| Work Detail |
The Buenos Aires City Government has launched a tender for the comprehensive design of Subway Line F , a large-scale railway infrastructure project that will connect Barracas with Palermo , passing through key hubs such as Constitución and Callao. The call for consultations was published on Monday, May 19, and establishes a deadline of just 30 days for the submission of bids, a timeframe considered insufficient by industry experts. The tender includes the hiring of professional services for the development of the Architecture and Engineering Project , with a total value of $3.4 billion and an 18-month execution period . This entails an estimated monthly outlay of $188.8 million, reflecting the technical and logistical complexity of the work required. The project: what it includes and what its scope is The design to be developed will be comprehensive , and will include: Project for the main tunnel and auxiliary tunnels. Design of stations , accesses and immediate urban environment. Proposal for underground interferences and resolution of layout conflicts. Aspects of accessibility, architecture and urban landscaping . Multimodal connections with other subway lines and the Roca Railway. Line F was designed to connect Constitución with Palermo , in an initial phase, with a projected daily capacity of 300,000 passengers . In later phases, it will extend to Barracas in the south and Brandsen in the north, joining the citys main underground transportation system. This will be the first new line since the construction of Line H, which began in 2001. A specification with restrictive requirements The 30-day deadline for submitting bids raised questions in the technical sector, as most similar processes allow 45 to 60 days to ensure the participation of multiple bidders. The Buenos Aires City government justified this decision by stating that this is a consultancy tender, not a construction tender , and that the deadline is extendable upon request . However, the specifications require a history of similar works carried out in Argentina , which significantly limits the universe of potential bidders , given that the only line built in recent decades was Line H. In addition, high financial guarantees were established for those wishing to challenge the bidding document or the award , with amounts of up to $170 million , which could also discourage legal challenges to the process. A tender with high political and technical impact The Ministry of Mobility and SBASE (Buenos Aires Subways SE) , the state-owned company in charge of developing and managing the subway, explained that the design will be the result of joint work between its own technical teams and external advisors, to ensure a proposal that meets urban planning, functional and efficiency criteria in execution . Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri described Line F as the largest urban infrastructure project in the country in his announcement in March. He emphasized that it represents a qualitative leap in the citys transformation, on par with the Metrobus, Paseo del Bajo, and TramBus. |
