earlier, Transport Minister Felipe Morandé said that Line 6 was being reevaluated, although he argued that it was a product of the earthquake and the change in the government's investment priorities.[160] In October 2010, President Piñera officially announced that Line 6 would be built, although in conjunction with Line 3, and that the construction of both routes It was in the design stage.[161]​.

In July 2011, the final design of both projects was published. Line 3 would remain basically the same as its original planning in the mid-1980s, although extending north to Américo Vespucio and east beyond Plaza Egaña until reaching Tobalaba Avenue. In total, the new Line 3 would have a cost of 1,722 million for a 22-kilometer route with 11 stations that will be inaugurated between 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, Line 6 presented several changes: in the final section a single combination was left with L1 in Los Leones "Los Leones (station)") (thus eliminating the stations in Pedro de Valdivia "Pedro de Valdivia (station)") and Tobalaba "Tobalaba (station)") and the Maestranza station "Lo Valledor (Santiago Metro station)") (originally called San Eugenio) were moved a few meters to fit with the combined train service to Rancagua. Line 6, which would be operational in 2016, would have a final cost of 1,036 million dollars. The project also presented several changes for the new trains, which would have air conditioning, security cameras and automated driving.[162]​.

The Line 6 project experienced a new change, when in January 2012 it was announced that the Club Hífico and Maestranza stations would be moved 400 meters to the south, moving away from the axis of the Aguada ditch and remaining along Avenida Carlos Valdovinos. This change directly benefited the residents of the commune of Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Pedro Aguirre Cerda (commune)"), improving the capital gains of the area and increasing the number of real estate and commercial projects. The cost of said change was estimated at 6 million dollars. Likewise, some names of the stations were modified: Pedro Aguirre Cerda was renamed Cerrillos "Cerrillos (station)"), Club Hífico was renamed Presidente Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Presidente Pedro Aguirre Cerda (station)"), while Maestranza changed its name again and became Lo Valledor "Lo Valledor (Santiago Metro station)").[163]

Extensions of lines 2 and 3

Michelle Bachelet's second government took office in March 2014. In her presidential campaign, Bachelet announced that she would study the technical feasibility of extending Line 3 to the commune of Quilicura and Line 2 to San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)."[166]​[167]​ In May 2014, the president announced the beginning of said feasibility studies.[168]​.

Finally, on November 5, 2014, the construction of the extension of lines 2 and 3 was confirmed. Line 2 will be extended for 5 km underground, from the current La Cisterna station "La Cisterna (station)") to the Hospital El Pino "Hospital El Pino (station)"), on the border of the communes of El Bosque "El Bosque (Chile)") and San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)"), will count with 4 seasons. Meanwhile, Line 3 will have an extension to the north, incorporating 3 new stations from the Los Libertadores terminal station "Los Libertadores (station)") to the center of the Quilicura commune, along 3.6 km of underground tunnel. This extension will also have an intermodal station that will allow connection with the local train service to Batuco, which would be in operation starting in 2022. The planned investment for both extensions amounts to over 1,173 million dollars, to which an estimated 317 million dollars would be added for the purchase of 12 new trains for the Metro network.[169]​ The inauguration of both extensions took place during 2023: the extension of Line 3. It was opened to the public on September 25,[8]​ while the extension of Line 2 began operations on November 27.[170]​.

During the month of October 2019, the Santiago Metro network faced social protests due to the increase in fares for the entire Metropolitan Mobility Network.[171]​ Initially, high school students carried out massive escapes between October 6 and 11.[172]​[173]​ The protests soon escalated to several metro stations,[174]​ interrupting train service on several occasions.[175]​.

On October 15, the Universidad de Chile station and Los Leones station "Los Leones (station)") were closed and without the possibility of combination for a few hours due to demonstrations.[176]​[177]​ On October 17, alterations to line 1 began when the Los Héroes station "Los Héroes (station)") was affected by the activation of the emergency brake due to protesters, causing the service to be cut between the San Pablo "San Pablo" stations. (station)")-República "República (station)") and Universidad de Chile-Los Dominicos "Los Dominicos (station)").[178]​.

On Friday, October 18, the demonstrations continued, disrupting the service of line 1, leading to access control for users.[179]​ The situation escalated to the point of announcing the closure, at 2:52 p.m., of lines 1 and 2.[180]​ The situation did not stop and the entire network had to be closed due to attacks on stations and workers.[181]​[182]​ At night, after the declaration of the state emergency by President Sebastián Piñera, several Metro stations were destroyed and burned, some of which were attacked again the next day, even when a curfew was established.[183] Meanwhile, the National Institute of Human Rights investigated accusations that the Baquedano station "Baquedano (station)") was used as a detention and torture center by police and military personnel.[184]

The effects of the protests and attacks on the metro system stations on the line were so great that the network remained closed to the public on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20.[185] The Metro network was partially reactivated as of Monday, October 21; However, due to damage to some stations, the network will only be fully available for up to 7 months. The costs of the damages are estimated at more than 300 million dollars.[186]​ Santiago Metro indicated that it does not have contracted insurance for the infrastructure of the stations and trains.[187]​.

The future projects of the Santiago Metro were also affected by the consequences of the social outbreak. The construction of the extensions of lines 2, 3, 4 and 6 towards Hospital El Pino "Hospital El Pino (station)"), Plaza Quilicura "Plaza Quilicura (station)"), Bajos de Mena and Isidora Goyenechea respectively and lines 7, 8 and 9, suffered delays and will be inaugurated on later dates than those initially announced. In addition, the inauguration of the Los Libertadores Intermodal Station, which was planned to be opened in 2019, was delayed to April 2020.[188]​ The construction of the NS-2016 trains for lines 2 and 5, however, will follow the originally announced schedule.[189]​.

On October 23, it was reported that the network had damages in 79 stations, with lines 4, 4A and 5 being the ones with the largest number of destroyed or vandalized stations; There is also damage to 6 trains, 5 on line 4 and one on line 1 - the latter caught fire at the San Pablo station. The details of the burned stations were as follows:[190]​.

The reopening of the Santiago Metro network was carried out gradually from October 21, 2019 to September 25, 2020, on the following dates:

In April 2013, the Chilean government launched the Santiago Transportation Master Plan 2025 as a way to jointly design the city's transportation system in the medium term. This plan articulates a series of means of transportation, expanding some in operation such as the Metro, commuter trains and cycle paths and incorporating new ones such as cable cars, trams and pre-metro.

The railway plan for the city, with an estimated cost of 10,881 million dollars, would allow the construction of at least two new metro lines.[225] Line 7 was proposed as a parallel to Line 1, with the main objective of decongesting it (something already planned for lines 3 and 6) and would run along the axis of 5 de Abril avenues "Avenida 5 de Abril (Maipú and Cerrillos)") - Blanco Encalada-Santa Isabel from Maipú to Vicuña Mackenna, then approaching the Mapocho River waterfront to continue along Avenida Vitacura, ending in the Estoril sector. An initial idea included a branch along Francisco Bilbao Avenue to the east, but it was discarded in later versions of the plan. Meanwhile, Line 8 would serve the north-west of Santiago, beginning its route at the Baquedano station "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)") towards the west, following Mapocho and J. J. Pérez avenues until reaching the communes of Cerro Navia and Renca "Renca (Chile)").[225]

The plan also includes new extensions: Line 2 would expand south to stop 28 of Gran Avenida (reaching the commune of El Bosque "El Bosque (Chile)")), Line 4 would reach Isidora Goyenechea and Bajos de Mena to the north and south, Line 6 to Isidora Goyenechea to the north and Line 5 would reach Camino a Melipilla to the south, in order to combine with the Melitren. Meanwhile, a tram service would connect the Metro with the Arturo Merino Benítez Airport, while two other services would run along Tobalaba and Santa Rosa avenues "Avenida Santa Rosa (Santiago)").[225]​.

The construction of these lines and extensions were not confirmed by the first government of Sebastián Piñera, leaving the decision to the second government of Michelle Bachelet, which took office in March 2014.[226] In her presidential campaign, Bachelet announced that she would study the technical feasibility of extending Line 3 to the commune of Quilicura and Line 2 to San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)").[166]​[167]​ In May In 2014, the president announced the beginning of said feasibility studies.[168]​.

In July 2014, a group of transportation and urban planning specialists (including former minister Pedro Pablo Errázuriz) proposed new lines for the Santiago Metro, including an extension of Line 4 along Avenida Vitacura between Sanhattan and Avenida Tabancura"), another along Avenida Las Condes between Manquehue station "Manquehue (station)" and Avenida La Dehesa") (similar to the tram project for Las Condes), another along Avenida Cristóbal Colón "Avenida Cristóbal Colón (Santiago)") between the Colón station "Cristóbal Colón (station)") and the Rotonda Atenas"), another along Los Leones and Macul Avenues between Providencia and Américo Vespucio Avenues, and another through Zanjón de la Aguada and La Florida Avenue between the Bio-Bío station "Bio-Bío (Santiago Metro)") and the commune of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)").[227]​.

At the III Business and Society Congress of Icare"), held in August 2014, former president Ricardo Lagos proposed building an express line 1, between Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)") and Pajaritos "Pajaritos (station)"), with only four or five stations, to decongest the current line 1.[228] Later, in 2017 Lagos presented a proposal for new lines and extensions of the Santiago Metro to reach a total of 16 lines and become the backbone of the capital's transportation network.[229]​.

During 2025, the Santiago Metro carried out several activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Santiago Metro, which occurred on September 15, 1975:

• - Starting in October 2024, Metro de Santiago launched a monthly series of 13 commemorative beep cards to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the service.[230]​ The design of the latest card was selected through an art contest, with the theme "The Metro you imagine".[231]​.

• - The documentary The third space was released, directed by Camilo Vallejo and which through various testimonies narrates the evolution and impact of the Metro as a crucial social space in the life of the city.[232]​.

• - On October 5, 2025, a citizen festival was held in the Plaza de la Ciudadanía that featured artistic presentations, exhibition stands of historical collections, train simulators, works by Zerreitug, and one of the first NS-74 cars and a model of the trains that will circulate on Line 7 were exhibited.[233]​.

• - On October 10, 2025, one of the cars of an NS-74 train was transferred to the Santiago Railway Museum, located inside the Quinta Normal Park, to be permanently exhibited thanks to an alliance between Metro de Santiago and the Private Corporation for the Dissemination of Science and Technology (Corpdicyt).[234]​.

under construction

Along with announcing the construction of the extensions of lines 2 and 3, President Michelle Bachelet confirmed the start of feasibility studies for the construction of Line 7 of the Santiago Metro, which will be parallel to the current Line 1 and will seek to decongest it. Line 7 was presented as the first concessioned line of the Metro network, although it was later discarded. The service will travel through Santiago in a west-east direction between Renca "Renca (Chile)") and Vitacura.

On May 31, 2017, the newspaper El Mercurio pointed out a possible future route of Line 7 that would begin in Estoril with Kennedy (Vitacura), advancing through Kennedy to the sector of the old Pérez Zujovic roundabout and the Costanera Andrés Bello to combine with the stations Salvador "Salvador (station)") and Baquedano "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)") of Line 1, continuing then in a combination with Line 2 in Puente Cal y Canto to head west through Mapocho and José Joaquín Pérez and turning north in Huelén, reaching the communes of Cerro Navia and Renca "Renca (Chile)").[235]​ The construction was officially announced by President Michelle Bachelet during the public account on June 1, 2017.[236]​.

