Central & South America – Page 31
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NewsEFE orders more Alstom EMUs
CHILE: State railway EFE has ordered a further 12 X’Trapolis Modular EMUs from Alstom, exercising an option within a €54m contract for 12 units announced in October 2012. Each capable of accommodating 376 passengers, the new two-car EMUs are due to enter service during the first half of 2014 on ...
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NewsYour country needs you
ARGENTINA: During an official visit to Madrid last month, Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo met with Argentinian railway professionals currently working in Spain, hoping that they would consider returning to their native country to apply their skills to the government's ongoing railway investment programme. 'We have embarked ...
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NewsGovernment invests in Tafí Viejo workshops
ARGENTINA: With the aim of increasing production capacity for wagon overhaul, the federal government has allocated 15m pesos to modernise equipment at the Tafí Viejo rolling stock maintenance workshops in the province of Tucumán. Training in project management and industrial design has been provided by national technology body INTI. With ...
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NewsBuenos Aires commuter routes return to state control
ARGENTINA: By means of a government resolution published on August 21, operation of the Roca, San Martín and Belgrano Sur commuter networks in Buenos Aires is to be transferred to federal railway operating company SOFSE. A new operating agreement is to be concluded within 90 days. Federal railway infrastructure company ...
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NewsBrazilian high speed rail tendering postponed
BRAZIL: A one-year postponement of tendering to supply railway systems for the 510 km Rio de Janeiro - São Paulo - Campinas high speed line was announced by Transport Minister César Borges on August 12. Bids for the Trem de Alta Velocidade contract were due to be submitted this month ...
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NewsFerronor takes delivery of EMD locomotives
CHILE: Electro-Motive Diesel has delivered six GT46AC freight locomotives to metre-gauge operator Ferronor. The 4 500 bhp locomotives built in the USA at EMD's plant in Muncie, Indiana, have 16-cylinder 710G3C engines with electronic unit injection, a split radiator system and variable-speed cooling fans and traction motor blowers that optimise ...
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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 ...