The construction of the Metro de Bogotá has been the subject of debates and studies since the 1950s when the collapse of the Bogotá Tramways made the need for a modern form of mass transport for the fast-growing metropolis evident. It has been suggested that the track routes of the defunct Bogotá Savannah Railway be utilized for the city's new metro system.
Planning
In 2007, Samuel Moreno won the elections for Mayor of Bogotá with the promise of building an underground rapid transit system to increase the mobility of people in the city, reduce commute times and increase the comfort of the trip by reducing the number of people per car. At that time Moreno suggested that the train's first line run from the locality of Kennedy along the Avenida del Ferrocarril up to the Estacion de la Sabana on Calle 13 or Avenida Jimenez and from there northwards along the Avenida Septima up to Calle 72, then along Calle 72 to end up in Engativá. However, the final design was to be decided by the winner of a public tender for feasibility studies of the project. In August 2009, the feasibility studies, which include economic resources, best line route, and urban and environmental impact, were started by Sener-TMB. The result was to be announced on July 20, but was delayed until August 31. The announcement was: running from Transmilenio's Portal de las Américas in Kennedy, the subway will reach the Estacion de la Sabana near downtown, first underground, then by road-level tracks. From there it will run underground to Tercer Milenio Park, turn north following 13th road and 11th road. It will end at Calle 127 with NQS Highway, in northeast Bogotá. In September 2009, Bogotá's mayor Samuel Moreno, announced that the system might be in operation by 2016. However, fiscal troubles besieged the city during Moreno's tenure, and in 2010 he was arrested for improprieties in the appropriation of city contracts for public works projects. This threw the fiscal feasibility of the Metro project into doubt. As of 2011, the administration of the new mayor Gustavo Petro announced that it would push for construction to start in 2013. , the advanced engineering studies for building the metro were scheduled to be released in September 2014, after which time bidding for the construction contract for the metro would open. Little progress was made until 2019, when six consortiums were shortlisted for international bidding for the metro project. The deadline for the consortiums to present their proposals was announced as 3 October 2019, with the winning consortium announced as Apca Transmimetro; comprising China Harbor Engineering Company and Xi'an Metro Company. The consortium won the bid for a $US 5.16bn contract to design, build, operate and maintain Line 1 of the Bogota metro.