In August of the same year, Chilean transportation experts proposed that the line be modified, heading towards the international airport along San Daniel, Río Itata and Armando Cortínez Oriente avenues in the Pudahuel commune, passing through the Enea business park "Enea (Santiago de Chile)"). They also proposed 22 stations, adding four to the original project and removing the three in the direction of Renca.[237]​ The company Metro S.A. He did not rule it out at the time[238]​ and the Enea firm offered to facilitate it.[239]​.

On December 22, 2017, the newspaper El Mercurio published a report that indicated that the route of the line was modified, so that it would not circulate on Andrés Bello Avenue, but parallel to Line 1 on Providencia Avenue. Likewise, the combination in Salvador would be eliminated and "Pedro de Valdivia (station)" would be moved to Pedro de Valdivia, eliminating the Sweden and La Concepción stations, and then continuing with its original route in Isidora Goyenechea. At that station, it would combine with Line 6), and a section of the route in the Kennedy Avenue sector would be diverted through Cerro Colorado. In the western sector, the line would continue, after crossing Avenida General Velásquez, along Avenida Mapocho instead of José Joaquín Pérez, about 600 meters further north in the section of Quinta Normal and Cerro Navia. Along with this, it was announced that the line would be inaugurated in 2026.[240]​.

On December 29, 2021, it was announced that the French company Alstom was awarded the tender to manufacture the self-driving trains for Line 7.[241] Finally, on February 17, 2022, the official ceremony for the start of construction work on Line 7 was held.[242]​.

When the completion of the Melipilla Metrotren project was announced in 2013, the extension of the then new Line 6 to the Lo Errázuriz station had been considered to connect both services,[243]​ although this extension had not been formally announced by Metro and was not in the plans that included the extensions of Lines 2 and 3.

At the beginning of September 2019, then-president Sebastián Piñera presented the "Chile sobre Rieles" plan, which confirmed the implementation of the train service to Melipilla, along with the completion of the extension of Line 6 to the Lo Errázuriz station "Lo Errázuriz (station)"). During 2021, Metro called for tenders to carry out the project,[244]​ while during the following year its environmental impact statement was approved.[245]​ On April 4, 2024, work on the extension to Lo Errázuriz began.[246]​ The station is expected to be inaugurated during the last quarter of 2027.[246]​.

As a result of the announcement of the construction of the new Line 7 and the first changes to the project made in December 2017, the extension of Line 6 by one kilometer from the Los Leones station "Los Leones (station)") to the future Isidora Goyenechea station was confirmed, with which both lines will be connected.[247]​ In December 2021, the land that will house the station was cleared, precisely in the triangular delimited by Andrés Bello, Isidora Goyenechea and Vitacura.[248]​.

The president also announced the construction of Line 9 during the same speech. Initially, it had been announced that the route would begin at the Santa Lucía station, in the center of Santiago and would cross a large part of the Santa Rosa axis (an idea that initially arose as one of the routes proposed by Juan Parrochia in 1968) until reaching the intersection of the same avenue with Gabriela, in the commune of La Pintana. This initial route had 12 stations[249]​ —although this number changed during the initial stages— and an extension of 17 kilometers,[250]​ however the initial plan was postponed due to the social outbreak of 2019 and the company declared the tenders void.[251]​[252]​.

On August 9, 2023, President Gabriel Boric announced the change to the original route of Line 9. Unlike the initial plan, the new route will begin at the Puente Cal y Canto station (which will make it the first quadruple station in the network) and will extend south through Plaza de La Pintana and crossing the Bajos de Mena sector until reaching the Plaza de Puente Alto station, connecting with Line 4. The final route will have 19 stations (with one of them, Lo Martínez, being projected into the future) and an extension of 27 kilometers.[253]​.

The segment corresponding to the Bajos de Mena sector had initially been considered as an extension of Line 4, however this plan did not come to fruition and was merged with Line 9. In addition, the inauguration is planned to be carried out in stages: the section between the Bío-Bio station "Bío Bío (Santiago Metro station)") (which connects with Line 6) and Plaza La Pintana will be inaugurated in 2030, while the segment between Puente Cal and Canto (which will combine with Lines 2, 3 and 7) and Ñuble would be inaugurated in 2032; Finally, the section between La Primavera and Plaza de Puente Alto will be inaugurated in 2033.[254]​.

Projects in administrative process

During Sebastián Piñera's 2018 public account, the president announced the creation of Line 8,[255][256]​ which will connect the Los Leones station "Los Leones (station)") in Providencia, along Avenida Los Leones to the south, continuing through Chile-Spain, Avenida José Pedro Alessandri, Avenida Macul, Avenida La Florida, and Avenida Camilo Henríquez until reaching Avenida San Carlos in Puente Alto, benefiting the northeast sector and the southeast sector. The route will combine with lines 1 and 6 in Los Leones, with line 3 in Chile-Spain, and with line 4 in Macul, and it is estimated that it will have 14 new stations.[255]​[257][258]​.

As a consequence of the damage caused to the network during the social outbreak of 2019, the tenders for the development of the project were declared void to focus on the reconstruction of the affected stations.[251]​[252]​ It is estimated that Line 8 will be operational in the year 2030.[259]​.

Furthermore, the inauguration is planned to be carried out in stages: the section between the Chile España station (which connects with Line 3) and El Peral will be inaugurated in 2032, while the segment between Los Leones (which will combine with Lines 1 and 6) and Diagonal Oriente will be inaugurated in 2033.[13][260]​.

On May 14, 2025, the newspaper Diario Financiero reported that President Gabriel Boric would announce in the public account that year the project of a light train that would connect the future Line 7 with the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport.[261] With an estimated length of between six and seven kilometers, the train would connect the air terminal with the future station located on Avenida Mapocho Sur with Huelén in Cerro Navia.[261]​.

Finally, before the Plenary Congress, President Boric announced on June 1, 2025 the construction of Line A, which would be a light metro line that will connect the country's main air terminal and the Huelén station on Line 7.[262][263][264]​.

In addition to the extension of Line 6 to the Lo Errázuriz station "Lo Errázuriz (station)"), it was proposed to continue it towards Maipú, along Avenida Salvador Allende, then along Avenida 5 de Abril "Avenida 5 de Abril (Maipú and Cerrillos)") connecting with Line 5, and then along Avenida Camino a Rinconada, to then turn south onto Avenida 3 Poniente in a densely populated area of Maipú that could reach Camino a Melipilla.[265]​[266]​[267]​[268]​ After the inauguration of Line 3 in January 2019, President Piñera reiterated that after the announced projects of lines 7, 8 and 9, the extension of line 6 to at least Hospital El Carmen "Hospital El Carmen (Santiago de Chile)") was considered.[269]​ At the beginning of 2023, Mayor Tomás Vodanovic formally requested the extension of line 6 to Avenida Las Unidas and Avenida Portales.[270]​[271]​.

In the 2025 Public Account, President Gabriel Boric announced that Line 6 would be extended again from the Lo Errázuriz Station to the El Carmen Hospital "Hospital El Carmen (Santiago de Chile)") in the commune of Maipú, passing through the homonymous square and covering 6.4 km and 3 new stations that would be delivered no earlier than 2037.[272]​.

New lines

• - "Semicircular" Line or "Ex Line 10": Circular line that would allow the intermediate ring of the city to be articulated in the Departmental-Las Rejas-Dorsal axis. It would begin in Providencia, crossing Cerro San Cristóbal "Cerro San Cristóbal (Chile)") to the north and turning west along Avenida Dorsal to Renca "Renca (Chile)"), then it would turn south along the Sergio Valdovinos axis and Avenida Las Rejas, continuing southeast along Avenida Departamental until ending at Avenida Tobalaba.[265]​[273][266][278]​ On January 22, 2019, during the inauguration of Line 3, President Sebastián Piñera announced the development of studies for a possible Line 10, in view of which the possibility of carrying out the previously described route from Mapocho south through Las Rejas and Departmental to Tobalaba.[267]​[279]​[268]​ In its complete layout it would benefit the southeastern sector, southern sector, southwestern sector, northwestern sector, northern sector, and northeastern sector, avoiding passing through the center.

• - Line "5 de Abril-Blanco Encalada - Santa Isabel - Bilbao": Line parallel to 1 to the south, starting at the Del Sol station "Del Sol (station)") or Monte Tabor "Monte Tabor (station)") in Maipú, running along Simón Bolívar, Avenida 5 de Abril "Avenida 5 de Abril (Maipú and Cerrillos)"), Arica, Avenida Blanco Encalada, connecting with line 2 at Toesca "Toesca (station)"), then continue along Avenida Santa Isabel connecting with line 5 at Parque Bustamante "Parque Bustamante (station)"), continuing along Avenida Francisco Bilbao connecting with Inés de Suárez "Inés de Suárez (station)") on line 6 and Bilbao "Francisco Bilbao (station)") on line 4, arriving at Avenida Padre Hurtado or turning towards north along Avenida Manquehue to the Irene Frei de Vitacura Rotunda. It would benefit the southwestern, central and eastern sectors of the capital, between Maipú and Las Condes.[280]​[265]​[281]​[273]​[266]​.

• - "Tobalaba-Vespucio" Line: Line of the foothills of Santiago. It could start in Tobalaba with San José de la Estrella and continue north along Avenida Tobalaba towards Peñalolén and La Reina, connecting with the Fernando Castillo Velasco Station "Fernando Castillo Velasco (station)") on line 3. Also combining with the Príncipe de Wales station "Príncipe de Wales (station)") on line 4, to continue along Avenida Américo Vespucio to Avenida Vitacura, combining at Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)") on Line 1, and even continuing north, combining with Line 2 in Vespucio Norte "Vespucio Norte (station)"), to the Los Libertadores station "Los Libertadores (station)") of Line 3 in Quilicura. It contemplates an alternative route along Manquehue Avenue.[280]​[265]​[273]​[266]​ It would significantly benefit the southeast, north, and northeast sectors of the capital between La Florida and Quilicura.

Extensions

• - Extension of Line 1 to Avenida Mapocho: Given the announcement of the construction of Line 7, the idea also arose of continuing Line 1 through Avenida Neptuno to Avenida Mapocho in the west, where they could combine.[265]​[273]​[266]​.

• - Extension of Line 2 to the center of San Bernardo: After the extension is built to Hospital El Pino "Hospital El Pino (station)"), it is expected that it can be extended even further, to Avenida Balmaceda, and then turning west along Colón to Avenida Freire, one block from the Plaza de Armas of San Bernardo, adding two or three stations to the commune and combining with the Train Nos-Estación Central at the San Bernardo Station "Estación San Bernardo (Chile)").[265]​[273]​[266]​ At the inauguration of the El Pino Hospital Station, Mayor Christopher White publicly requested the extension of an additional 2.5 kilometers to Padre Hurtado with El Mariscal adding two new stations. When consulted, the president of the Metro, Guillermo Muñoz, replied that it was part of the portfolio of Metro extension projects that are being evaluated.[282]​.

• - Extension of Line 3 to the La Reina Military Hospital: In the official presentation of lines 3 and 6 in 2012, President Sebastián Piñera formally requested the Metro to study the extension of the project by 1.7 kilometers to the Military Hospital, located in La Reina. “That way we would be providing a better service to La Reina and getting closer to Peñalolén,” said Piñera. This extension would benefit, in addition to the Hospital, the Villa La Reina sector, the Tobalaba Aerodrome, the Industrial District, La Reina Alto and the northeastern sector of Peñalolén.[283] On May 22, 2012, Metro confirmed that it would carry out a second stage of construction of Line 3, which would depart once the work was completed in 2018, and that would allow the creation of the new Hospital Militar station as the new terminal of the line. to the east.[284]​[266]​[267]​[285]​ This option was later discarded, favoring the extension to Quilicura, but after the inauguration of the line in January 2019, President Piñera indicated again that after the announced Lines 7, 8 and 9 for 2026, construction of said extension was being considered.[269]​.

