Work has begun on the San Germán underground station in Medellín, a 12-metre-deep facility that the operator says will become the first underground rail station in Colombia.

Modernized Metro de Medellín train entering Caribe station
A modernized Metro de Medellín train enters Caribe station, one endpoint of the planned Metro de la 80 route. Photo: AXF02 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0. Illustrative image; it does not show the new light rail vehicles.

San Germán underground station enters construction

Metro de Medellín launched station works on June 3 in San Germán, in the west of the city. The tracks and station building will occupy an underground section approximately 500 metres long. The official project website⁠ places the station at 12 metres below ground.

According to the operator’s official announcement⁠, construction will proceed from preliminary activities, site preparation and excavation to structural and architectural work, followed by the installation of equipment and operational systems. Completion of the station works is expected in the first quarter of 2028.

The underground alignment will separate the railway from the signal-controlled junction of Avenida 80 and Calle 65. The city government says the station’s different construction phases will generate about 340 jobs.

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Metro de la 80 will serve 17 stopping points

Metro de la 80 will run for 13.25 km, mainly along Avenida 80, between the existing Caribe and Aguacatala metro stations. The route will include 14 stops and three stations, giving 17 passenger stopping points in total.

Medellín’s official project update⁠ lists 22 trains and an average end-to-end journey time of 32 minutes. It says the line will directly benefit close to one million residents, or about 38% of the city’s population.

The city places total investment at COP 3.5 trillion, financed 70% by Colombia’s national government and 30% by Medellín. Overall project progress stood at more than 52% when the San Germán works were announced on June 3.

Suppliers prepare the line for a 2028 opening

The project began with a groundbreaking ceremony in April 2023, while civil works started in stages during 2024. Opening remains planned for 2028.

The Metro de la 80 consortium brings together CRRC for rolling stock, Mota-Engil for civil works, Ineo Urban Transportation Solutions for telematics, and Siemens Mobility for power supplies and signalling.

“This project prevents the emission of 131,000 tonnes of CO₂. It is environmentally friendly and, of course, it brings us together as a society,” Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga said at the station’s groundbreaking ceremony.

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