President Gustavo Petro and Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán are in a public dispute over the funding and participation of the Regiotram del Norte rail project.
The conflict centers on whether the city was intentionally sidelined or voluntarily absent from the planning of a transit system designed to connect Bogotá with Chía, Cajicá, and Zipaquirá in Cundinamarca.
Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said the situation was a "exclusión sorpresiva" [2], suggesting that the city was unexpectedly left out of the financing process. The dispute emerged during the first half of 2024 [1, 2].
President Petro rejected this characterization. He said, "Bogotá no quiso ir" [2], asserting that the city administration did not want to participate. The president said the city failed to attend key meetings held in 2023 [1].
The Regiotram del Norte is a significant infrastructure undertaking intended to transform mobility in the region. Government spokespeople said the project will benefit 1 million people [3] and is estimated to be operational by 2034 [3].
While the dispute between the district and the national government remains a point of tension, other reports indicate that the project is moving forward. The national government and the department of Cundinamarca have reportedly resolved co-financing issues to keep the project on track [3].
This friction follows a long timeline of planning. The national government had requested changes to the bidding process for the project approximately in 2022 [4].
“"Bogotá no quiso ir"”
The clash between Mayor Galán and President Petro highlights the recurring political tension between Bogotá's local administration and the Colombian national government. Because the Regiotram del Norte relies on inter-departmental cooperation and multi-level funding, the lack of alignment between the city and the presidency could create administrative bottlenecks, even if the national government and Cundinamarca proceed independently.