• - Extension of Line 4 to Huechuraba: At the northern limit of the line, it is proposed to extend it by 2 or 3 stations through Cerro San Cristóbal "Cerro San Cristóbal (Chile)") along Avenida El Salto in the Business City in Huechuraba. This extension will depend mainly on the construction of the semicircular line that could cross the Cerro San Cristóbal, and the Bicentenario Cable Car. Another more extensive proposal suggests continuing along Américo Vespucio Norte to Los Libertadores on Line 3.[265]​[273]​[266]​.

• - Extension of Line 4A (future Line 10) to the northwest: once the extension was built to Maipú at Estación Del Sol "Del Sol (station)") announced by President Gabriel Boric, the mayor of Pudahuel, Ítalo Bravo, requested that the line be extended north to Route 68 "Ruta 68 (Chile)"), the western sector of Pudahuel or even to the Airport. [286]​[287]​[288]​[289]​.

• - Santiago Metro.

On August 24, 1965, the Chilean government established an advisory commission, called the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission,[57] aimed at designing solutions based on the studies of the Office of Special Projects of Metropolitan Equipment regarding the transportation situation in Santiago. In March 1966, the commission decided to request foreign aid and a competition for international studies was required;[58][59] 14 companies were submitted to said international tender, of which 3 options were selected for negotiations—BCEOM-SOFRETU, De Lew Carther and International Engineering Co., and Sigdo Koppers—,[60] being finally awarded in April of the same year to the French consortium BCEOM-SOFRETU. (BCEOM was the acronym for "Bureau central d'études pour les équipements d'outre-mer" ["Central Study Office for Overseas Equipment"] and SOFRETU for "Société française d'études et de réalisations de transports urbains" ["French Society for Urban Transport Studies and Implementations"]), who together with the local company CADE ("Consultants in Engineering and Administration" of Companies"), decide to present a project before the commission.[61]​[62]​[63]​.

On August 13, 1968, the "Study of the Santiago Metropolitan Transportation System" carried out by BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE was presented to the President of the Republic, Eduardo Frei Montalva.[64]​[65]​ The government, based on this project, approved the Santiago Transportation Regulatory Plan, in order to provide a comprehensive long-term solution to the transportation problem in the city.[66]​ This plan consisted of:

• - Creation of an Independent Transportation Network (RTI) with a metro system, made up of 5 lines with an initial extension of approximately 60 km, of which three would be urban and two suburban.

• - Construction of a Complementary Road Transport Network (RTVC), made up of a set of roads and spaces that make up the skeleton of the RTI collection and feeder system.

• - Restructuring of the bus system, basing its routes on those necessary to supply the Metro system.[67]​.

The Independent Transport Network was to operate before 1980 along the following priority routes:

• - Line 1: from the Las Rejas sector "Las Rejas (station)") to Los Leones "Los Leones (station)") and Vitacura, passing through Alameda and Providencia and Vitacura avenues.

• - Line 2: from the Hipódromo Chile to the commune of San Miguel "San Miguel (Chile)") using Vivaceta, Norte-Sur and Gran Avenida avenues to Paradero 12, an extension being planned to Américo Vespucio, and continuing along this avenue to Santa Rosa.

• - Line 3: from Mapocho Station to the center of Ñuñoa, along Puente, Ahumada, and Arturo Prat streets (in a north-south direction) and then turning east along Avenida Matta and Irarrázaval, continuing along Diagonal Oriente until reaching Tobalaba.

• - Line 4: from the Central Station to San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)"), using the existing railway strip to the south of the country.

• - Line 5: from the Ñuñoa station "Ñuñoa (station)") to Los Cerrillos "Cerrillos (Chile)"), using the Circunvalación Railway and the edge of the Aguada ditch.[68]​.

The metro network would be about 60 km long, extending to around 90 km in 1990, mainly with the extensions of Line 1 towards Pudahuel to the west and Manquehue to the east; from Line 2 towards the center of Conchalí and La Cisterna from their ends; from Line 3 to La Paz and Recoleta avenues "Recoleta (Chile)"); from Line 4 to the Yungay station "Yungay (station)") and from Line 5 to Maipú "Maipú (Chile)").[68]​.

On October 10, 1968, the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission approved the BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE study,[69]​ and on October 24 of the same year, the government of Eduardo Frei Montalva approved this proposal through a supreme decree that would mark the birth of the Santiago Metro. The first section to be built would be Line 1, between the Barrancas sector and Plaza Bulnes, and would be in charge of the General Directorate of Public Works.[61]​.

Tras meses de estudios y análisis, el 29 de mayo de 1969 el presidente de la República, Eduardo Frei Montalva, junto con los ministros de Hacienda y Obras Públicas —Andrés Zaldívar y Sergio Ossa— además de autoridades y directores de organismos relacionados, acordaron construir el Metro de Santiago y definieron las vías de financiamiento para las obras.[70]​ El 19 de junio del mismo año, el ministro de Obras Públicas, Sergio Ossa, anunció por cadena nacional de radio y televisión la construcción del Metro de Santiago,[71]​ y al día siguiente se dio inicio a las obras en la intersección de las avenidas Alameda y Las Rejas, donde finalmente se ubicaría la estación Las Rejas "Las Rejas (estación)") de la Línea 1. En esta misma década se crea el logotipo del Metro, consistente en tres rombos de color rojo, el cual significa —de acuerdo al diseñador Peter Himmel") y al arquitecto Jaime Escudero Sanhueza, quienes participaron en las primeras obras del tren subterráneo— la «indisoluble interconexión entre los tres elementos: la superficie (vialidad), la circulación sobre la superficie (buses) y la circulación subterránea (metro)».[72]​[73]​.

En marzo de 1970 el Ministerio de Obras Públicas adquirió el Palacio Bustamante Irarrázaval para instalar las primeras oficinas del Metro de Santiago.[74]​ El 30 de abril de 1970 la Dirección General de Obras Públicas (DGOP) convocó a una licitación privada internacional para la adquisición del material rodante para el Metro de Santiago, en la que se solicitó ofertas a 16 empresas de 8 países, de las cuales 11 empresas de 4 países retiraron los antecedentes correspondientes; finalmente se presentaron a la licitación 4 empresas francesas.[75]​ La adjudicación de la primera licitación de material rodante fue realizada el 29 de enero de 1971, mediante la resolución 112 de la DGOP, entregada al consorcio francés Alsthom Groupe Brissonneau con el cual se le encargó la fabricación de 135 coches.[76]​.

Los tres primeros vagones del Metro de Santiago llegaron a la capital el 3 de junio de 1973, provenientes del puerto de San Antonio, tras haber sido descargados del barco «Ciudad de México» que los trajo desde el puerto francés de La Rochelle. Durante los meses siguientes continuarían llegando los restantes carros hasta completar la flota que inauguraría el servicio en 1975.[77]​ Con respecto al suministro eléctrico, la Compañía Chilena de Electricidad inició en junio de 1973 los estudios de ingeniería al respecto, que desembocaron en la construcción de un sistema de alimentación subterránea de 110 000 voltios.[78]​.

Si bien el decreto que disponía la construcción de la Línea 2 fue firmado el 6 de febrero de 1973,[79]​ su construcción se inició varios meses más tarde: algunas fuentes señalan que en octubre del mismo año se iniciaron las construcciones de dicha línea, en los alrededores del Parque El Llano y del Parque O'Higgins,[15]​[80]​ mientras que Juan Parrochia señala que dichas obras comenzaron solo a inicios de 1974.[81]​.

La construcción del túnel principal de la Línea 1 se llevó a cabo utilizando técnicas de cut and cover, dejando inhabilitada durante varios años gran parte de la Alameda, principal vía de la capital; los primeros rieles fueron instalados en la vía en enero de 1973.[82]​ La pre-inauguración y el primer viaje de un tren dentro de los túneles del metro ocurrió el 14 de agosto de 1974, mientras que la vía fue electrificada durante diciembre de ese mismo año. Tras seis años de construcción, el primer tren del Metro de Santiago recorrió la Línea 1 entre las estaciones San Pablo "San Pablo (estación)") y Estación Central "Estación Central (metro de Santiago)") el 15 de mayo de 1975 en el marco de la marcha blanca") del servicio que se extendería por cuatro meses (el inicio de las pruebas en marcha blanca había ocurrido el 1 de abril). La inauguración técnica del servicio ocurrió el 15 de julio de 1975, mientras que el 15 de septiembre del mismo año el tramo entre San Pablo y La Moneda "La Moneda (estación)") fue abierto oficialmente al público tras la inauguración realizada por Augusto Pinochet.[1]​[83]​.

El servicio tenía un costo inicial cercano al triple de un viaje en microbús, por lo que se convirtió más en un servicio turístico que en una solución real a los problemas de desplazamiento de los santiaguinos, quienes aprovechaban de visitarlo como un entretenimiento, utilizando las exclusivas y modernas escaleras mecánicas que poseía. Debido al alto costo y una fuerte campaña de educación, el Metro de Santiago se caracterizó por ser un espacio limpio y cuidado.[61]​.

Las primeras extensiones de la red se materializaron en 1977 cuando —después de una serie de pruebas iniciadas el 7 de febrero—[84]​ se abrió el segundo tramo de la Línea 1, expandiendo el tramo entre La Moneda y la estación Salvador "Salvador (estación)"), el 31 de marzo. El mismo día pero de 1978 fue inaugurada la Línea 2 de la red, entre las estaciones Los Héroes "Los Héroes (estación)") y Franklin "Franklin (estación)"). El 21 de diciembre siguiente fue abierto el resto de la línea hasta Lo Ovalle "Lo Ovalle (estación)").

La construcción de la Red de Metro se realizó inicialmente exactamente como lo había enunciado el proyecto BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE de 1968; sin embargo, la publicación de la "Encuesta de Origen y Destino de viajes del Gran Santiago" de 1977 y otros estudios, ratificaron la necesidad de modificar los trazados con el fin de ajustarse a la nueva realidad urbana, debido a la expansión de la población en los sectores sur y oriente. A petición del director general de Metro Edgar Köster"), la extensión de la Línea 2 hacia el norte hasta la estación Buen Pastor fue suspendida y la Línea 1, que tendría su estación terminal en La Portada de Vitacura") (cerca de la actual estación Tobalaba "Tobalaba (estación)") y en la ubicación donde estará la futura estación Isidora Goyenechea) para en el futuro extenderse a lo largo de la avenida Vitacura, cambió su recorrido continuando por avenida Apoquindo hasta Américo Vespucio.[85]​ El tramo entre Salvador y dicha intersección, donde se construyó la estación Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (estación del Metro de Santiago)"), inició su construcción el 31 de octubre de 1978 y fue entregado el 31 de agosto de 1980, cerrando la primera etapa de expansión de la red del Metro; en el intertanto, el Metro amplió su horario de funcionamiento, pasando a abrir sus estaciones a las 6:30 de lunes a viernes a partir del 23 de abril de 1979, media hora antes del horario anterior.[86]​.

Relationship with other means of transport and cultural promotion

The General Directorate of Metro made proposals to promote the combination between this and other means of transport. The institution reached an agreement in March 1977 —as a result of the inauguration of the extension of Line 1 to Salvador— with the State Collective Transport Company (ETCE), which was in possession of some of the last trolleybuses, with the objective of covering the section between Salvador and Escuela Militar while it was under construction; This service was known under the name "Metrotrolley" and had route number 11. A combined service was also established with the Municipal Collective Transport Company of Maipú "Maipú (Chile)"), which generated a route that departed from the Las Rejas station "Las Rejas (station)") and connected with the commune of the western sector,[87] while in the following months new combined ETCE routes were established from Salvador to El Arrayán and from Baquedano to Tabancura and Puente Alto.[88]​.

