Line 3 is a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...

line of the

Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro ( es, Metro de Santiago) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 136 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by ...

. Traveling from La Reina in the

east East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

towards the center, and Quilicura in the North, Line 3 was originally intended to open in the late 1980s, but the 1985 Algarrobo Earthquake hampered its construction, and a subsequent urban explosion in

Puente Alto Puente, a word meaning '' bridge'' in Spanish language, may refer to: People * Puente (surname) Places *La Puente, California, USA * Puente Alto, city and commune of Chile *Puente de Ixtla, city in Mexico *Puente Genil, village in the Spanish pro ...

and Maipú (in the far southeast and mid-southwest respectively) further put its construction on hold, until in the early 2010s construction started. The first phase of the project includes 18 stations, which were completed and opened to the public on 22 January 2019. The second phase, composed of a three-station extension towards the main square of Quilicura, should open by 2023. Its color on the map is

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec ci ...

History

Line 3 was initially planned for construction after Lines 1 and 2 but the 1985 Algarrobo earthquake near Santiago meant work on the new line had to be postponed so that the resources could be used to rebuild the damage caused by the earthquake. In the 1990s, Santiago's transportation needs changed dramatically with a population explosion in the south of the city, especially the communes of La Florida, Chile and

, and the plans for Line 3 were postponed again in favour of Line 5, Line 4 and Line 4A in the south. Despite this, there are pockets of Line 3 works hidden around Santiago, such as the

Ghost Station A ghost station is a disused train station through which revenue-service passenger trains (especially rapid transit trains) pass but at which they do not stop. The term is also sometimes used for any unused underground station or any unused ...

under Puente Cal y Canto station, located to the east of the line 2 side of the station, where works were carried out for years. In 2010, another new line was announced, Line 6, which once again saw the construction of Line 3 pushed back. Criticism of this delay led finally to the announcement of a new Line 3 construction project by the Chilean government on October 5, 2010. An initial length of track and 18 stations were announced in July 2011, with an extension of 1.7 km announced in May 2012, connecting to an extra station at the Military Hospital. This will provide access to the hospital itself, to Eulogio Sánchez Airport (better known as Tobalaba Airfield), and to the commune of La Reina, and close to Peñalolén. Line 3 connects with all Santiago Metro lines except for Line 4A. It connects with Line 1 at Universidad de Chile station, with Line 2 and the future Line 7 at Puente Cal y Canto station, with Line 4 at Plaza Egaña station and with Line 5 at Plaza de Armas station and Irarrázaval station. It also connects with Line 6 at Ñuñoa station once Line 3. Its distinctive colour on the network line map is brown. Three more stations are scheduled to be open in 2023,Reconstrucción de Metro obliga a estatal a aplazar un año nuevas líneas
/ref> in the commune of Quilicura on the north; however, the expansion to Hospital Militar in La Reina was again dismissed. On January 22, the president Piñera announced that the Hospital Militar station will be constructed after the Lines 7, 8 and 9, are completed in 2028.

Innovations

Line 3 complies with high security and passenger comfort standards. The new security measures include cameras inside the trains, an overhead (catenary) electric transmission line, auto-drive, doors located on the platform, air conditioning in the trains and connections with suburban trains. Although Line 3 did not suffer any damage in the October 2019 protests (with the exception of Cardenal Caro, which suffered minor damage), Line 3 was nonetheless closed on the weekend of October 18, 2019, due to security issues. Service on Line 3 was partially resumed on October 23, with full service to all stations being established in 2020.

Communes served by Line 3

Line 3 serves the following Santiago communes from north to east: * Quilicura * Huechuraba (Indirectly) * Conchalí * Independencia * Recoleta (Indirectly) *

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

* Ñuñoa * La Reina

Stations

Line 3 stations, from west to east, are:

Line 3 data sheet

* Terminal Communes: Quilicura – La Reina * Track: ** Independencia Avenue: 7 Stations ** Bandera Avenue: 2 station ** San Diego Avenue: 2 stations ** Irarrázaval Avenue: 6 stations ** Larraín Avenue: 2 stations * Construction Method: ** Underground * Opening Dates: ** 2019 (Los Libertadores - Fernando Castillo Velasco) ** 2023 (Los Libertadores - Plaza de Quilicura) * Rolling stock: CAF-Thales AS-2014

References

External links

Metro S.A.

Santiago Metro Track Map

Tarjeta Bip!

Plan and Authority of Transit of Santiago de Chile, Transantiago
{{Santiago Metro 2019 establishments in Chile Railway lines opened in 2019 750 V DC railway electrification