EMB receives three applications for Line 2 of the Metro, including a Chinese group

After re-opening the tender for Line 2 of the Bogotá Metro, the Empresa Metro de Bogotá (EMB) received three applications for pre-qualification. Among the interested parties is a Chinese consortium, which had previously been disqualified for a conflict of interest determined by the IDB. The mayor, Carlos Fernando Galán, celebrated the international interest and the advancement of this key project for the city's mobility. With the opening for receiving pre-qualification documents from interested companies, the Empresa Metro de Bogotá (EMB) launched a new attempt to tender the Line 2 of the capital's transport system this Monday, September 7. The process aims to unblock a key project that was left pending since January of this year, when the first call was declared void because none of the qualified groups submitted an economic offer. In this new phase, a specialized team from EMB will review the legal, financial, and experience requirements of the aspiring consortia. Those who pass the filter will proceed to the stage of economic proposals, schedules, and execution deadlines. EMB projects to receive economic offers between November and December 2026, with the goal of awarding the contract by the end of the first quarter of 2027 and beginning works in the second semester of that same year, according to information known by El Tiempo. To avoid a new stagnation, EMB deployed a promotion strategy that included diplomatic efforts in embassies and visits to Europe and North America, holding 44 competitive dialogues with international firms. 'There has been a lot of interest. We expect qualified applications,' assured EMB's manager, Leonidas Narváez, in conversation with El Tiempo. Narváez indicated that the expectation is to have wide participation, considering the possibility of receiving about five interested groups, although he clarified that the real number will depend on the formal submissions received this Monday. The new call is open to new companies, groups that previously showed interest, and even Chinese firms that were disqualified in the first process for a conflict of interest claim determined by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). After reviewing the project with multilateral credit agencies-IDB, EIB, IBRD, and CAF-the entity concluded that the previous failure was not due to design flaws. The Line 2 of the Bogotá Metro is a 15.5-kilometer underground mega-work. It will have 11 stations-10 underground and one elevated-and a budget of 34.9 trillion pesos at 2021 constant prices, backed by the co-financing agreement signed between the Nation and the District since 2023. The route will start at Calle 72 with Carrera Caracas, continue along Calle 72 towards Avenida Ciudad de Cali, take the ALO Norte corridor, and end in the Centro de Felicidad Fontanar del Río area, in the northwest of the capital. Narváez explained to the Bogotá media that this structure will allow the integration of the first two lines into a single network. 'Line 2 closes that horseshoe,' concluded the executive, highlighting that the work will consolidate the metro as the backbone of mobility in Bogotá. Precisely after opening the process this Monday, September 7, the Empresa Metro de Bogotá (EMB) received the pre-qualification applications from the groups interested in participating in the construction of Line 2 of the Bogotá Metro. 'Key news for Bogotá, and particularly for the localities of Engativá and Suba; three international groups presented themselves with the intention of participating in the tender for Line 2 of the Metro,' said Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán. The three pre-qualification applications will be evaluated by a specialized team from EMB to determine which ones meet the required legal, financial, and experience requirements. These are the interested parties in the process: 1. APCA ML2 BOGOTÁ: composed of Mota-Engil Colombia S.A. S., Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção África S.A. , Mota-Engil México, S.A. P. I de C.V. , and Spie Batignolles Génie Civil. 2. APCA METRO CAPITAL L2: composed of Xi'an Metro Colombia S.A. S. and Xi'an Rail Transportation Group Company, Ltd. 3. APCA BOGOTÁ METRO CAPITAL: composed of Sacyr Concesiones Colombia Participadas II S.A. S. and CAF Investment Projects. The received applications will be evaluated to determine which groups meet the legal, financial, and experience requirements. Those pre-qualified will advance to the second phase, where they must submit their economic and technical proposals by the end of 2026. To consult premium content or delve deeper into topics of interest regarding Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, and the World, register here. 'This is a fundamental step to continue building the network of metros needed in the city. Bogotá will have a second metro line! ', concluded Mayor Galán