The combined services with buses and trolleybuses were canceled the following year, something that also happened later with the ETCE. Other proposals, such as creating suburban train services from the Central Station to Buin "Buin (Chile)"), San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)") and Melipilla or to the north from Mapocho Station, were rejected.[85][89]​.

As part of an initiative to promote culture headed by Enrique Campos Menéndez and Horacio Serrano Palma, in March 1978 the "Metro Museum" was created, consisting of exhibitions of reproductions of classical paintings on the platforms of the Santa Lucía and Salvador stations.[90] In 1979 the initiative would become the "Open Museum", dependent on the Department of Museums of the Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums since 1986, and which would expand to six other stations (including Tobalaba, Ciudad del Niño and San Pablo)[91]​ by installing showcases to display objects from different public museums.[92]​[93]​[94]​ Finally, in 1992 the MetroArte corporation was created, intended to develop cultural activities and install works of art in the Metro network.[95]​.

Tras la inauguración del tramo de la Línea 1 hasta estación Escuela Militar, se comenzó a planificar la segunda etapa de expansión de la Red del Metro. Sin embargo, varios hechos afectaron la aplicación del proyecto original. La crisis económica de 1982 prácticamente paralizó la construcción en el país y aceleró el término de las operaciones de los servicios ferroviarios en Santiago, que había comenzado en la década de 1960 y culminaría con el cierre de la Estación Mapocho en 1987. La construcción de nuevas extensiones se detuvo y la adaptación de los ferrocarriles en líneas suburbanas fue descartada.

La necesidad de cambios en el proyecto se hizo cada vez más urgente. La próxima entrega de la Línea 2, correspondiente a la extensión hacia el norte de la estación Los Héroes "Los Héroes (estación)") entre 1983 y 1984, fue modificada definitivamente y surgió una nueva idea de que, al contrario de seguir por la avenida Fermín Vivaceta, doblase en las inmediaciones de la Estación Mapocho y que siguiese bajo el Parque Forestal hasta empalmar con la Línea 1 en Baquedano "Baquedano (estación del Metro de Santiago)"), prolongándose hacia el sur por avenida Vicuña Mackenna hasta Rodrigo de Araya "Rodrigo de Araya (estación)"), solucionando el problema de accesibilidad al centro y captación de nuevos usuarios en los sectores sur y oriente. Este plan fue finalmente adoptado y en 1984 se retomó la expansión de la Línea 2 —en diciembre del mismo año se contrataron dos créditos con el Banco Nacional de París para financiar el proyecto—,[96]​ iniciándose las obras de la extensión hasta Mapocho el 21 de diciembre de dicho año.[97]​ En 1985, durante la construcción de la Línea 2 se encontraron restos del antiguo Puente de Calicanto, construido en 1782 y que fuera símbolo de la ciudad hasta su demolición en 1888. La estación que se ubicaría en ese lugar, planificada con el nombre de «Mapocho» "Puente Cal y Canto (estación)") finalmente fue denominada en honor al puente encontrado.

El 5 de diciembre de 1984 se presentó el “Anteproyecto Técnico para la Línea 3” que contenía importantes modificaciones al plan original. Debido al cambio en la Línea 2 hacia el suroriente en lugar de avanzar por Avenida Fermín Vivaceta, la parte norte de la Línea 3 iría por Avenida Independencia "Avenida Independencia (Chile)"), ubicada paralela entre Vivaceta y Recoleta, siendo esta última la avenida por la que inicialmente correría la línea. La Línea 3 serviría principalmente a la población del sector norte de Santiago, iniciándose en la intersección de las avenidas Dorsal e Independencia, continuando por esta última hasta cruzar el río Mapocho (combinando en Cal y Canto "Puente Cal y Canto (estación)") con la Línea 2), llegando a la Plaza de Armas y continuando hacia el sur por calle Arturo Prat, hasta llegar a la Avenida Matta. Por ella, se dirigiría hacia el oriente hasta cruzar Vicuña Mackenna, continuando por Irarrázaval hasta terminar en la Plaza Egaña. La Línea 3 tendría una extensión de 16 km y 20 estaciones; sin embargo, su construcción se realizaría progresivamente, iniciándose con el recorrido entre la Plaza Chacabuco y la Plaza Ñuñoa, con una extensión de 12,3 km, dejando los sectores restantes para futuras extensiones.

Sin embargo, el plan finalmente no vería la luz. Los fondos destinados a su realización fueron trasladados a la reconstrucción de las zonas devastadas por el terremoto del 3 de marzo de 1985 que destruyó gran parte de la zona central de Chile y parte importante del casco histórico de la capital. El día 11 de marzo, menos de una semana después del evento sísmico, fue anunciada la suspensión de la Línea 3 por parte del ministro de Obras Públicas, Bruno Siebert.[98]​[99]​ La construcción de la extensión a la Línea 2 hacia Rodrigo de Araya fue paralizada también y sólo se lograron terminar los avances hasta la estación Puente Cal y Canto, que fue construida incluyendo los andenes para la futura combinación con la Línea 3. El 25 de julio de 1986 se inauguró el tramo entre la estación Los Héroes y Santa Ana "Santa Ana (estación)"),[15]​ y el 15 de septiembre de 1987 fue terminado el tramo hasta Puente de Cal y Canto, mientras el proyecto de la Línea 3 era archivado indefinidamente.

Durante la década de 1980 el Metro de Santiago fue víctima de varios atentados terroristas:.

• - El 25 de marzo de 1983 una bomba estalló en un carro ubicado en la estación San Pablo.[100]​[101]​.

• - En la noche del 8 de enero de 1984 una bomba fue lanzada a las vías entre las estaciones Toesca y Los Héroes de la Línea 2, sin dejar heridos.[102]​.

• - En la madrugada del 26 de marzo de 1984 ocurrieron tres atentados con bombas que paralizaron el ferrocarril subterráneo: una entre las estaciones Baquedano y Salvador de la Línea 1 a las 5:18, otra en la estación Franklin de la Línea 2 a las 5:23, y la tercera en la subestación eléctrica del Parque O'Higgins a las 5:41.[101]​[103]​.

• - El 29 de abril de 1984 una bomba en las vías cerca de la estación Pajaritos dejó alrededor de 30 heridos, 6 de ellos graves.[101]​.

• - El 10 de diciembre de 1985 un grupo armado detonó una bomba detrás de un tren en la estación Ciudad del Niño.[101]​.

• - El 16 de junio de 1986 ocurrió el más grave atentado terrorista en la historia del Metro de Santiago: dos bombas estallaron en las estaciones Los Héroes y Tobalaba "Tobalaba (estación)"). Mientras en la primera estación los daños fueron menores, en la segunda destruyeron un tren NS 74, matando a una persona y dejando 7 heridos.[104]​.

• - El 5 de septiembre de 1986 una bomba fue instalada debajo de unos asientos en un tren que se encontraba en la estación San Pablo, dejando dos conductores heridos.[101]​.

• - El 17 de abril de 1989 dos bombas de explosivo plástico R-2 y una de amongelatina estallaron en la estación San Pablo, destruyendo un vagón y sin dejar heridos.[105]​.

• - El 5 de octubre de 1991 ocurrió uno de los últimos atentados, cuando nuevamente en la estación San Pablo una bomba detonó en uno de los últimos asientos de un carro.[101]​.

Intermodality projects and administrative changes

The General Directorate of Metro sought to develop new interconnection systems between the metropolitan railway and other means of transport, with the aim also of decongesting the streets, for which it launched on August 3, 1987 the Metrobus system "Metrobus (Santiago de Chile)"), which initially had combination sectors between metro and minibuses at the Escuela Militar, Las Rejas and Lo Ovalle stations.[106] In 1992, the service called "Metro" emerged. Trolley" that allowed subway passengers to combine at the Puente Cal y Canto station "Puente Cal y Canto (station)") with the trolleybus line that began to circulate on December 24, 1991 and existed until July 9, 1994.[107] A circular monorail line was also proposed in Las Condes in 1993, promoted mainly by Mayor Joaquín Lavín, and which would run Apoquindo, Las Condes, Kennedy and Américo Vespucio avenues—combining with Metro Line 1 at the Escuela Militar station "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)")—, which was never built.[108][109]​.

Another important event occurred on January 28, 1989 when Law 18,772 was published, which transformed the administrative structure of the Santiago Metro. The General Directorate of Metro, until that date dependent on the Ministry of Public Works of Chile, became a public limited company. Metro S.A., the resulting company in charge of the administration of the system, was thus detached from the ministry and with great autonomy, depending directly on its state shareholders, the Production Promotion Corporation and the treasury through the Ministry of Finance of Chile.

On November 27, 1986, in a meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, the Santiago Metro was one of the creators of the Latin American Metro and Subway Committee along with the Mexico City Metro, the Rio de Janeiro Metro, the São Paulo Metro and the Buenos Aires Subway, which in October 1987, in a meeting held in Caracas, became the founders of the Latin American Subway and Subway Association (Alamys).[110]​.

In 1991, the first female train drivers joined the Metro, after the requirement that applicants had to be male was eliminated.[111]​ The fare system also underwent modifications to adapt to the growing demand of passengers: on April 23, 1990, the school fare debuted,[110]​[112]​ and in 1994 the system of differentiated fares according to time was implemented, establishing a "peak schedule" in the busiest hours, a "off-peak schedule" where the fare for a subway trip was lower, and a "low schedule" at the beginning and end of the day of operation of its services.[113]​.

Planning

Beginning in the 1980s, an important change occurred in the city's demographics. The expansion that had occurred in the northern, northwestern and southern sectors of the capital had stopped, while the southeastern sector grew exponentially, mainly along the axis of Vicuña Mackenna Avenue, around the communes of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)") and Puente Alto, integrating this old industrial city into the Santiago conurbation. This important change would finally end up ending the BCEOM-SOFRETU-CADE project, as this sector was prioritized instead of those originally proposed by the plan.

In 1989, once the economic rhythm had recovered after the crisis and the earthquake, the government presented the “Technical Draft of Line 5” in which the layout of this line was presented between the center of Santiago "Santiago (commune)") and the commune of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)"), the most populated in those years in the capital. The route of the line would begin at the Universidad de Chile station "Universidad de Chile (station)") (connecting with Line 1), following the original layout of the postponed Line 3, until the intersection of Avenida Matta with Avenida Vicuña Mackenna. There, it would enter the old lands of the Circunvalación Railway, where the San Eugenio Workshops would be installed, and then turn south until it reached Américo Vespucio, traveling this section in the form of a viaduct almost entirely.

A month after the return to democracy "Transition to democracy (Chile)"), rumors arose that Patricio Aylwin's government would restart the expansion of the Metro Network. The statements of Óscar Guillermo Garretón, president of the board of directors of Metro S.A., regarding the decision to build Line 5 clashed with those of the Minister of Transportation Germán Correa, who denied it. The discussion regarding whether or not it was necessary was extensive. Floridians actively pushed for the construction of the line with the support of several politicians in the area, and even Jaime Estévez requested the extension to the Puente Alto commune. However, dissident voices also arose, especially due to the high cost of construction: deputy Guido Girardi said that these could be used for health improvements, while regionalist groups protested the use of resources in the capital instead of regional projects.[99] Given this debate, the possibilities of installing alternative systems arose, such as a light rail project presented by Siemens AG, Concarril and Ferrostaal with financing from the German bank KfW. The French group Alsthom, supplier of the carriages for lines 1 and 2, pushed for the construction of a metro itself and offered its new generation of MP 89 trains with pneumatic wheels designed for the Météor project "Line 14 (Paris Metro)") of the Paris metro, in addition to a credit managed by the French Treasury. A third project would have been presented by the Japanese company Sumitomo.[99]​.

