The Audit of the City of Buenos Aires Detected Irregularities in the Works of the Subway H Line
The Watchdog discovered deteriorated facilities in the section between Caseros and Once, such as water leaks in tunnels and stations, and "stairs that invade the platforms." There were also breaches in tenders, lack of sanctions on companies and extensions in contract amounts.
During a visit to the subway line H that is in operation, from Caseros to Once, the General Audit of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish), found several "shortcomings", like stairs that "invade the platforms, width of use in sectors of high agglomeration of passengers and access rails that present evidence of rusting," flaws in the design of the lighting system and steps built with a granite material that has already" proved not to resist the wear and tear of prolonged use "in stations of the D line.
In addition, the control agency detected "numerous leaks in the tunnel from the water table", caused by "punctures of the water-repellent layer and cracks in the concrete." This level of deterioration causes water to accumulate on platforms and at the entrance of the engine room of the Colonia Workshop, which is located after Caseros, the provisional terminal.
The H line will join the neighborhoods of Nueva Pompeya and Retiro, and has a transversal design with respect to the other branches that operate in the City Capital. The report of the Buenos Aires Audit highlighted irregularities in the bidding processes of the project. For example, in order to adapt the access points of section B, Once-Caseros, with a modern design, it was decided to hire the same company that was building the tunnel, tracks and stations of that section, despite the fact that main work was not completed and that "the company had warned Subterráneos de Buenos Aires State Society (SBASE, for its acronym in Spanish), about the impossibility of executing it within an agreed term." The AGCBA stated that, with this "extemporaneous" measure, "the amount paid in excess was $ 489,787", and, on the other hand, he had already observed in previous reports the "weaknesses" of the enterprise that generated the need to "expand Successively the contract ", as the construction of a new station (Caseros) and the civil works for the rectifier substation Venezuela, that were not foreseen in the initial project. In fact, these jobs took five and a half years to build and, at an initial price of $ 63.8 million, "reached a historical cost of $ 144.7 million."
In this rectifying substation, the Audit found non-compliance with health and safety standards "which represent risks to the physical integrity of workers and possible property risks to the State of the City," the report says, adding that it could not verify sanctions towards the company for those findings.
Concerning the progress of works on the H line, the control body noted that it is not being complied with what is established in article 2 of Law 317, which indicates that the works "will begin with the section linking the station Hospitals with Eleven, and must continue with the route Hospitals – Nueva Pompeya, until its culmination. Although the route proposed for the first stage is completed and in operation, today the project is developed northwards on Pueyrredón Avenue and has already surpassed the Corrientes Avenue line, while "the end of the southern section has not yet been tendered" stated the report said.