Conflict Erupts Between Bogota Metro Construction Consortium and Project Supervisor

The Bogota Metro Line 1 has achieved an overall progress rate of 83.73%, according to Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan. A conflict now exists between the project supervisor and the consortium overseeing the first line of this significant infrastructure project, the largest of its kind in Colombia. The dispute stems from pressure from the city government to expedite construction following delays by the construction concessionaire, resulting in financial claims exceeding 25.2 billion pesos.

While the mayor highlights progress on the viaduct, train depot, workshop, and stations in the southwestern part of the city, the disagreement lies in the interpretation of these achievements. The project supervisor's legal team argues that administrative decisions aimed at maintaining progress have led to substantial additional operating costs. These costs, totaling 25,213,748,766 pesos (US$7.9 million as of July 2026), were absorbed by the supervisor without proper compensation.

The parties have exhausted direct dispute-resolution methods without reaching an agreement regarding the Supervision Contract 148 of 2020. The financial burden of hiring additional personnel and contracted professionals, both under payroll and OPS service provision contracts, places a significant strain on the project supervisor.

The technical conflict originated due to the concessionaire's failure to deliver detailed studies and designs on time, violating the condition for initiating construction. This breach led to Resolution 374 of 2023, sanctioning the contractor and imposing administrative penalties.

To avoid project stagnation, the Metro Company and concessionaire signed Transaction Agreement No. 1 in July 2023, allowing construction to commence without fully approved designs. However, the project supervision consortium claims this agreement was signed without their input, altering the planned framework and keeping their design engineering team active for nearly twelve extra months. This alteration caused a financial imbalance, as unaccounted work exceeded the supervisor's fixed monthly fee.

Meanwhile, a new train arrives in Cartagena, joining the 19 already in testing at the train depot, workshop, and viaduct, drawing the attention of all citizens.