Metro de la 80: route, stations and when it opens

The Metro de la 80 is a 13.25 km light-rail line that Metro de Medellín is building along Avenida 80, through Robledo and Laureles/Estadio ^[3]. Metro reported 55% of activities executed on 23 September 2026 ^[4] and targets service from 2028 ^[1].

What it is

Metro de Medellín calls the project a metro ligero, a light-rail line, and says it will run on double track for its whole length ^[1]. It is a new line of the Metro system that links the north and south of western Medellín ^[1].

Route and stations

The line starts at Caribe station in the north ^[1]. From there it follows Transversal 73 and Calle 65 to the Facultad de Minas area, then runs along Avenida 80/81 and ends at Aguacatala station in the south ^[1].

It has 17 points where passengers get on: 14 at-grade stops and 3 stations ^[2]. The stations are Caribe, San Germán and La Aguacatala ^[2]. The stops are Córdoba, Ciudadela Educativa, Colombia, Floresta, Los Pinos, San Juan, Villa de Aburrá, La Palma, San Bernardo, Loma de Los Bernal, La Mota, Cristo Rey, Guayabal and Apolo ^[2].

Four points connect with the rest of the network: the Metro at Caribe, Floresta and Aguacatala, and bus Line 1 at La Palma ^[1]. San Germán will be underground, on a section of about 500 metres, and Metro describes it as the first underground station of any rail system in Colombia ^[3].

Metro says the line will directly benefit Comuna 7 (Robledo) and Comuna 11 (Laureles/Estadio) ^[3]. Metro also estimates that about 1 million people, or 38% of the city, will benefit ^[3]. That is Metro's own estimate, not an independent count.

Who pays and who builds

In 2020 the Ministry of Transport put the total investment at COP 3.54 trillion, in constant 2019 pesos and including financing costs ^[5]. That is about USD 1.07 billion at the 1 October 2026 rate of COP 3,312.84 per dollar ^[11], a straight conversion that ignores inflation since 2019. The national government committed COP 2.4 trillion, or 70%, and Medellín the other 30% ^[5]. In June 2026 Metro still gave the investment as COP 3.5 trillion on the same 70/30 split ^[3].

The civil works and the trains were contracted to Unión Temporal Metro de la 80, a consortium of CRRC (Hong Kong) Co. Limited and two Mota-Engil companies ^[6]. Ineo Urban Transportation Solutions and Siemens Mobility are subcontractors ^[6]. The contract covers about EUR 105 million for trains and about COP 1.3 trillion for civil works, both in 2020 values, over 78 months ^[6].

Progress and dates

El Colombiano reported that the acta de inicio, the formal start of works, was signed on 28 April 2023 ^[8]. On 3 June 2026 Metro reported overall progress of more than 52% ^[3]. On 23 September 2026 it reported 55% of activities executed, a figure that includes land acquisition, with 96% of the needed area available for works ^[4]. That figure covers activities across the whole project; it does not say how much track has been laid.

Work started on San Germán, the underground station, in June 2026 ^[3]. Road closures in Pilarica and El Progreso began on 28 September 2026 to build the depot where the line's 22 trains will be maintained ^[4].

Metro's official target is for works to finish in the first quarter of 2028 ^[3], with passengers using the line from 2028 ^[1]. El Colombiano reported in 2023 that the contract runs 78 months from March 2023, and that this term includes a testing period and a service warranty period after the works ^[8]. The contract end is therefore not the opening date ^[8].

Risks on record

The main risk the sources record is money from the national government arriving late ^[9][10]. El Tiempo reported on 9 June 2026 that the national government was behind on its payments by more than COP 830 billion ^[10]. The same report projected the final cost at about COP 4.3 trillion and attributed the rise to inflation and financing costs, not to overruns ^[10].

On 17 September 2026 the Metro's manager told El Tiempo that COP 89 billion of 2025 national funds was still pending and that COP 512 billion was due for 2026 ^[9]. He warned that if the pending funds did not arrive on time, the project could face financial difficulties ^[9]. The June and September figures differ, and we have not found a primary document that explains the change between them ^[9][10].

No source we read says the works have stopped: Metro started depot construction in late September 2026 ^[4], and its June 2026 target of finishing works in the first quarter of 2028 is the latest official date we found ^[3].

What it means for getting around

Metro says a trip from Caribe to Aguacatala on the new line will take 32 minutes ^[1]. Metro also says trains will run at up to 60 km/h ^[1]. For someone living in Laureles or Estadio, the useful part is the transfers: the Metro at Caribe, Floresta and Aguacatala, and bus Line 1 at La Palma ^[1]. When it awarded the contract in October 2022, Metro forecast 179,400 passengers a day ^[7]. We found no newer official forecast.

Until the line opens, expect works along the corridor: the depot closures in Pilarica and El Progreso are the latest announced ^[4], and works continue at stops and at San Germán ^[3].

What you may hear

You may see 2027 given as the year the line will be delivered. Metro's own target is works finishing in the first quarter of 2028 and service from 2028 ^[1][3].

You may see a total cost of about COP 2.6 trillion. The national cofinancing approval puts the total at COP 3.54 trillion in 2019 pesos ^[5], and Metro used COP 3.5 trillion in June 2026 ^[3].

You may see progress given as just over 40%. Metro's latest figure is 55% of activities executed as of 23 September 2026 ^[4].