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The executive president of the entity, David Hernandez, highlighted that the implementation of new train lines in the city responds to a technical and not a political decision.The Urban Transportation Authority for Lima and Callao (ATU), an entity attached to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC), aims to implement train systems in the city with the aim of increasing the adequate supply of public transportation. During the III forum: Smart Cities: subways and local trains for Lima, organized by the NGO Luz Ambar, David Hernandez pointed out that this measure responds to a purely technical and not a political decision.
In his presentation, Hernandez stressed that the construction of new metro lines constitutes an urgent need to meet the growing demand for mobility in Lima and Callao. He recalled that, according to technical studies, no bus system can efficiently exceed the capacity to transport more than 35,000 passengers per hour in one direction.
For this reason, the implementation of lines 3 and 4 of the Lima and Callao Metro represents a comprehensive and sustainable solution. Likewise, he highlighted that not executing these projects would have a much higher social and economic cost for citizens, especially for the most vulnerable sectors that today pay higher rates for informal services such as buses.
The head of the ATU explained that the city faces a critical scenario: while fares in formal systems such as Metro Line 1, the Metropolitan or complementary corridors range between S/1.50 and S/3.50, informal buses charge up to S/8 or S/9 for trips from peripheral districts such as Carabayllo or Chaclacayo.
The poorest citizen is the one who ends up paying more for an unsafe service without guarantees. That is the direct consequence of not having a mass, orderly and quality public transportation network, he emphasized.
Hernandez recalled that the ATU management model is based on measurable results and clear objectives, leaving aside the logic of political speeches. In this sense, he pointed out that the issuance of enabling titles for public transport operators was one of the first measures adopted in his work plan for the period 2024-2029, in order to provide stability to the sector and allow fleet renewal.
If a businessman must invest in 80 or 100 buses, each valued at more than 120 thousand dollars, he needs legal security and a business horizon. We cannot continue granting six-month or one-year permits, because that destroys the supply and quality of the service, he explained.
During the forum, Hernandez recalled past experiences such as the implementation of the Metropolitan in the years 2002-2010, pointing out that, although it was an important advance, today it is insufficient to meet the magnitude of the demand. No matter how many buses we put in, we will not be able to efficiently move more than 35,000 passengers per hour in one direction. The numbers are clear: doing nothing is more expensive than investing in metro infrastructure, he stated.
Likewise, he highlighted that Line 1 of the Lima Metro already transports close to 500,000 passengers per day, and that peaks of 600,000 to 7,000 thousand passengers per day have been reached. From their perspective, the capacity of this transportation system must be expanded to reach one million travelers.
Finally, Hernandez stressed that the Urban Mobility Plan with a projection to 2045 contemplates an integrated network that combines metro lines, complementary corridors and innovative projects such as cable cars in strategic areas.
He said that the discussion is no longer political, but technical. And that the implementation of lines 3 and 4 is not up for debate: it is an urgent need and a commitment to the future of Lima and Callao.
Lima, November 27, 2025
