Lima Metro: a comprehensive solution to the problems of urban mobility

With 10 million inhabitants, the city of Lima registers one of the highest motorization rates in Latin America, generating a strong environmental impact and a problem for urban mobility.   

Lima Metro started operations in 2012, providing a solution to these challenges. Day after day, 315,000 citizens of Lima move through its 26 stations quickly, efficiently, and safely. 

Rosana Valdizán, Client Services Manager of Lima Metro's Line 1 explained, "In a city where traffic is the second most important problem, Line 1 offers a real solution to problems such as how to arrive on time, how to travel, how to co-exist with so many people, how to respect norms, how to travel safely, and other issues which have allowed us to improve our quality of life". 

Line 1 of Lima's Metro is part of a system of urban trains that the Government of Peru is developing. This first line is approximately 34.5 kilometers in length, and has the capacity to mobilize more than 4 million people. 

It is estimated that investments for the Metro have reached USD 2 billion since the start of its construction more than 20 years ago. Of the capital used for the project, CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, has contributed USD 600 million. 

José Zárate Garay, former Executive Director of AATE Peru, stated, "We are mobilizing 315,000 passengers per day, averaging 110 million passengers per year. To date, we work to double that transportation with additional investments". According to Zárate, just one train can replace a large number of buses which, due to their technical obsolescence, pollute the environment and damage the health of pedestrians. 

The Lima Metro also acts as a tool for inclusion and social development, where inhabitants from 11 districts with different socio-economic levels interact in an environment of respect and citizen co-existence. On average, users save close to one and one half hours when going from one extreme of Line 1 to the other. 

Claudio Higa, an Executive at CAF, stated, "The most humble person is going to have the same quality public service as any other citizen, at a reasonable price".