Peru’s 2026-2031 Infrastructure Plan: Lima Metro Line 3 & Callao Port Excluded

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) officially approved the National Infrastructure Plan (PNI) 2026-2031 last Saturday through a supreme decree (N° 039-2026-EF) published in the official newspaper El Peruano.

The document prioritizes 72 projects to be developed over the next 5 years with a total investment of S/144,117 million. However, this official plan has had an impact by confirming the exclusion of critical transport megaprojects for the capital city, such as the Line 3 of the Lima Metro and the Callao Foreport, due to failure to meet mandatory technical requirements.

The official document specifies that the aforementioned projects “did not meet the minimum conditions” to be included in the PNI that came into effect, as well as 11 other proposals that were part of the previous sustainable plan (PNISC 2022-2025).

The Technical Filter Behind the Exclusion

For a work to be considered expedited in this new edition of the plan, it was mandatory to meet three minimum prioritization conditions.

Firstly, projects had to be registered in the Multi-Year Investment Program, in the Multi-Year Investment Report in APP approved by the ministries, in the Proinversión portfolio or in the portfolio of the National Infrastructure Authority (ANIN).

As a second requirement, the proposal had to demonstrate fiscal sustainability under the current budgetary frameworks for the years 2027 and 2028.

Finally, the project could not be a minor optimization or rehabilitation investment, and had to be already in physical execution or have the start of work planned for a maximum of the next five years.

However, the official document of the MEF clarifies that projects that did not reach the prioritized list “do not lose their strategic value,” so the responsible entities must continue to promote their execution.

Among the works that did achieve inclusion are the creation of the New Central Highway, valued at S/ 24,653 million, and the continuation of Line 2 of the Lima Metro together with its Av. Faucett-Gambetta branch, representing an investment of S/ 20,092 million.

Line 3 of the Metro and the Callao Foreport on Hold

The exclusion of Line 3 of the Lima Metro represents a significant pause in the capital’s mass connectivity. This project contemplated the creation of a completely underground system of 34.8 kilometers that would connect the districts of San Juan de Miraflores and Comas.

According to data from the Urban Transport Authority (ATU), the infrastructure would allow this journey to be made in just 56 minutes, benefiting more than five million people who reside in jurisdictions such as Los Olivos, Independencia, Rímac and San Isidro.

Though the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) estimated to start works in 2027, failure to meet the minimum conditions of the 2026-2031 plan has left the schedule in uncertainty.

In a similar situation is the project of the Callao Foreport, a strategic logistics infrastructure designed to house up to 729 trucks in an area of more than 20 hectares between Néstor Gambetta and Contralmirante Mora avenues.

The main objective of this work is to order the flow of heavy cargo to the port terminals of APM Terminals and DP World through a technological appointment system, reducing vehicular congestion on the urban roads of the first port.

By not meeting the MEF filters, this project has also been left out of the Executive’s immediate priorities.

Projects Leading the PNI

Despite these absences, the Transport sector remains the central axis of state investment with 28 prioritized projects totaling more than S/ 100,897 million.

Among the works that did achieve inclusion are the creation of the New Central Highway, valued at S/ 24,653 million, and the continuation of Line 2 of the Lima Metro together with its Av. Faucett-Gambetta branch, representing an investment of S/ 20,092 million.

Also included are the Peripheral Ring Road, the modernization of the Chiclayo Airport, the San Juan de Marcona Port Terminal and the New International Airport of Chinchero in Cusco.

Other Projects

The National Infrastructure Plan 2026-2031 is not limited to transport and extends its reach to other sectors.

In Agriculture and Irrigation, 9 projects have been prioritized, highlighting the rehabilitation of the Poechos Reservoir and the third stage of Chavimochic.

Likewise, in the Water and Sanitation sector, 8 initiatives are being promoted, such as the Headworks in Lima and various wastewater treatment plants in Trujillo, Huancayo and Chincha.

The plan also covers Health with the Trujillo Regional Teaching Hospital, Education through the High Performance Schools (COAR), and Tourism with the Choquequirao Cable Car.

In total, 52 projects from the previous plan were left out of this planning for various reasons. In addition to the 13 that did not meet the minimum conditions, there are 17 proposals that were not submitted by the responsible entities, 19 that did not obtain the necessary prioritization score according to the sustainability indicators and 2 works that are already completed, such as the expansion of the Jorge Chávez Airport.