Central & South America – Page 10
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NewsFlixTrain raises funding for expansion
INTERNATIONAL: FlixMobility has completed a Series F funding round co-led by growth equity firms TCV and Permira, with long-time investor HV Holtzbrinck Ventures also participating through a joint investment with the European Investment Bank. In the rail sector, the company plans to use the equity raised to support the growth ...
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Metro Report International
Electric buses presented in Mendoza
ARGENTINA: Mendoza bus and light rail operator STM unveiled 18 battery electric buses on July 11. All are equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries. The 12 m long buses include 12 K9 vehicles supplied by Shenzhen-based manufacturer BYD. The other six have been supplied by local manufacturer Corven ...
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News
CPTM plans tourist service to Santos
BRAZIL: São Paulo suburban operator CPTM ran two test trains in late June on the São Paulo – Santos route as part of assessments ahead of the possible launch of a passenger service. The test trains ran on June 18 and 27, and form part of CPTM’s preparations ...
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News
São Paulo state seeks to relaunch passenger network
BRAZIL: A state-wide X-shaped network of passenger services could be reintroduced to the main line network in São Paulo under plans being developed by Governor João Doria. The initial service would link São Paulo with Campinas, a distance of around 100 km. The proposals envisage adapting existing ...
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Rail Business UK
Genesee & Wyoming to be acquired in US$8·4bn deal
INTERNATIONAL: A consortium of Brookfield Infrastructure, GIC and Brookfield’s institutional partners has agreed to acquire short line group Genesee & Wyoming Inc in a US$8·4bn transaction. The consortium would pay US$112 per share in cash, with G&W becoming a privately held company. ‘We believe this transaction is an excellent ...
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News
São Paulo airport EMU unveiled
BRAZIL: CRRC Qingdao Sifang has unveiled the first of eight eight-car Class 2500 electric multiple-units that it is supplying for São Paulo suburban operator CPTM’s Line 13 to Guarulhos Airport under a contract awarded in September 2017. The 12·2 km Line 13 was inaugurated in June 2018, and is currently ...
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News
Ferrocarril Central modernisation project gets underway
URUGUAY: Passenger services in the Montevideo area and freight services from the capital to the north are to be suspended for at least two years from June 15, following the official launch in May of the Ferrocarril Central project to modernise the 273 km Montevideo – Paso ...
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News
Brazilian line reopens after safety shutdown
BRAZIL: Mining giant Vale resumed regular operation of freight services on the Belo Horizonte branch of Estrado de Ferro Vitória a Minas on June 6, after confirmation that the railway would not be affected by the possible collapse of tailings at a nearby abandoned iron ore mine in Minas Gerais ...
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Metro Report International
Buenos Aires Line E reaches Retiro
ARGENTINA: Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich and Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta opened an extension of metro Line E on June 3. The 2·4 km extension north from Bolívar to Retiro adds three stations, taking Line E to 12 km with 18 stations. Interchange is provided at Retiro with ...
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News
Port deal secures iron ore rail link
BRAZIL: Plans for a rail-served iron ore mine in the southern part of Bahia state are expected to move ahead, following the signing of agreements for the development of bulk export terminals at the new Porto Sul deep-water facility near Ilhéus and the founding of a special purpose company to ...
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Metro Report International
Elevated section of Buenos Aires commuter line inaugurated
ARGENTINA: President Mauricio Macri inaugurated a new viaduct on the Retiro – Tigre branch of the Mitre suburban railway serving Buenos Aires on May 10. The 3·9 km structure between Avenida Dorrego and Avenida Monroe eliminates eight level crossings. Two stations on the section have been rebuilt. Belgrano station ...
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News
Elevated section of Buenos Aires commuter line inaugurated
ARGENTINA: President Mauricio Macri inaugurated a new viaduct on the Retiro – Tigre branch of the Mitre suburban railway serving Buenos Aires on May 10. The 3·9 km structure between Avenida Dorrego and Avenida Monroe eliminates eight level crossings. Two stations on the section have been rebuilt. Belgrano station ...
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Metro Report International
Mendoza light rail line extended
ARGENTINA: Governor Alfredo Cornejo inaugurated the first extension of Mendoza’s light rail line on May 6. The 5·4 km northern extension from the city’s former railway station to Avellaneda in Las Heras district adds nine stops. Services operate every 10 min, and three additional vehicles have been added to ...
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News
Brazilian locomotives fitted with Saft batteries
BRAZIL: Battery systems from Saft are being fitted to 58 GE Transportation locomotives used by freight operator MRS Logística. The 64 V batteries will provide power to start the 16-cylinder engines up to 14 times a day. They are based on Saft’s SRX190 FR-PP or SRX1900P cells, provide a capacity ...
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News
Track upgrading underway in Uruguay
URUGUAY: Track renewal works on the Tres Arboles – Salto Grande line have reached Paysandú. Comsa is working on the ballasting and levelling of the track, and has begun taking delivery of turnouts from Spanish supplier Amurrio Ferrocarril y Equipos. The Tres Arboles – Piedra Sola route is to ...
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News
Rumo wins Norte-Sul operating concession
BRAZIL: Rumo has won the tender for a 30-year concession to complete and operate the 1 537 km southern section of the Ferrovia Norte-Sul corridor linking Porto Nacional in Tocantins to Estrela d'Oeste in São Paulo state. When the offers were opened on March 28, Rumo’s bid of R$2·72bn was ...
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News
Interoperability needed in South America, says UIC
SOUTH AMERICA: The International Union of Railways and the Latin American Railway Association signed a memorandum of understanding in São Paulo on March 19 covering co-operation in staff training and education, railway engineering, passenger and freight transport, tourist trains and the exchange of data. ‘Railways in Latin America should be ...
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Metro Report International
Siemens to upgrade Medellín metro signalling
COLOMBIA: Siemens Mobility has won a €42m contract to modernise signalling on Line A of the Medellín metro, the company announced on February 19. Siemens is to install the wayside equipment outside operating hours, with the work on Line A and in the Patio de Bello depot due to ...
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News
Santiago – Valparaíso proposal submitted
CHILE: Proposals to build a high-performance railway between the capital Santiago and the port of Valparaíso have been formally submitted to the Ministry of Public Works by the Tren Valparaíso Santiago consortium of local firm of Sigdo Koppers and China Railway Engineering Corp. According to the promoters, the US$2·5bn project ...
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Metro Report International
Cuenca tramway to open next month
ECUADOR: The Cuenca tramway is currently in the final acceptance phase and is scheduled to begin revenue service in the first half of March. Test running has been underway since 2015, but completion has been delayed by a series of funding and contractual problems. In 2017 the ACTN consortium ...
