Central & South America – Page 24
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NewsMercosur to fund Uruguay rail upgrade
URUGUAY: The Mercosur trading block of South American countries is to make US$83·5m of ‘structural convergence’ funding available to improve freight transport between Uruguay and Argentina, under an agreement signed in Montevideo on July 11. This will go towards a US$127·3m project to upgrade railway infrastructure between Piedra Sola and ...
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NewsMore CNR cars arrive for long-distance services
ARGENTINA: On July 3 the federal government announced the arrival of a further batch of 17 passenger coaches from CNR Changchun of China, due to be deployed on long-distance services from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata and Rosario. The latest batch includes first and second class vehicles, a restaurant ...
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NewsCuenca tram contracts awarded
ECUADOR: Mayor of Cuenca Paúl Granada announced on June 28 that contracts had been signed for the construction of a 10·5 km tram route, the first modern line to be built in Ecuador. Scheduled to open in 2015, the route will serve a total of 27 stops and will be ...
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NewsLa Plata university train
ARGENTINA: A lightweight three-section diesel railcar built by Tecnotren has entered service on a 4·5 km route serving seven stops across the university campus in the city of La Plata. Services run from 07.30 to 22.30 during the week, and a fare of 1·5 pesos is charged. Services ...
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NewsCSR fleet enters service in Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: Diesel locomotives and commuter coaches supplied by CSR of China entered service on the Mitre network in Buenos Aires on June 6, providing peak-hour services between Retiro and Tigre. Three five-car formations with a diesel locomotive at each end have been deployed on the route, departing Tigre at 06.56, ...
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NewsALL concessions revoked
ARGENTINA: Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced on June 4 that the government was revoking the two freight operating concessions held by América Latina Logística SA of Brazil. Comprising the former San Martín and General Urquiza networks, at 8 000 route-km ALL Argentina has operated the country’s ...
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NewsBogotá metro design contract signed
COLOMBIA: A joint venture of local company Cano Jiménez and Spanish consultancies Euroestudios and Idom Ingeniería has signed a 70bn pesos contract to undertake engineering design for Line 1 of the Bogotá metro. The 26·5 km route with 28 stations would run mainly underground across the city centre from ...
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NewsCSR to supply new Roca fleet
ARGENTINA: Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced on May 23 a US$327m order for 300 EMU cars from CSR of China. The air-conditioned vehicles will operate on the Roca commuter network in Buenos Aires, increasing capacity by 50%. The contract specifies a price of $1⋅09m per car, ...
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NewsPresident visits Arica - La Paz Railway
CHILE: President Sebastián Piñera visited the Chilean section of the Arica – La Paz Railway on May 13, travelling the 40 km from Arica to Poconchile accompanied by Transport & Telecommunications Minister Pedro Pablo Errázuriz and other dignitaries. ‘Today is a day of great historical significance’, said Piñera, ‘because 100 ...
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NewsBonds fund commuter projects
CHILE: State railway EFE has completed a second local bond issue worth the equivalent of US$93m, issuing a total of 379 units. The annual interest rate of 3·54% and the fact that the issue was 3·3 times oversubscribed demonstrated the confidence of investors in the company and its support from ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse opens Brazilian factory
BRAZIL: Knorr-Bremse formally opened a €40m development, manufacturing and sales facility in Itupeva on April 17. Housed in new buildings covering more than 32 000 m2, the plant has 30% greater capacity than the site 80 km away in São Paulo which it replaces. Knorr-Bremse said 'the most up-to-date plant ...
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NewsCAF trains Recife staff
BRAZIL: Last month the first class of 25 personnel from the CBTU suburban network in Recife began training to maintain the fleet of 15 EMUs that is being supplied by CAF. Combining practical and theoretical elements, the training courses are being provided by the Spanish rolling stock manufacturer at CBTU's ...
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NewsMetro Line 2 opens in Santo Domingo
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: President Danilo Medina inaugurated the second line of the Santo Domingo metro on April 1. Line 2 runs on an east-west alignment from María Montez to Eduardo Brito. The 12·8 km line has 14 stations, including an interchange with the north-south Line 1 at Juan Pablo Duarte. ...
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NewsCNR ships passenger fleet to Argentina
ARGENTINA: Following shipment from the port of Dalian, the first batch of diesel locomotives and coaches that CNR of China is supplying for long-distance services is expected to arrive in Buenos Aires by the end of March. Under a US$20m contract signed in July 2010, CNR Dalian is supplying the ...
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NewsVale suspends Río Colorado project
ARGENTINA: Brazilian mining company Vale announced on March 11 that it had informed the Argentinian government that it was suspending its Río Colorado project to develop potash deposits in the province of Mendoza. According to the company, 'in the current macroeconomic environment the economics of the project are not ...
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NewsEl Salvador looks to rail for logistics future
EL SALVADOR: Port and infrastructure authority CEPA has signed an agreement with Spanish consultancy Tramrail, which is to assist with the revival of the country’s 914 mm gauge rail network. As well as resuming freight operations, new passenger services are planned from the capital San Salvador to Sitio del Niño ...
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NewsColombian rail consultancy partnership agreed
COLOMBIA: Canadian rail consultancy Canarail and Bogotá-based railway engineering and consulting firm A de G Ingeniería have agreed an exclusive partnership for the Colombian market. Announcing the agreement on January 8, Canarail said the Colombian government intends to invest $21bn in developing rail infrastructure over the next 10 years, and ...
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NewsLima metro Line 2 PPP proposal
PERU: A team of consultants led by Geodata of Italy has proposed a PPP or concession model for Lima metro Line 2, a planned 27 km east-west route from Ate to Callao with 35 stations. The project has been costed at US$5·37bn, including US$2·94bn for infrastructure and US$871m for vehicles. ...
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NewsFunding approved for Quito metro
ECUADOR: The Inter-American Development Bank announced on December 5 that it had approved a US$200m loan to fund construction of Quito's first metro line, due to be completed in 2016. The mass transit system is expected to generate savings of $68m through shorter journey times, lower transport operating costs ...
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NewsCommuter co-operation in Costa Rica
COSTA RICA: President Laura Chinchilla ratified an agreement with Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor in Madrid on November 15, which will see the two countries working together to develop the rail network serving the Costa Rican capital San José. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Spanish companies would be ...