Uruguay railway news

News about railway and urban rail infrastructure, operations, policy, projects and the supply industry in Uruguay.

  • Rebuilt Ferrocarril Central inaugurated photos Marcelo Benoit (1)
    News

    Rebuilt Ferrocarril Central inaugurated

    2024-04-18T09:33:00Z

    Photos: Marcelo Benoit URUGUAY: The modernised Ferrocarril Central railway linking Montevideo with Paso de los Toros was formally inaugurated with a ceremony on April 16. The ribbon cutting at Cardal station, 76 km north of the capital, was attended by Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle, Transport Minister ...

  • Uruguay track (Photo Marcelo Benoit)
    News

    ETCS delays hinder Uruguayan rail revival

    2024-04-11T14:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: A number of problems have been preventing the operation of passenger and freight services, with some not expected to be resolved until a new government is formed in March 2025. The railway union is negotiating with the transport ministry for a reorganisation of national railway ...

  • Wabtec Brazil factory (Photo Wabtec)
    News

    Logistics company orders locos to enter Uruguayan rail market

    2024-04-09T16:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: Logistics company Grupo RAS has ordered three Wabtec C23EMP diesel locomotives to support its plans to enter the Uruguayan railway market. Wabtec will manufacture the locomotives at its Contagem plant in Brazil for delivery by late 2025. The C23EMP is designed for low axleload operations, ...

  • Montevideo sign
    Metro Report International

    Montevideo light rail proposal to be developed

    2023-06-22T13:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: The government has authorised the further development of a private sector proposal for a 35 km light rail line serving the urban area along the coast between central Montevideo and El Pinar to the east. The line would start in the capital’s historic centre and ...

  • Ferrocarril Central works to Las Piedras completed (1)
    News

    Ferrocarril Central tracklaying makes steady progress

    2023-03-01T12:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: Tracklaying on the Ferrocarril Central project to upgrade the 273 km main line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros route has reached Las Piedras, north of the capital. A final trainload of long rails for this section was delivered to Las Piedras on February ...

  • Ferrocarril Central bridge (Photo: IDB Invest)
    News

    IDB Invest structures Ferrocarril Central financing package

    2022-06-08T11:05:00Z

    URUGUAY: Inter-American Development Bank Group’s private sector arm IDB Invest has structured a US$250m financing package for the Ferrocarril Central PPP project to rehabilitate the 273 km north-south main line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros. The fixed rate B-bond is the largest B-bond structured ...

  • Portren has begun construction of a US$25m workshop and operations centre near Juanicó
    News

    Portren workshop construction gets underway

    2022-03-31T05:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: Nascent rail freight operator Portren has begun construction of a US$25m workshop and operations centre near Juanicó where it will maintain its growing rolling stock fleet Portren is a three-way joint venture formed by Deutsche Bahn International Operations, Christophersen of Uruguay and the Spanish company ...

  • DSCN8303
    In depth

    Uruguay: Ferrocarril Central reconstruction gathers pace

    2022-01-19T08:13:00Z

    Despite delays caused by the pandemic and late alterations to the scope of the programme, work to rehabilitate Uruguay’s strategically important north-south main line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros is on course for completion in 2023. Marcelo Benoit reports.

  • CCFC has begin installation of the four sections of the 200 m Pintado bridge,
    News

    Ferrocarril Central completion delayed until 2023

    2021-04-13T12:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: The completion date for the Ferrocarril Central programme to modernise the 273 km line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros has been put back from September 2022 until May 2023. At the end of 2020 the works were 31% complete, instead of 53% ...

  • Stadler Euro4001 locomotive impression
    News

    Stadler to supply freight locomotives to Uruguay

    2020-12-14T17:30:00Z

    URUGUAY: Stadler has won its first contract in Uruguay, covering the supply of seven Euro4001 six-axle diesel locomotives which PORTREN will use to haul trains between UPM’s new pulp mill at Paso de los Toros and the port of Montevideo. PORTREN is a consortium of the Cointer ...

  • uy-pulp-mill-paso-de-los-toros-upm
    News

    Uruguayan freight operating contract awarded

    2020-10-19T13:50:00Z

    URUGUAY: Finnish paper group UPM has awarded a consortium of Christophersen Group, Cointer Concesiones and Deutsche Bahn International Operations a 22-year contract to move up to 3 million tonnes/year of wood pulp, chemicals and fuel between its future pulp mill at Paso de los Toros and the port of Montevideo.

  • uy-ferrocarrilcentral-event-benoit (6)
    News

    FS International completes Ferrocarril Central advisory work

    2020-08-18T06:07:00Z

    URUGUAY: FS Group has completed its six-month technical advisory contract covering work on the Ferrocarril Central upgrading project, the Italian state railway holding group said in early August. Its consulting arm FS International submitted a final report to the Ministry of Transport & Public Works in ...

  • The line’s axleload will be raised to 22·5 tonnes and the maximum speed for freight trains to 80 km/h (Photo: Marcelo Benoit).
  • The Durmientes de Uruguay joint venture of Italian company WEGH Group and Diorama has been awarded a €35m contract to supply concrete sleepers to the Vía Central consortium which is undertaking the Ferrocarril Central route modernisation.
    News

    Ferrocarril Central concrete sleeper contract

    2020-03-12T06:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: The Durmientes de Uruguay joint venture of Italian company WEGH Group and Diorama has been awarded a €35m contract to supply concrete sleepers to the Vía Central consortium which is undertaking the Ferrocarril Central route modernisation. The 1 435 mm gauge monoblock prestressed concrete sleepers for ...

  • The first load of 18 m long 54 kg/m rail for Ferrocarril Central was delivered to Montevideo from Poland
    News

    FS Group gets to work in Uruguay

    2020-03-07T06:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: The Ministry of Transport & Public Works has appointed Italy’s FS Group to provide it with technical advice during the Ferrocarril Central project to modernise the 273 km route between the port of Montevideo and Paso de los Toros. The upgrading project is being undertaken by ...

  • A consortium of CAF Signalling and Revenga Smart Solutions has been awarded a €50m contract to supply signalling and telecoms for the Ferrocarril Central project  (Photo: Marcelo Benoit).
    News

    Ferrocarril Central signalling contract awarded

    2019-11-06T12:50:00Z

    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 ...

  • Uruguay's Transport Minister Victor Rossi said future customers would be able to depend on the upgraded railway (Photo: Marcelo Benoit).
    News

    Ferrocarril Central modernisation project gets underway

    2019-06-12T12:00:00Z

    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 ...

  • Track renewal works on the Tres Arboles – Salto Grande line have reached Paysandú (Photo: Marcelo Benoit).
    News

    Track upgrading underway in Uruguay

    2019-04-03T11:00:00Z

    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 ...

  • Photos: Marcelo Benoit
    News

    Tacuarembó - Rivera reopens as track renewals completed

    2018-12-24T13:53:14Z

    URUGUAY: Passenger services returned to AFE’s northern route between Tacuarembó and the Brazilian border at Rivera were reinstated on December 19 following an 18-year hiatus. Passenger services on this route had operated intermittently for a number of years after 1993 but were withdrawn with effect from December 13 2000. Two ...

  • Railway map of Uruguay.
    News

    Ferrocarril Central PPP contract winner confirmed

    2018-11-27T13:00:00Z

    URUGUAY: The national court of auditors has given the go-ahead for the government to formally award the Ferrocarril Central public-private partnership contract to the Via Central consortium. The contract covers the design, financing, construction works and maintenance for 22 years of the 273 km main line running ...