All Central and South America articles
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NewsFirst stage of Retiro terminus modernisation completed
ARGENTINA: The first stage of a complex rebuilding of the Mitre suburban railway’s Retiro terminus in Buenos Aires has been completed with a ceremony attended by Minister of Transport, Diego Giuliano. Services on the Mitre Railway’s JL Suárez and Tigre branches resumed running into Retiro on ...
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NewsTaking pantograph monitoring to the Americas
INTERNATIONAL: Ricardo and PantoInspect have formed a strategic alliance to supply PanMon pantograph monitoring technology in the Americas, building on its use in Europe, Australia and Africa. PanMon uses high-definition cameras and lasers above or adjacent to the track to scan passing pantographs at 3 000 ...
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In depthInterview: ‘We have the tools – it is in our hands to deliver’
The next decade will be crucial for the global fight against irreversible climate change, and rail is the only mode that is well placed to deliver significant decarbonisation in the transport sector, UIC Director-General François Davenne explains to Chris Jackson.
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NewsUIC shares ways to restore confidence in rail travel
COVID-19: The International Union of Railways has published a summary of potential steps that could be adopted to increase customer confidence in rail transport following the coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsFerrocarril Central signalling contract awarded
URUGUAY: A consortium of CAF Signalling and Revenga Smart Solutions has been awarded a €50m contract to design, supply, install, test and commission the signalling and telecoms for the Ferrocarril Central project to modernise the 273 km route between the Port of Montevideo and Paso de los ...
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NewsAntioquia Railway reinstatement proposal submitted
COLOMBIA: A draft plan for rebuilding the 63 km section of the closed Antioquia Railway between Barbosa, Medellín and Caldas has been submitted to the government by regional Governor Luis Pérez Gutiérrez, who said it could help relieve traffic around Medellín. The project is estimated to cost ...
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NewsBioceanic railway studies funded
BOLIVIA: Latin American development bank CAF has signed a US$3m grant agreement to fund pre-investment studies for part of the Bolivian section of the proposed Bioceanic Railway Integration Corridor which would connect Ilo in Peru with Santos in Brazil. The agreement, signed with the Bolivian government in ...
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NewsRZD signs Cuban railway upgrading agreement
CUBA: An agreement to undertake a 10-year programme of railway modernisation running to 2029 was signed by national railway Unión de Ferrocarriles de Cuba and Russian Railways in Habana on October 3, in the presence of Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. ...
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NewsChile calls tenders for broad-gauge bi-mode trainsets
CHILE: Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado has called tenders for a fleet of passenger trains to replace the rolling stock currently used on its long-distance Santiago – Chillán service. The requirement is for six bi-mode trainsets of four or five cars with capacity for at least ...
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NewsRail projects revived in southern Brazil
A large programme of railway construction is underway in Brazil. BRAZIL: International bids have been called for feasibility studies covering the construction of long-planned new lines in the states of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. Bids are due to be submitted by October 14. Consultants would ...
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NewsUS$5bn ‘Chile On Rails’ strategy unveiled
Chile on Rails CHILE: President Sebastian Piñera has announced an ambitious US$5bn ‘Chile On Rails’ strategy which includes 25 investment projects covering 1 000 km of railway. The aim is to triple ridership to 150 million passengers/year by 2027, double freight to more than 21 ...
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NewsWork to resume on Transnordestina
BRAZIL: Construction of the huge Transnordestina project in northeastern Brazil was due to resume at the end of August, Governor of Piauí state Wellington Dias announced during the Forum on Regional Infrastructure held in Teresina on August 22. Participants at the forum included the Brazilian Infrastructure Association ...
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NewsRed Férrea de Atlántico operational support contract awarded
COLOMBIA: National infrastructure authority ANI has awarded Spanish engineering and technology consultancy Airtificial a €1·5m contract to optimise operations on the Red Férrea de Atlántico. The contract covers operations on the 876 route-km linking Bogota, Belencito, La Dorada and Chiriguná. These 914 mm gauge lines had been out of ...
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NewsJapanese take over Rio suburban network
BRAZIL: A consortium of Mitsui and West Japan Railway has purchased a majority stake in Rio de Janeiro suburban operator SuperVia, at a reported cost of around ¥20bn. The Japanese trading group had previously held a 24% stake in the concessionaire, through its stake in SuperVia parent Odebrecht Mobilidad. ...
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NewsRumo signs Ferrovie Norte-Sul concession
BRAZIL: President Jair Bolsonaro and Minister of Infrastructure Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas were the principal guests at a ceremony marking signature of a 30-year concession on July 31 for Rumo SA to operate and maintain the 1 537 km southern section of the 1 600 mm gauge Ferrovia Norte-Sul linking ...
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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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NewsCPTM 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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NewsSão 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 UKGenesee & 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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NewsSão 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 ...