CHILE: National railway group EFE Trenes de Chile has awarded a contract for the electrification of the 61 km Santiago – Melipilla and the 26 km Santiago – Batuco lines, which are currently being rebuilt to support a dense suburban rail operation.
Meanwhile, Systra has been awarded consultancy and supervision contracts for the same routes.
Electrification contract
EFE has awarded a contract to China Railway International Group’s Chilean subsidiary for the design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of electrical and traction systems and the supply of SCADA for the two routes. The contract value is US$66·65m for services performed in Chile and another US$34·6m for imported equipment.
On the Melipilla line, the section between Talagante and Lo Errázuriz in Santiago is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, and the Quilicura (Santiago) – Batuco section in 2028. The full completion of the works is due within five years.
Six substations and a load distribution centre are to be built for the Melipilla line, and two substations for the Batuco route.
Consultancy and supervision contracts
Civil works contractor Sacyr’s Chilean subsidiary has awarded a subcontract to Systra Chile to carry out infrastructure verification and provide consultancy services for the Melipilla route.
This job covers certification of both track and catenary systems, temporary track layouts and comprehensive building information modelling using ISTRAM and Civil 3D software. Systra is also to manage the interaction between EFE and Sacyr in technical and economic aspects, and manage contractual interfaces.
For the Santiago – Batuco project, EFE has awarded the consortium of Chilean management consultancy Applus Ingelog (lead contractor) and Systra a contract to carry out works supervision as well as project management support.
The consortium’s job involves technical inspection and control tasks, as well as supervising compliance with contractual obligations and project timescales.
- Read our feature article about the Chilean government’s ambitious passenger rail revival programme in the August 2023 issue of Railway Gazette International.
