‘The Quito Metro is going to be an international example,’ says Efraín Bastidas, ninth project manager

25 days after taking office, Efraín Bastidas, the ninth manager in the Quito Metro company and the second in the administration of Santiago Guarderas, recognizes that the major problems of this project, so far, are the absence of a management model for operation and maintenance, and the uncertainty about the date accurate for full operation.

The project, which was born nine years ago, contemplates a journey of 22 kilometers and 18 stops, between Quitumbe (in the south) and El Labrador (north), in an approximate time of 35 minutes.

What is the current status of the Quito Metro?

On the construction and equipment side, it is highly advanced; at the operations level, we are planning. In civil works we are 99.32% complete; in equipment and facilities 91.18% and in rolling stock (trains) we are already 100% with the 18 trains received. From an operation perspective, we have started work with what we call the “technical structuring”, which is a group of experts that is beginning to develop the parameters for the operation, because each city has specific, unique parameters. There is no single or generalized recipe for everyone, but it depends on each city, each metro.

Who are the technicians who are analyzing these terms for the operator?

It is a consortium of railway company technicians led by Ferrocarrills de la Generalitat de Catalunya; that is, the Barcelona railway area of ​​Catalonia. They have around 90 years of experience in the railway field, they are very capable technicians.

What type of contract does this Spanish company have and how much did it cost?

The work that was developed with Ferrocarrills de la Generalitat de Catalunya and the companies that are associated with them was generated through a contractual process with the World Bank, which searched for the best technicians. They are going to accompany us (in their capacity as arranger) for around ten more months. (NDLR: the manager offered to give the amount of the contract after the interview, but until press time he did not confirm it)

Since when is this contract executed?

We started a week and a half ago with the award and first meeting with this team of experts. They are already working, we have already had meetings, they already have inputs and they are already working on the technical parameters and the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the search for the international railway operator (which will be in charge of the operation).

What, then, is the date for the Metro to go into operation?

As I said, the part corresponding to construction and equipment is very advanced, everything is above 90%. That in the schedule is quite advanced. So, we have to define the process for the operation, in this part is where we need the technical parameters for hiring an international rail operator.

In other words, we still do not know when the Metro will start operating

What I can tell you is that we are doing a job with great effort, with the best technicians in the world, with trained professionals, from a perspective of transparency, which is our main motto …

So there is no date yet.

Each of the managers of the Quito Metro could have given dates and more dates that were not met. It seems to me an irresponsible attitude to return to give a date that later is not going to be fulfilled. Instead, what we offer is constant, technical work.

What is the plan to solve the communications issue: connectivity, emergency service, navigation and collection systems?

I would like to clarify, because it is not so true that this is at zero.

According to the latest Metro report, that part was at zero

It was at zero percent, but today, all of those systems are at a high level of advancement. I invite you to meet us so you can see that they are implemented. The collection system may be the only one that has had a delay, because in previous mayoralties it was withdrawn from the main contracting process. But we have already installed about 80 to 90% turnstiles. Now we are going with the installation of the validators (for the payment of the ticket) that will be done in the following months. That is, the job is not abandoned.

For the communication system there was a contract with the ECU911. The purchase of a copper cable was completed and pending, but the purchase process to establish emergency communication had not yet begun.

The telecommunications system at the level of the entire Metro is complete, we have a tetradigital network, which is specifically designed for the railway sector and is fully installed. What we are missing, and there I do agree with you, is the link network with the ECU911 and in general with all the emergency institutions … It is not that it is abandoned, in fact we already had a meeting. In equipment and facilities we are missing 9% and we hope to manage it in the following weeks.

The collection system, in which the passenger pays in cash, with a card or with a cell phone, has no advance either.

I am not going to tell you any lies about that, that collection system is not there. We are right now to do the acquisition process. It has to be the most practical system for the user, which involves contactless and personalized plastic cards; There will also be people who do not want to have that type of card or temporary travelers, who will be given other alternatives, such as mobile applications, QR code, automatic vending machines, lockers at stations …

The reduction of personnel in the Quito Metro began

Is the cost of the project kept at $ 2,049 million?

The project, at the moment, is at $ 2,049 million. In fact, construction has had a variation in work prices of only 1%, approximately, but it was within the cost margin. This variation, at the international level, is one of the world’s greatest successes. From what I have investigated about meters, there are works where the amount with which the work ends is increased by 30%, 50% or 70%. So achieving that level of accuracy between the cost with which it was contracted and the cost of completion of the work will show us that the work in the Quito Metro has been efficient, well managed, and technically managed. It is going to be an example at the international level.

An example at the international level, in what corresponds to construction, civil works?

I’m going to give you a case: the Medellín metro stretched from 15 to 20 years. But its operation is one of the greatest examples worldwide. Operationally, they cover their costs, I am not saying the investment, the day-to-day operation does not cost the city anything, it is profitable and it is an extremely well-run, efficient metro. At the same time, people are so fond of it that the subway is cleaner than the city. That is one of our objectives, that in the medium term we get to work with balance and be adored by the people of Quito.

Does the selection of this Spanish structuring company have something to do with your studies carried out in that country?

First of all, the selection was made before I arrived. In other words, the World Bank had been working on the selection process for the technical structuring agent. There were several offers: the Santiago metro (Chile), the Medellín metro (Colombia), those from two Spanish companies … It was chosen in a competitive process. As long as everyone complies, the cheapest offer is the one selected. Second, I studied in Spain, but also in Germany, so you could tell me that if someone from Germany comes I also have a special affection.

Mayor Santiago Guarderas says that the Quito Metro makes him sleepless. Does the same thing happen to you?

I try a lot. I work twelve to fourteen hours a day and sleep well. The Quito Metro is the most important work in the city, one of the most important in the history of the country… It is a work that is technically very well thought out, very well designed and very well built. When it is already operating we will not even be able to conceive what the city was like without the Metro.

Is it not, then, a white elephant?

No, how can a white elephant be! A white elephant is a work that has no meaning or application.

Is it better to hand over Metro management to expert companies or to create your own?

The important thing here is that we have a good work, but we do not have rail experience. So, we need a good railway expert, a company that is used to operating for 40, 50, 80 years and that intends to give us the support to carry out our operation. I would not like to pigeonhole the model; it is going to be a custom solution.

This is time consuming. Will it reach the term of Mayor Santiago Guarderas (which ends in May 2023)?

I believe that it can be in the mayoralty of Mr. Guarderas, I am very positive about that.

In 17 months?

That is our goal. (I)