The Quito Metro, in Ecuador’s capital, has signed a contract with Alstom for the maintenance of its signaling system for a period of four years.
The contract provides for preventive and corrective maintenance until February 2030, with an investment of USD 27.2 million. This specialized maintenance model allows for the anticipation of failures, the reduction of operational risks, and the preservation of the life of critical equipment.
Alstom has been responsible for the signaling system since the metro network began commercial operation in December 2023. The Quito metro’s railway signaling “is the traffic control system that maintains train safety and prevents incidents,” said Andrea Santillán, director of Alstom’s maintenance department for Metro de Quito.
Five maintenance groups for thirteen subsystems
The Quito metro does not rely on a single type of maintenance, but on various activities organized into five specialized groups, which guarantee the optimal functioning of the thirteen subsystems: The thirteen subsystems that ensure the optimal functioning of the metro system benefit from preventive and corrective maintenance, mostly carried out by specialized international companies. This comprehensive planning supports citizen satisfaction levels, which reach 9.4 out of 10, according to the latest statistical bulletin “Metro in Figures.”
- Power supply: managed by Siemens;
- Rail signaling: managed by Alstom;
- Trains and auxiliary vehicles (rolling stock): managed by CAF, the train manufacturer;
- Electromechanical systems, station infrastructure, elevators, escalators, lighting, and fare collection system: managed by the Franco-Colombian consortium EOMMT (Empresa Operadora Metro de Medellín – Transdev);
- Infrastructure, superstructure, electromechanical systems, and telecommunications: managed by a specialized team of professionals from the Quito Metro until the completion of the corresponding public procurement process.
“This contract consolidates a long-term technical relationship with an expert company and reaffirms the commitment that all subsystems will benefit from ongoing maintenance, as we have guaranteed since the first day of operation,” said Juan Carlos Parra, general manager of the Quito Metro. He pointed out that metro maintenance has been carried out without interruption, as a matter of institutional policy, in order to protect public investment, ensure the sustainability of the system and, above all, guarantee the safety of every user.
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