Layout and construction

On August 30, 1991, Patricio Aylwin's government finally announced the construction of Line 5, accepting Alstom's project, which had a social profitability of 13.2% (higher than the 12% required) and an estimated average demand of 16,000 passengers per hour in each direction.[114] The French government acted in an important way to support the financing of the construction, signing cooperation protocols with its Chilean counterpart in the city of Paris on June 30, 1993. The protocol granted a maximum financing of 580 million francs distributed in direct loans from the Treasury and various bank credits,[115]​ to which an additional 31 million were added in 1995.[116]​.

The following year, a study called “Analysis and Study of Line 5 Layout Alternatives” was delivered, which presented three alternatives, which differed mainly due to the section north of the workshops until the connection with Line 1. Project A was based on the one presented in 1989 and allowed that if Line 3 was reactivated in the future, the common section could be used jointly. Project B went below Bustamante Park to connect with Line 1 at the Baquedano station "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)"). Project C, meanwhile, was similar to B but continued between Baquedano and Los Héroes station "Los Héroes (station)") as a joint operation with Line 1. Finally, project D was identical to project B, but continued from Baquedano to Puente Cal y Canto below the Forest Park, covering 12.5 km and would have 14 stations.

The proposals generated an immense debate, especially due to the rejection of the inhabitants in the area of ​​Bustamante Park to the intervention and possible destruction of it. The government finally decided to change its original project and chose alternative B, which had a profitability of 14.7% and a demand of 18,000 passengers per hour in each direction, which had a budgeted cost of 14,892.9 thousand UF.[114] Thus, on January 27, 1994, construction of Line 5 began,[117] on the land of the current Santa Isabel station "Santa Isabel (station)"). To avoid rejection by neighbors, the construction used the so-called NATM ("New Austrian Tunneling Method"), which significantly reduced surface traffic interruptions and some 90 tree species native to Bustamante Park were moved to a special nursery located in the same park.[114] The line was built underground between Baquedano and the San Eugenio workshops, where it emerges and continues on a viaduct to the station. Bellavista de La Florida "Bellavista de La Florida (station)"). The viaduct was built between the months of November 1994 and December 1996, with a total length of 5948 m.[118]​.

This line, the third of the Santiago Metro, was finally inaugurated on April 5, 1997 by President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle. Taking advantage of the inauguration of the line, Metro began a process of renewal of its corporate image and the signage of the stations, which was in charge of the designers Sergio Mancilla, Mónica Ventura and Alejandro Orellana, and which also included the development of its own typographic font, called "Métrika".[119] In December 1997, the process of changing the signage in the stations of the La Moneda-Salvador section on Line 1 began, continuing in the subsequent months to the rest of the network.[120]​.

First extension

Even before it was inaugurated, the Frei government announced that Line 5 would be extended at its northern end. This meant crossing the entire founding center of the city, reaching the heart of it, the Plaza de Armas of Santiago. In March 1995, three options were announced that were being considered for said extension:

• - The first option considered connecting with Line 2 at the Puente Cal y Canto station, with a route that would follow José María Caro Avenue (Costanera Sur) with an intermediate station on Loreto Street.

• - The second alternative considered the route along Monjitas Street to the Plaza de Armas, where it would turn north and connect with Line 2 at Puente Cal y Canto. It had 2 intermediate stops: one at the National Museum of Fine Arts "Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Chile)") and another in the Plaza de Armas.

• - The third proposal proposed a route similar to the second alternative but continuing towards the west along Cathedral Street, connecting with Line 2 at the Santa Ana station and presenting intermediate stations at the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Plaza de Armas and another at Teatinos Street.[121]​.

Finally, the third option was chosen, connecting with Line 2 at the Santa Ana station "Santa Ana (station)"), although without building the station that was contemplated on Teatinos Street, maintaining the other 2 intermediate stops. On January 11, 1997, construction work began on the extension of the line to the Santa Ana station.[122]​.

The construction of the tunnel generated significant archaeological conservation concern as a result of the potential discoveries that could be found during the work.[123] Indeed, various elements of historical value were found. In the Bueras pique sector next to the Forest Park, remains of the brick breakwaters built by Joaquín Toesca from 1792 to 1805 to defend the city from river flooding were found, while under the Plaza de Armas ceramic pipes from the old colonial water basins and human bones were found along with glazed ceramics of Spanish origin and obsidian jewelry.[124]

Although a less invasive system such as the NATM was used for the construction of the tunnel, the three stations built required an open shaft, especially complex in the case of the Plaza de Armas. The sector was also considered a "typical area" by the Council of National Monuments of Chile, so Metro S.A. had to reach an agreement with this institution to be able to carry out the works.[123]​ The stations were finally built using a shoring system with piling and anchoring to the ground itself, reducing the size of the excavations,[125]​ which in the case of the Plaza de Armas, served to build underground parking in the area and completely remodel the plaza.

On March 3, 2000, and in his last days of presidency, Eduardo Frei inaugurated the extension of Line 5 that allows connectivity between the three lines existing until that date.

Plans and proposals

The government of Ricardo Lagos, between March 11, 2000 and March 11, 2006, strongly developed the expansion of the Metro Network. Lagos, as Minister of Public Works during the government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, mentioned in September 1995 the intentions of creating a line along Recoleta Avenue, but ultimately the plan did not materialize and by 2000, Metro had no expansion plans. During his presidential campaign, one of Lagos's main promises had been a reform of Santiago's public transportation system, so a month after taking office he commissioned the creation of an advisory committee that finally published the "Santiago Urban Transportation Policy and Plan, 2000-2010" in August 2000.[126]​.

The PTUS was mainly in charge of the buses, so the subway agenda ran in parallel mainly from the presidential office. On May 24, 2000, Ricardo Lagos announced the first expansion plans: Line 2 would extend two stations north along Recoleta Avenue and two south along Gran Avenida, while Line 5 would extend three stations to the west, reaching Quinta Normal. These extensions were intended to connect with other transportation systems that were planned at the time and that would be announced months later: a tram along Recoleta and Independencia avenues and the Melitrén suburban train that would leave from the proposed Matucana station "Quinta Normal (Santiago Metro station)") on Line 5 to the towns of Batuco (to the north) and Melipilla (to the south). These projects were evaluated at a cost of 318 million dollars, but were later corrected to 436 million.[126] Both extensions—of Line 2 to Vespucio Norte and Line 5 to Quinta Normal—began construction in May 2001, while the extension of Line 2 from Lo Ovalle to La Cisterna began construction in January 2002.[127]​.

The tram project (also called "light train" or "light metro") for the northern sector of Santiago contemplated a line that would begin on the General San Martín Highway (close to the current Los Libertadores station "Los Libertadores (station)"), would advance south along Independencia Avenue, turning east in Santos Dumont (where it was planned to combine with the Cerro Blanco station "Cerro Blanco (station)") of Line 2) and continue north along the avenue Recoleta to the intersection of Recoleta Avenue and Santa Clara, in the commune of Huechuraba. This project was finally abandoned and replaced by the extension of Line 2 to Américo Vespucio,[128]​ while the section along Independencia Avenue would be definitively discarded with the construction of Metro Line 3.[129]​[130]​.

The Transportation Planning Secretariat (Sectra) published in October 2000 the "Executive Summary of the Santiago Urban Transportation Plan" based on the original PTUS and in which the Metro was definitively incorporated, defining it as the structuring network of the capital's new transportation system.[126] The decision, however, was not received with enthusiasm by some members of the advisory committee, especially by the former Minister of Transportation Germán Correa who argued that said measure had no proper support. to the limited coverage of the Santiago Metro.[126]​.

Line 4

Days after the second public account to the country of the government of Ricardo Lagos, on May 23, 2001, the main project regarding the Metro was announced: the construction of Line 4. The plan, announced as a consolidation of the Metro as the structuring axis of Santiago's transportation, consisted of a line from the Tobalaba station "Tobalaba (station)") along the homonymous avenue, then following Circunvalación Américo Vespucio Avenue to the intersection with the terminal station of Line 5, Bellavista de La Florida "Bellavista de La Florida (station)"). From there, the new line would have two branches: one to the south along Vicuña Mackenna Avenue until reaching the center of Puente Alto and another to the west reaching Line 2 at the La Cisterna station "La Cisterna (station)") that was under construction as part of the extension projects.[131] Other options had initially been considered, such as an extension of Line 5 to Puente Alto, a route exclusively by Américo Vespucio from Tobalaba to La Cistern, and the creation of an independent line from Bellavista de La Florida to Puente Alto, among others.[132]​.

Line 4 thus reinforced the network in the eastern sector of the city, covering a total of 11 communes and an estimated annual demand at the time of 350 million passengers per year. The line would be built underground in its section between the Tobalaba and Grecia stations "Grecia (station)"), in a trench along the Vespucio Sur Highway and on an elevated viaduct over Vicuña Mackenna Avenue to Puente Alto. It was estimated that the cost would be 1,007 million dollars.[131]​.

The extension to the eastern sector was criticized by mayors of other communes, in particular of Maipú "Maipú (Chile)"), which at that time was already the second most populated commune in the country after Puente Alto, and of Independencia when they saw how the Line 3 plan was once again postponed. As a way to alleviate congestion problems in these communes, the government committed to the construction of the Melitrén and the tram along Independencia Avenue, as well as another tram from La Cisterna to Maipú passing near the land of the old Los Cerrillos airport, in the west of the city. In addition, the project included the integration of the Metro into the microbus network by creating seven transfer stations and the introduction of Multivía, a contactless smart card as a means of payment.[131]​.

Line 4 would introduce trains with steel wheels and various conglomerates presented themselves for the tender. The French company Alstom maintained the contract with the Santiago Metro for the project, defeating proposals from Siemens AG, Bombardier and CAF. Hyundai, which had expressed interest, was unable to participate in the tender as it arrived two hours late at the close of applications.[133]​.

Start-up

After the announcements and the beginning of the works, various changes arose in the projects being executed. Line 4 changed the original structure of its branch: instead of combining with Line 5 in Bellavista de La Florida, it was extended to give rise to the Vicente Valdés station "Vicente Valdés (station)"), located a little further south along Vicuña Mackenna, while the branch was moved to the Vicuña Mackenna station "Vicuña Mackenna (station)"). The original proposal of having trains that made the routes from Tobalaba to the combination with Line 2 was finally discarded and the section between Vicuña Mackenna and La Cisterna was separated, thus forming Line 4A. The extension of Line 5 to the west was also modified, after it was decided not to open the Libertad station "Libertad (station)") until human traffic in the area increased, while the station originally planned under Plaza Brasil was moved a few blocks to the east to Ricardo Cumming "Cumming (station)") to better cover the sector above the so-called "ghost station" Libertad. A situation similar to the Libertad station occurred with the stations Arturo Prat&action=edit&redlink=1 "Arturo Prat (station) (not yet written)") (which finally ended up as a shunting queue for the Plaza de Puente Alto terminal) and San José de la Estrella "San José de la Estrella (station)") of Line 4 and Echeverría "Echeverría (station)") of Line 4A, whose bases were built for future expansions.

