The Hoya de Guayllabamba is a vast, wild plain cosseted by the Andes, a landscape that became the site of the city of Quito. Its historic centre is so rich and well preserved that in 1978 it became the first city to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Quito boasts other geographical features that place it among Latin America's most attractive capitals. The capital of Ecuador is the highest in South America, located over 2,800 metres above sea level. If you consider its latitude, 0–0'–0", you could say that it is right in the middle of the world — if you head just 13 kilometres to the north, you can put one foot in both hemispheres at the same time. Within this unique topography, Quito hides some fabulous treasures.
One of them is the Qhapaq Ñan. This road system was devised by the Inca Empire in the 15th century and it enabled them to weave an economic, commercial, political and administrative link between the most important coastal and mountain cities that still stands today. All of these roads were connected to Cusco, the capital of the Tahuantinsuyo—or Inca Empire—and facilitated communication, transport and trade.
On a smaller scale, but sharing a similar purpose, Quito is inaugurating its first metro line. The project will make it possible to travel between the north, south and centre of the city in just over half an hour. Some 400,000 people a day will enjoy this service, which will boost the passenger transport system of the city of Quito and improve the mobility, productivity and quality of life for those living in the capital, its surroundings and the country in general.
22 km of tunnels, 34 minutes journey time and 15 stations are expected to be used by 400,000 passengers a day. These are the main figures of the Quito metro, which ACCIONA has been developing since the first phase started in 2013.
But there's more. The Quito metro will result in fuel savings of US 50 million per year due to these improvements to the urban transport infrastructure, with a consequent reduction of 67,000 tonnes of CO₂, as well as the creation of 32,700 new direct and indirect jobs.
Having been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city of Quito is regulated by strict environmental and archaeological requirements. Respect for the cultural heritage of the city's historic centre is of vital importance to ACCIONA. The company has managed these challenges by implementing scrupulous environmental plans throughout the project, which has encouraged the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials and waste generated during the work. Leftover wood has been given the community for various carpentry activities, such as making guitars or furniture with pallets.
Similarly, tyres have been donated for school projects and plastics have been given to recycling associations working in collaboration with the Quito Metropolitan Public Waste Company.
The project has also led by example in the protection of trees located within the construction sites and has provided a learning opportunity in terms of transplanting local species.
Before the metro excavations began, archaeological and geo-radar studies were conducted to determine the areas that would need extra protection and research. A great example was the work done to refurbish access to the Plaza de San Francisco.
The square is rectangular—115 m long and 75 m wide—giving an area of approximately 8,625 m2. It is the largest square in the historical centre of Quito. Once used as a market square, over time it has become a space for military and political gatherings, religious events and recreational activity. One of its unique architectural features is the magnificent concave-convex staircase that connects the square with the atrium of the main temple, the Baroque Mannerist façade of which is a particular highlight.
The construction plans for the San Francisco station included counting, storing and, ultimately, reinstalling the 107,695 cobblestones that pave the square.
People have also been at the heart of this project. In building the Quito metro, ACCIONA has taken into account the socio-economic, cultural, political and demographic characteristics of the area to measure the project's possible impact on society.
The work has increased local employment rates and the local average wage. In terms of medium- and long-term impacts, the employability of project partners and safety in areas near the construction work have also improved.
The goal? To add value, to go further than just building of a means of transport and to support the ultimate purpose of this metro: to make Quito a better place to live.
The implementation of a plan to raise awareness in schools of social and environmental responsibility and encourage sustainable transport, using an underground train carriage to show micro-theatre plays.
- Summer camp for employees' children, "Believe in yourself" and "Diverse world", in order to contribute to their development in areas including gender, self-esteem and diversity.
- Raising employees' awareness of workplace health and safety, gender and environmental issues through recreational theatre, talks, workshops and daily training.
- Inter-institutional agreement with SECAP (the Ecuadorian Professional Training Service) that seeks to promote the development of employees and, through which, 160 professional certificates have been awarded for skills related to the roles of senior master in execution of civil works, mason specialised in reinforced concrete structures and mason specialised in casting reinforced concrete structures.
- Daily training sessions on safety matters were provided as part of the Project Training Plan. More than 2,000 certificates in Occupational Risk Prevention were awarded, endorsed by SENESCYT (the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation).