The Urban Electric Train System (SITEUR) is promoting the development of commercial spaces within Lines 1 and 2 of the Light Rail, with the goal of strengthening its revenue streams and sustaining growth and maintenance projects. A total of 170 available spaces have been identified, some of which have already begun operating with various businesses, such as pastry shops and vending machines for soft drinks and pizzas.
Amílcar López, director of SITEUR, explained in an interview that this strategy is part of a broader plan to ensure the organization’s self-sustainability. “Among all the strategies we have, which we began last year to modernize the system, we envisioned new ways to generate more resources,” he stated.
The official detailed that these additional revenues will allow the system to cover the operation of the Light Rail as well as other systems under its responsibility, including bus routes, the Peribús (BRT system), and the future Line 5 of the Public Transportation System. In that regard, he emphasized that the goal is not only to finance the renewal of vehicles but also to maintain the existing infrastructure in optimal condition.
“Significant resources were allocated for the renewal of our vehicle fleet, especially for our feeder routes, but also for the renewal of trains,” he explained. He added that these actions require consistent revenue to ensure their continuity.
As part of this plan, leasing arrangements were established for spaces that were previously underutilized.
A young woman uses a vending machine installed at a Light Rail station, as part of the new commercial spaces enabled in the system. EL INFORMADOR/J. Acosta
These spaces include available areas in stations, such as spaces left after the removal of coin-operated machines with the arrival of electronic payment systems. According to the director, this measure allows for the utilization of existing infrastructure without the need for new construction.
López highlighted that thanks to these strategies, the operation of the system has been strengthened. “Today we have a fleet of more than 100 public transportation units already operating on our various routes,” he stated. He also announced the recent addition of 10 units to reinforce the Mi Macro Periférico system.
The director specified that the revenue generated from leasing has also contributed to strengthening the Peribús and Macrobús systems, as well as ensuring the operation of Line 5. “All of this has been achieved thanks to this long-term strategy,” he added.
Generally speaking, the official estimated that these commercial spaces could generate approximately 10% of the resources needed for the comprehensive operation of the Siteur (Integrated System for Urban Transportation).
Three calls for proposals were issued since last year to allocate the spaces. López explained that the objective was to ensure a transparent process open to diverse proposals. However, he acknowledged that not all spaces were occupied, as some calls for proposals were declared void.
Source: informador