The attached railway projects were seriously affected when the Melitrén tender had to be closed without bidders due to the high cost involved in enabling the tunnel between the Central Station and Quinta Normal. The large dimensions of this last station, initially called Matucana, would ultimately have no use and the intermodal station initially planned was also cancelled. A similar fate was experienced by the tram projects to Recoleta, Independencia and Maipú, which never saw the light of day. As a way to compensate for the cancellation of these projects, Metro announced in June 2003 the expansion of Line 2 north beyond Santos Dumont "Cerro Blanco (station)") (finally inaugurated as Cerro Blanco) to the intersection of Recoleta with Américo Vespucio, including the stations Valdivieso "Cementerios (station)") (now Cementerios), Einstein "Einstein (station)"), Dorsal "Dorsal (station)"), Sapadores "Sapadores (station)") and Vespucio Norte "Vespucio Norte (station)"), which would have a cost of US$ 200 million.[126]​.

The works began to be inaugurated in 2004. The first section was the extension of Line 5 between Santa Ana "Santa Ana (station)") and Quinta Normal "Quinta Normal (Santiago Metro station)"), on March 31 of that year.[61]​ Some months later, it was followed by the extension of Line 2 to the north between Puente Cal y Canto "Puente Cal y Canto (station)") and Cerro Blanco "Cerro Blanco (station)") (planned as Santos Dumont) on September 8,[61] managing to cross the Mapocho River for the first time. On December 22, it was the turn of the southern extension of the same line, between Lo Ovalle "Lo Ovalle (station)") and La Cisterna "La Cisterna (station)").[61]​ The section between Cerro Blanco and Einstein was opened on November 25, 2005.[61]​.

Two weeks before the inauguration of Line 4, on November 15, 2005, President Ricardo Lagos and the president of Metro S.A. Fernando Bustamante made public the extension to the east of Line 1 along Avenida Apoquindo to Plaza Los Dominicos and a new line towards Maipú "Maipú (Chile)").[136]​[137]​.

The eastern extension of Line 1 required an investment of 245 million dollars, 50 of which were financed by the Illustrious Municipality of Las Condes.[138]​ The original design contemplated an extension from the Escuela Militar station "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)") following Apoquindo Avenue to the east, adding four stations;[137]​ however, the planned station at the intersection with La Gloria was discarded and finally only three stations: Manquehue "Manquehue (station)"), Hernando de Magallanes "Hernando de Magallanes (station)") and Los Dominicos "Los Dominicos (station)"), all underground and inaugurated on January 7, 2010.[139]​.

The desires of the Maipú community to have an extension of the Metro were finally materialized with the announcement of Lagos, although in a different way than that imagined in previous projects, which were based on building a new line along Avenida Los Pajaritos from the center of Maipú "Maipú (Chile)") to the Las Rejas station "Las Rejas (station)"), which served until that date as the main connection door for the inhabitants of the commune with the underground train network. The project originally presented incorporated a route that connected Maipú with the Quinta Normal station "Quinta Normal (Santiago Metro station)") on Line 5, crossing the communes of Pudahuel, Lo Prado and Quinta Normal. This project, called the Maipú-Pudahuel-Lo Prado Line (LMPL), was intended as an independent line, which would run from the Plaza Mayor of Maipú north to Avenida Circunvalación Américo Vespucio, cross through residential sectors to Avenida Teniente Cruz and then turn east along Avenida San Pablo, without combining with the adjacent Line 1, until reaching the combination station, Quinta Normal. This initial route had 13 stations and a length of 13.7 kilometers.[140]​ The route avoided loading Line 1 with more passengers, which after the operation of Transantiago had increased the number of users to the edge of its capacities, and diverted a significant number of them towards Line 5, decongesting the main line of the network.

Although the project largely maintained its original route idea, it faced important changes. A part of the original route of the LNMP was under soil with poor conditions for tunnel construction, which increased costs, to which was added the high number of expropriations to be carried out in the residential section between Américo Vespucio and Teniente Cruz. Faced with this situation, various proposals were raised to define the route, with the extension of the route along Avenida Los Pajaritos between Américo Vespucio and Teniente Cruz being accepted, taking the latter avenue towards the north.[141] The idea of an additional line, meanwhile, was finally discarded and it became a direct extension of Line 5. The last change to the plan was the elimination of a station in the center of Maipú (interspersed between the current Santiago Bueras and Plaza de Maipú). and the announcement of the construction of the Del Sol station "Del Sol (station)") two years after the start of work, on July 15, 2008. This last station was located at the intersection of Pajaritos with the Autopista del Sol "Autopista del Sol (Chile)") in order to serve as an intermodal station with intercity buses from the south-west sector of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago.[142]​.

The first section of the extension of Line 5, between the Quinta Normal and Pudahuel stations "Pudahuel (station)") was officially inaugurated on January 12, 2010. The rest of the stations up to the terminal in Plaza de Maipú "Plaza de Maipú (station)") were officially inaugurated on February 3, 2011,[143]​ including Del Sol, even though its opening was expected by the end of 2011.[142]​ The inauguration of the extension of Line 5 allowed a reduction in travel times for the inhabitants of the most populated commune in Chile from 90 minutes to 26 between the Plaza de Armas in Santiago and the Plaza Mayor in Maipú.[143]​.

After the implementation of Transantiago and the significant increase in passenger flow, the Metro management initially ruled out planning them until an evaluation of the operation of Transantiago for at least two years, and according to its results it would be determined whether the construction of extensions or new lines was profitable and necessary.[144] In any case, the Interministerial Secretariat of Transportation Planning called in mid-2006 a tender for the design of the possible expansion of the Metro for medium and long term.[145]​ Within the bases, projects were presented that had to be compulsorily designed by the proponents: a new line through Irarrázaval and Matta avenues, to then turn north through San Diego and Independencia "Avenida Independencia (Chile)") (equivalent to the postponed Line 3), an extension of Line 4 north towards Vitacura or Huechuraba passing through Costanera Center, an extension of Line 4A towards Maipú "Maipú (Chile)"), a new line along Santa Rosa Avenue and another along the Los Leones-Macul-La Florida axis and may even be extended along Camilo Henríquez Avenue.

However, due to the existing congestion problems on Line 1 since the implementation of Transantiago, it was prioritized to build an alternative to said line to decongest it. In 2007, the director of Metro S.A., Clemente Pérez, suggested that the alternatives could be the equivalent of the postponed line 3 or a new line along Santa María Avenue,[146] although a group of construction companies presented a proposal (at a cost of US$900 million) to build an express line under the current one and with stops at only nine stations: Pajaritos "Pajaritos (station)"), Estación Central "Estación Central (Santiago metro)"), Los Héroes "Los Héroes (station)"), Universidad de Chile "Universidad de Chile (station)"), Baquedano "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)"), Pedro de Valdivia "Pedro de Valdivia (station)"), Tobalaba "Tobalaba (station)") and Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)").[147]

Thus, in September 2009 the possibilities were reduced to only three alternatives: the line along Av. Santa María, Line 3 through Irarrázaval-Matta-San Diego-Independencia, and a new line from the Pedro de Valdivia station "Pedro de Valdivia (station)") to the south to Guillermo Mann behind the National Stadium to the west using the old railway line to then turn south west and connect with the future City Park. Bicentennial "Parque Bicentenario (Cerrillos)") in Cerrillos "Cerrillos (Chile)"). In this way, real estate projects would be activated in a deteriorated area of ​​the city, as well as lower costs due to the use of old railway lines.[148]​.

Line 6

Towards the end of President Michelle Bachelet's first term, there was speculation about the announcement of a new metro line. The president of Metro S.A. Clemente Pérez assured that there were 15 proposals presented by SECTRA and that an early definition was necessary as it would avoid "losing the experience of the team of contractors that make it possible to carry out Metro's tasks." Within the plans, refloating Line 3 was the most mentioned, as were versions of it with its separate Independencia and Matta-Irarrázaval sections and an extension of Line 4 to the Parque Bicentenario de Vitacura "Parque Bicentenario (Vitacura)").[149] However, Bachelet announced on December 29, 2009 the construction of a recently designed line that had strongly attacked last months.[148]​.

Line 6 would begin in Tobalaba "Tobalaba (station)") next to the Costanera Center real estate complex to connect with the Pedro de Valdivia station "Pedro de Valdivia (station)") (L1) to the west, then turning south to the National Stadium and from there to the west using the old railway line (crossing lines 5 and 2 at the Ñuble and Rondizzoni stations, respectively), until connecting with the then future Ciudad Parque Bicentennial "Parque Bicentenario (Cerrillos)") in Cerrillos "Cerrillos (Chile)"). This route, which would benefit the communes of Cerrillos, Estación Central, Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Pedro Aguirre Cerda (commune)"), Santiago "Santiago (commune)"), San Miguel "San Miguel (Chile)"), San Joaquín "San Joaquín (Chile)"), Ñuñoa, Providencia "Providencia (Chile)") and Las Condes, would have an investment initially estimated at 900 million dollars to be operational in 2014.[150] Among the reasons given for the construction of this line, which was initially also called the "Southern Express Line", was the decongestion of Line 1, the incorporation and activation of the south-central area of Santiago, especially in the Zanjón de la Aguada and Parque Bicentenario sector and the use of the railway belt, lowering costs compared to other alternatives.[151]​.

The announcement caused various reactions, especially for leaving aside Line 3, which was considered the favorite to be built. Criticism came mainly from the political opposition "Alianza (Chile)") in the context of the 2009 presidential elections "Chilean Presidential Elections (2009-2010)"): the standard bearer (and future president) Sebastián Piñera stated that the announcement was a “political offer” and that he was “playing with the people's hopes.”[153]​ Along these lines, the person in charge of Transportation of his programmatic team He said that in an eventual government this line would be re-studyed, since Cerrillos did not ensure the necessary demand for a line.[154]​ The mayors of the communes involved also participated in the criticism: Pedro Sabat in Ñuñoa assured that the route was “rasca” (vulgar),[155]​ while Claudina Núñez, mayor of Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Pedro Aguirre Cerda (commune)"), said that she would defend the route. and that a re-study would affect the working classes.[156]​[157]​ Regarding technical studies, a team from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile determined that Line 6 presented greater social benefit than Line 3 by considering more factors than passenger mobility (especially due to the urban renewal of the southern sector of the capital).[158]​ A SECTRA study ensured that, although Line 3 could be more profitable, Line 6 was considerably cheaper than Line 3. execute.[159]​.

Reevaluation and joint project with Line 3

In the campaign days prior to his election in the second round, Sebastián Piñera assured residents of Conchalí that the Line 3 project was viable and that it would be carried out under his mandate, calling into question the construction of Line 6 if he won. Days later, SECTRA said that a joint construction of both lines was possible, as long as it was carried out in stages.[159] The earthquake of February 27, 2010, however, would change the priorities of the new government and the possibility of expansion of the Santiago Metro was in danger just as in 1985.

Although Bachelet's announcement expected that construction work would begin in July 2010, a month earlier, Transport Minister Felipe Morandé said that Line 6 was being reevaluated, although he argued that it was a product of the earthquake and the change in the government's investment priorities.[160] In October 2010, President Piñera officially announced that Line 6 would be built, although in conjunction with Line 3, and that the construction of both routes It was in the design stage.[161]​.

In July 2011, the final design of both projects was published. Line 3 would remain basically the same as its original planning in the mid-1980s, although extending north to Américo Vespucio and east beyond Plaza Egaña until reaching Tobalaba Avenue. In total, the new Line 3 would have a cost of 1,722 million for a 22-kilometer route with 11 stations that will be inaugurated between 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, Line 6 presented several changes: in the final section a single combination was left with L1 in Los Leones "Los Leones (station)") (thus eliminating the stations in Pedro de Valdivia "Pedro de Valdivia (station)") and Tobalaba "Tobalaba (station)") and the Maestranza station "Lo Valledor (Santiago Metro station)") (originally called San Eugenio) were moved a few meters to fit with the combined train service to Rancagua. Line 6, which would be operational in 2016, would have a final cost of 1,036 million dollars. The project also presented several changes for the new trains, which would have air conditioning, security cameras and automated driving.[162]​.

