COLOMBIA: Siemens Mobility has selected Spanish company GMV to supply service planning and vehicle location technology for the Metro de la 80 light rail project in Medellín.
Metro de la 80, also known as Ecociudad Line E or the Pink Line, is being built by the Metro de la 80 consortium which comprises main suppliers CRRC (rolling stock) and Mota-Engil (civil works) with Ineo Urban Transportation Solutions (telematics) and Siemens Mobility (power supplies and signalling).
The 3·5bn peso project is being financed 70:30 by the central government and city authority, with construction now under way for opening in 2028.
The medium-capacity light rail line will run for 13·3 km primarily along Avenida 80, the main north-south road corridor in the west of the city, from Caribe heavy metro station in the north to Aguacatala metro station in the south. It will serve 17 stops.
GMV’s SAE-R system will be installed in 20 bidirectional LRVs to be supplied by CRRC. The onboard computers, driver interfaces and beacon readers will work with trackside beacons to enable accurate positioning for real-time fleet monitoring and management.
This will be integrated with other onboard and central systems such as the master clock, passenger information systems, centralised traffic control and the train control and management system. Standard interfaces will facilitate integration with third-party applications.
GMV’s software will support the creation and editing of service plans. It will be tailored to the specific needs of the line to support real-time decision-making in response to changing demand or emergency situations.
GMV said the order is its first public transport project in Colombia and its first collaboration with Siemens and CRRC. It has previously supplied companies including Alstom, CAF, Stadler, Pesa and Talgo, and worked with tram operators in Sydney, Warszawa and Barcelona.
