Once a company has been selected, there is no reason why work on the new line from Zapopan to the bus station in Tonala cannot start immediately, say officials at the Transportation and Communications Ministry (SCT).
The 21.4-kilometer line will run from the northern Periferico (beltway) at Avenida Laureles to the Mercado del Mar (fish market), through Zapopan Centro and along Avenida Camacho and Alcalde to the Guadalajara city center. It will continue along Avenida Revolucion to the Zapotlanejo highway and terminate at the Neuvo Central Camionera.Only five of the 18 stations will be underground. At first, 15 trains will be used on the line, carrying an estimated 233,000 passengers each day.
Whoever wins the bid to build the line will have to finish construction by mid 2018. Federal funds have been earmarked for the line’s estimated price tag of 18 billion pesos, although the Jalisco state government will contribute 10 percent of the cost.
Companies will have an opportunity to bid separately to build the line’s tunnel infrastructure that will pass below the downtown Guadalajara area close to the Metropolitan Cathedral.