The Line 6 project experienced a new change, when in January 2012 it was announced that the Club Hífico and Maestranza stations would be moved 400 meters to the south, moving away from the axis of the Aguada ditch and remaining along Avenida Carlos Valdovinos. This change directly benefited the residents of the commune of Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Pedro Aguirre Cerda (commune)"), improving the capital gains of the area and increasing the number of real estate and commercial projects. The cost of said change was estimated at 6 million dollars. Likewise, some names of the stations were modified: Pedro Aguirre Cerda was renamed Cerrillos "Cerrillos (station)"), Club Hífico was renamed Presidente Pedro Aguirre Cerda "Presidente Pedro Aguirre Cerda (station)"), while Maestranza changed its name again and became Lo Valledor "Lo Valledor (Santiago Metro station)").[163]

Extensions of lines 2 and 3

Michelle Bachelet's second government took office in March 2014. In her presidential campaign, Bachelet announced that she would study the technical feasibility of extending Line 3 to the commune of Quilicura and Line 2 to San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)."[166]​[167]​ In May 2014, the president announced the beginning of said feasibility studies.[168]​.

Finally, on November 5, 2014, the construction of the extension of lines 2 and 3 was confirmed. Line 2 will be extended for 5 km underground, from the current La Cisterna station "La Cisterna (station)") to the Hospital El Pino "Hospital El Pino (station)"), on the border of the communes of El Bosque "El Bosque (Chile)") and San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)"), will count with 4 seasons. Meanwhile, Line 3 will have an extension to the north, incorporating 3 new stations from the Los Libertadores terminal station "Los Libertadores (station)") to the center of the Quilicura commune, along 3.6 km of underground tunnel. This extension will also have an intermodal station that will allow connection with the local train service to Batuco, which would be in operation starting in 2022. The planned investment for both extensions amounts to over 1,173 million dollars, to which an estimated 317 million dollars would be added for the purchase of 12 new trains for the Metro network.[169]​ The inauguration of both extensions took place during 2023: the extension of Line 3. It was opened to the public on September 25,[8]​ while the extension of Line 2 began operations on November 27.[170]​.

During the month of October 2019, the Santiago Metro network faced social protests due to the increase in fares for the entire Metropolitan Mobility Network.[171]​ Initially, high school students carried out massive escapes between October 6 and 11.[172]​[173]​ The protests soon escalated to several metro stations,[174]​ interrupting train service on several occasions.[175]​.

On October 15, the Universidad de Chile station and Los Leones station "Los Leones (station)") were closed and without the possibility of combination for a few hours due to demonstrations.[176]​[177]​ On October 17, alterations to line 1 began when the Los Héroes station "Los Héroes (station)") was affected by the activation of the emergency brake due to protesters, causing the service to be cut between the San Pablo "San Pablo" stations. (station)")-República "República (station)") and Universidad de Chile-Los Dominicos "Los Dominicos (station)").[178]​.

On Friday, October 18, the demonstrations continued, disrupting the service of line 1, leading to access control for users.[179]​ The situation escalated to the point of announcing the closure, at 2:52 p.m., of lines 1 and 2.[180]​ The situation did not stop and the entire network had to be closed due to attacks on stations and workers.[181]​[182]​ At night, after the declaration of the state emergency by President Sebastián Piñera, several Metro stations were destroyed and burned, some of which were attacked again the next day, even when a curfew was established.[183] Meanwhile, the National Institute of Human Rights investigated accusations that the Baquedano station "Baquedano (station)") was used as a detention and torture center by police and military personnel.[184]

The effects of the protests and attacks on the metro system stations on the line were so great that the network remained closed to the public on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20.[185] The Metro network was partially reactivated as of Monday, October 21; However, due to damage to some stations, the network will only be fully available for up to 7 months. The costs of the damages are estimated at more than 300 million dollars.[186]​ Santiago Metro indicated that it does not have contracted insurance for the infrastructure of the stations and trains.[187]​.

The future projects of the Santiago Metro were also affected by the consequences of the social outbreak. The construction of the extensions of lines 2, 3, 4 and 6 towards Hospital El Pino "Hospital El Pino (station)"), Plaza Quilicura "Plaza Quilicura (station)"), Bajos de Mena and Isidora Goyenechea respectively and lines 7, 8 and 9, suffered delays and will be inaugurated on later dates than those initially announced. In addition, the inauguration of the Los Libertadores Intermodal Station, which was planned to be opened in 2019, was delayed to April 2020.[188]​ The construction of the NS-2016 trains for lines 2 and 5, however, will follow the originally announced schedule.[189]​.

On October 23, it was reported that the network had damages in 79 stations, with lines 4, 4A and 5 being the ones with the largest number of destroyed or vandalized stations; There is also damage to 6 trains, 5 on line 4 and one on line 1 - the latter caught fire at the San Pablo station. The details of the burned stations were as follows:[190]​.

The reopening of the Santiago Metro network was carried out gradually from October 21, 2019 to September 25, 2020, on the following dates:

In April 2013, the Chilean government launched the Santiago Transportation Master Plan 2025 as a way to jointly design the city's transportation system in the medium term. This plan articulates a series of means of transportation, expanding some in operation such as the Metro, commuter trains and cycle paths and incorporating new ones such as cable cars, trams and pre-metro.

The railway plan for the city, with an estimated cost of 10,881 million dollars, would allow the construction of at least two new metro lines.[225] Line 7 was proposed as a parallel to Line 1, with the main objective of decongesting it (something already planned for lines 3 and 6) and would run along the axis of 5 de Abril avenues "Avenida 5 de Abril (Maipú and Cerrillos)") - Blanco Encalada-Santa Isabel from Maipú to Vicuña Mackenna, then approaching the Mapocho River waterfront to continue along Avenida Vitacura, ending in the Estoril sector. An initial idea included a branch along Francisco Bilbao Avenue to the east, but it was discarded in later versions of the plan. Meanwhile, Line 8 would serve the north-west of Santiago, beginning its route at the Baquedano station "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)") towards the west, following Mapocho and J. J. Pérez avenues until reaching the communes of Cerro Navia and Renca "Renca (Chile)").[225]

The plan also includes new extensions: Line 2 would expand south to stop 28 of Gran Avenida (reaching the commune of El Bosque "El Bosque (Chile)")), Line 4 would reach Isidora Goyenechea and Bajos de Mena to the north and south, Line 6 to Isidora Goyenechea to the north and Line 5 would reach Camino a Melipilla to the south, in order to combine with the Melitren. Meanwhile, a tram service would connect the Metro with the Arturo Merino Benítez Airport, while two other services would run along Tobalaba and Santa Rosa avenues "Avenida Santa Rosa (Santiago)").[225]​.

The construction of these lines and extensions were not confirmed by the first government of Sebastián Piñera, leaving the decision to the second government of Michelle Bachelet, which took office in March 2014.[226] In her presidential campaign, Bachelet announced that she would study the technical feasibility of extending Line 3 to the commune of Quilicura and Line 2 to San Bernardo "San Bernardo (Chile)").[166]​[167]​ In May In 2014, the president announced the beginning of said feasibility studies.[168]​.

In July 2014, a group of transportation and urban planning specialists (including former minister Pedro Pablo Errázuriz) proposed new lines for the Santiago Metro, including an extension of Line 4 along Avenida Vitacura between Sanhattan and Avenida Tabancura"), another along Avenida Las Condes between Manquehue station "Manquehue (station)" and Avenida La Dehesa") (similar to the tram project for Las Condes), another along Avenida Cristóbal Colón "Avenida Cristóbal Colón (Santiago)") between the Colón station "Cristóbal Colón (station)") and the Rotonda Atenas"), another along Los Leones and Macul Avenues between Providencia and Américo Vespucio Avenues, and another through Zanjón de la Aguada and La Florida Avenue between the Bio-Bío station "Bio-Bío (Santiago Metro)") and the commune of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)").[227]​.

At the III Business and Society Congress of Icare"), held in August 2014, former president Ricardo Lagos proposed building an express line 1, between Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)") and Pajaritos "Pajaritos (station)"), with only four or five stations, to decongest the current line 1.[228] Later, in 2017 Lagos presented a proposal for new lines and extensions of the Santiago Metro to reach a total of 16 lines and become the backbone of the capital's transportation network.[229]​.

During 2025, the Santiago Metro carried out several activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Santiago Metro, which occurred on September 15, 1975:

• - Starting in October 2024, Metro de Santiago launched a monthly series of 13 commemorative beep cards to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the service.[230]​ The design of the latest card was selected through an art contest, with the theme "The Metro you imagine".[231]​.

• - The documentary The third space was released, directed by Camilo Vallejo and which through various testimonies narrates the evolution and impact of the Metro as a crucial social space in the life of the city.[232]​.

• - On October 5, 2025, a citizen festival was held in the Plaza de la Ciudadanía that featured artistic presentations, exhibition stands of historical collections, train simulators, works by Zerreitug, and one of the first NS-74 cars and a model of the trains that will circulate on Line 7 were exhibited.[233]​.

• - On October 10, 2025, one of the cars of an NS-74 train was transferred to the Santiago Railway Museum, located inside the Quinta Normal Park, to be permanently exhibited thanks to an alliance between Metro de Santiago and the Private Corporation for the Dissemination of Science and Technology (Corpdicyt).[234]​.

under construction

Along with announcing the construction of the extensions of lines 2 and 3, President Michelle Bachelet confirmed the start of feasibility studies for the construction of Line 7 of the Santiago Metro, which will be parallel to the current Line 1 and will seek to decongest it. Line 7 was presented as the first concessioned line of the Metro network, although it was later discarded. The service will travel through Santiago in a west-east direction between Renca "Renca (Chile)") and Vitacura.

On May 31, 2017, the newspaper El Mercurio pointed out a possible future route of Line 7 that would begin in Estoril with Kennedy (Vitacura), advancing through Kennedy to the sector of the old Pérez Zujovic roundabout and the Costanera Andrés Bello to combine with the stations Salvador "Salvador (station)") and Baquedano "Baquedano (Santiago Metro station)") of Line 1, continuing then in a combination with Line 2 in Puente Cal y Canto to head west through Mapocho and José Joaquín Pérez and turning north in Huelén, reaching the communes of Cerro Navia and Renca "Renca (Chile)").[235]​ The construction was officially announced by President Michelle Bachelet during the public account on June 1, 2017.[236]​.

In August of the same year, Chilean transportation experts proposed that the line be modified, heading towards the international airport along San Daniel, Río Itata and Armando Cortínez Oriente avenues in the Pudahuel commune, passing through the Enea business park "Enea (Santiago de Chile)"). They also proposed 22 stations, adding four to the original project and removing the three in the direction of Renca.[237]​ The company Metro S.A. He did not rule it out at the time[238]​ and the Enea firm offered to facilitate it.[239]​.

On December 22, 2017, the newspaper El Mercurio published a report that indicated that the route of the line was modified, so that it would not circulate on Andrés Bello Avenue, but parallel to Line 1 on Providencia Avenue. Likewise, the combination in Salvador would be eliminated and "Pedro de Valdivia (station)" would be moved to Pedro de Valdivia, eliminating the Sweden and La Concepción stations, and then continuing with its original route in Isidora Goyenechea. At that station, it would combine with Line 6), and a section of the route in the Kennedy Avenue sector would be diverted through Cerro Colorado. In the western sector, the line would continue, after crossing Avenida General Velásquez, along Avenida Mapocho instead of José Joaquín Pérez, about 600 meters further north in the section of Quinta Normal and Cerro Navia. Along with this, it was announced that the line would be inaugurated in 2026.[240]​.

On December 29, 2021, it was announced that the French company Alstom was awarded the tender to manufacture the self-driving trains for Line 7.[241] Finally, on February 17, 2022, the official ceremony for the start of construction work on Line 7 was held.[242]​.

When the completion of the Melipilla Metrotren project was announced in 2013, the extension of the then new Line 6 to the Lo Errázuriz station had been considered to connect both services,[243]​ although this extension had not been formally announced by Metro and was not in the plans that included the extensions of Lines 2 and 3.

At the beginning of September 2019, then-president Sebastián Piñera presented the "Chile sobre Rieles" plan, which confirmed the implementation of the train service to Melipilla, along with the completion of the extension of Line 6 to the Lo Errázuriz station "Lo Errázuriz (station)"). During 2021, Metro called for tenders to carry out the project,[244]​ while during the following year its environmental impact statement was approved.[245]​ On April 4, 2024, work on the extension to Lo Errázuriz began.[246]​ The station is expected to be inaugurated during the last quarter of 2027.[246]​.

As a result of the announcement of the construction of the new Line 7 and the first changes to the project made in December 2017, the extension of Line 6 by one kilometer from the Los Leones station "Los Leones (station)") to the future Isidora Goyenechea station was confirmed, with which both lines will be connected.[247]​ In December 2021, the land that will house the station was cleared, precisely in the triangular delimited by Andrés Bello, Isidora Goyenechea and Vitacura.[248]​.

The president also announced the construction of Line 9 during the same speech. Initially, it had been announced that the route would begin at the Santa Lucía station, in the center of Santiago and would cross a large part of the Santa Rosa axis (an idea that initially arose as one of the routes proposed by Juan Parrochia in 1968) until reaching the intersection of the same avenue with Gabriela, in the commune of La Pintana. This initial route had 12 stations[249]​ —although this number changed during the initial stages— and an extension of 17 kilometers,[250]​ however the initial plan was postponed due to the social outbreak of 2019 and the company declared the tenders void.[251]​[252]​.

On August 9, 2023, President Gabriel Boric announced the change to the original route of Line 9. Unlike the initial plan, the new route will begin at the Puente Cal y Canto station (which will make it the first quadruple station in the network) and will extend south through Plaza de La Pintana and crossing the Bajos de Mena sector until reaching the Plaza de Puente Alto station, connecting with Line 4. The final route will have 19 stations (with one of them, Lo Martínez, being projected into the future) and an extension of 27 kilometers.[253]​.

The segment corresponding to the Bajos de Mena sector had initially been considered as an extension of Line 4, however this plan did not come to fruition and was merged with Line 9. In addition, the inauguration is planned to be carried out in stages: the section between the Bío-Bio station "Bío Bío (Santiago Metro station)") (which connects with Line 6) and Plaza La Pintana will be inaugurated in 2030, while the segment between Puente Cal and Canto (which will combine with Lines 2, 3 and 7) and Ñuble would be inaugurated in 2032; Finally, the section between La Primavera and Plaza de Puente Alto will be inaugurated in 2033.[254]​.

Projects in administrative process

During Sebastián Piñera's 2018 public account, the president announced the creation of Line 8,[255][256]​ which will connect the Los Leones station "Los Leones (station)") in Providencia, along Avenida Los Leones to the south, continuing through Chile-Spain, Avenida José Pedro Alessandri, Avenida Macul, Avenida La Florida, and Avenida Camilo Henríquez until reaching Avenida San Carlos in Puente Alto, benefiting the northeast sector and the southeast sector. The route will combine with lines 1 and 6 in Los Leones, with line 3 in Chile-Spain, and with line 4 in Macul, and it is estimated that it will have 14 new stations.[255]​[257][258]​.

As a consequence of the damage caused to the network during the social outbreak of 2019, the tenders for the development of the project were declared void to focus on the reconstruction of the affected stations.[251]​[252]​ It is estimated that Line 8 will be operational in the year 2030.[259]​.

Furthermore, the inauguration is planned to be carried out in stages: the section between the Chile España station (which connects with Line 3) and El Peral will be inaugurated in 2032, while the segment between Los Leones (which will combine with Lines 1 and 6) and Diagonal Oriente will be inaugurated in 2033.[13][260]​.

On May 14, 2025, the newspaper Diario Financiero reported that President Gabriel Boric would announce in the public account that year the project of a light train that would connect the future Line 7 with the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport.[261] With an estimated length of between six and seven kilometers, the train would connect the air terminal with the future station located on Avenida Mapocho Sur with Huelén in Cerro Navia.[261]​.

Finally, before the Plenary Congress, President Boric announced on June 1, 2025 the construction of Line A, which would be a light metro line that will connect the country's main air terminal and the Huelén station on Line 7.[262][263][264]​.

In addition to the extension of Line 6 to the Lo Errázuriz station "Lo Errázuriz (station)"), it was proposed to continue it towards Maipú, along Avenida Salvador Allende, then along Avenida 5 de Abril "Avenida 5 de Abril (Maipú and Cerrillos)") connecting with Line 5, and then along Avenida Camino a Rinconada, to then turn south onto Avenida 3 Poniente in a densely populated area of Maipú that could reach Camino a Melipilla.[265]​[266]​[267]​[268]​ After the inauguration of Line 3 in January 2019, President Piñera reiterated that after the announced projects of lines 7, 8 and 9, the extension of line 6 to at least Hospital El Carmen "Hospital El Carmen (Santiago de Chile)") was considered.[269]​ At the beginning of 2023, Mayor Tomás Vodanovic formally requested the extension of line 6 to Avenida Las Unidas and Avenida Portales.[270]​[271]​.

In the 2025 Public Account, President Gabriel Boric announced that Line 6 would be extended again from the Lo Errázuriz Station to the El Carmen Hospital "Hospital El Carmen (Santiago de Chile)") in the commune of Maipú, passing through the homonymous square and covering 6.4 km and 3 new stations that would be delivered no earlier than 2037.[272]​.

New lines

• - "Semicircular" Line or "Ex Line 10": Circular line that would allow the intermediate ring of the city to be articulated in the Departmental-Las Rejas-Dorsal axis. It would begin in Providencia, crossing Cerro San Cristóbal "Cerro San Cristóbal (Chile)") to the north and turning west along Avenida Dorsal to Renca "Renca (Chile)"), then it would turn south along the Sergio Valdovinos axis and Avenida Las Rejas, continuing southeast along Avenida Departamental until ending at Avenida Tobalaba.[265]​[273][266][278]​ On January 22, 2019, during the inauguration of Line 3, President Sebastián Piñera announced the development of studies for a possible Line 10, in view of which the possibility of carrying out the previously described route from Mapocho south through Las Rejas and Departmental to Tobalaba.[267]​[279]​[268]​ In its complete layout it would benefit the southeastern sector, southern sector, southwestern sector, northwestern sector, northern sector, and northeastern sector, avoiding passing through the center.

• - Line "5 de Abril-Blanco Encalada - Santa Isabel - Bilbao": Line parallel to 1 to the south, starting at the Del Sol station "Del Sol (station)") or Monte Tabor "Monte Tabor (station)") in Maipú, running along Simón Bolívar, Avenida 5 de Abril "Avenida 5 de Abril (Maipú and Cerrillos)"), Arica, Avenida Blanco Encalada, connecting with line 2 at Toesca "Toesca (station)"), then continue along Avenida Santa Isabel connecting with line 5 at Parque Bustamante "Parque Bustamante (station)"), continuing along Avenida Francisco Bilbao connecting with Inés de Suárez "Inés de Suárez (station)") on line 6 and Bilbao "Francisco Bilbao (station)") on line 4, arriving at Avenida Padre Hurtado or turning towards north along Avenida Manquehue to the Irene Frei de Vitacura Rotunda. It would benefit the southwestern, central and eastern sectors of the capital, between Maipú and Las Condes.[280]​[265]​[281]​[273]​[266]​.

• - "Tobalaba-Vespucio" Line: Line of the foothills of Santiago. It could start in Tobalaba with San José de la Estrella and continue north along Avenida Tobalaba towards Peñalolén and La Reina, connecting with the Fernando Castillo Velasco Station "Fernando Castillo Velasco (station)") on line 3. Also combining with the Príncipe de Wales station "Príncipe de Wales (station)") on line 4, to continue along Avenida Américo Vespucio to Avenida Vitacura, combining at Escuela Militar "Escuela Militar (Santiago Metro station)") on Line 1, and even continuing north, combining with Line 2 in Vespucio Norte "Vespucio Norte (station)"), to the Los Libertadores station "Los Libertadores (station)") of Line 3 in Quilicura. It contemplates an alternative route along Manquehue Avenue.[280]​[265]​[273]​[266]​ It would significantly benefit the southeast, north, and northeast sectors of the capital between La Florida and Quilicura.

Extensions

• - Extension of Line 1 to Avenida Mapocho: Given the announcement of the construction of Line 7, the idea also arose of continuing Line 1 through Avenida Neptuno to Avenida Mapocho in the west, where they could combine.[265]​[273]​[266]​.

• - Extension of Line 2 to the center of San Bernardo: After the extension is built to Hospital El Pino "Hospital El Pino (station)"), it is expected that it can be extended even further, to Avenida Balmaceda, and then turning west along Colón to Avenida Freire, one block from the Plaza de Armas of San Bernardo, adding two or three stations to the commune and combining with the Train Nos-Estación Central at the San Bernardo Station "Estación San Bernardo (Chile)").[265]​[273]​[266]​ At the inauguration of the El Pino Hospital Station, Mayor Christopher White publicly requested the extension of an additional 2.5 kilometers to Padre Hurtado with El Mariscal adding two new stations. When consulted, the president of the Metro, Guillermo Muñoz, replied that it was part of the portfolio of Metro extension projects that are being evaluated.[282]​.

• - Extension of Line 3 to the La Reina Military Hospital: In the official presentation of lines 3 and 6 in 2012, President Sebastián Piñera formally requested the Metro to study the extension of the project by 1.7 kilometers to the Military Hospital, located in La Reina. “That way we would be providing a better service to La Reina and getting closer to Peñalolén,” said Piñera. This extension would benefit, in addition to the Hospital, the Villa La Reina sector, the Tobalaba Aerodrome, the Industrial District, La Reina Alto and the northeastern sector of Peñalolén.[283] On May 22, 2012, Metro confirmed that it would carry out a second stage of construction of Line 3, which would depart once the work was completed in 2018, and that would allow the creation of the new Hospital Militar station as the new terminal of the line. to the east.[284]​[266]​[267]​[285]​ This option was later discarded, favoring the extension to Quilicura, but after the inauguration of the line in January 2019, President Piñera indicated again that after the announced Lines 7, 8 and 9 for 2026, construction of said extension was being considered.[269]​.

• - Extension of Line 4 to Huechuraba: At the northern limit of the line, it is proposed to extend it by 2 or 3 stations through Cerro San Cristóbal "Cerro San Cristóbal (Chile)") along Avenida El Salto in the Business City in Huechuraba. This extension will depend mainly on the construction of the semicircular line that could cross the Cerro San Cristóbal, and the Bicentenario Cable Car. Another more extensive proposal suggests continuing along Américo Vespucio Norte to Los Libertadores on Line 3.[265]​[273]​[266]​.

• - Extension of Line 4A (future Line 10) to the northwest: once the extension was built to Maipú at Estación Del Sol "Del Sol (station)") announced by President Gabriel Boric, the mayor of Pudahuel, Ítalo Bravo, requested that the line be extended north to Route 68 "Ruta 68 (Chile)"), the western sector of Pudahuel or even to the Airport. [286]​[287]​[288]​[289]​.

• - Santiago Metro.