The Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE) announced the receipt of nine bids to conduct a study that defines the main medium and long-term investment initiatives, with the goal of charting the development roadmap for the railway system in the Valparaíso Region.
The proposals, which were sent by consulting firms in the sector, are being analyzed from an administrative, technical, and economic standpoint. Among the participating entities are Ingeniería e Innovación; Sener Mobility; Solutiva Consultores; Steer Davies Gleave Chile; Técnica Y Proyectos; Consultrans; Idom Consulting, Engineering, Architecture; Aristo Consultores; and RyQ Ingeniería.
The manager of the Development, Engineering, and Projects Division of EFE, Ricardo Montecino, explained that the study put out to tender -which is expected to be awarded this year- will address the planning of passenger and freight transport, enhancing the role of the train as a structuring mode with a perspective that also integrates logistical, environmental, commercial, and heritage components.
“This analysis will allow us to build a portfolio of projects with a 30-year projection. That is, we will define the roadmap for future railway investments in the Valparaíso Region, to promote this efficient and sustainable mode of transport,” stated Montecino.
For his part, the general manager of EFE Valparaíso, Miguel Saavedra, indicated that “with this study we will be able to define the target image, which will be a guide for the development of EFE in our region, establishing clear and objective criteria for the evaluation and direction of new investment initiatives.”
The plan development process will be guided by four main pillars. Firstly, the extension of services and new lines will be analyzed, examining initiatives for railway expansion towards areas that currently lack this mode of transport. The second pillar has to do with options to increase the system’s coverage, that is, to connect more people to the train, through new stations /or through integration with other modes of transport.
The third pillar refers to the expansion and improvement of both capacity and operation, where alternatives for railway infrastructure such as second or third tracks, tunneling of some sections, modernization of operational systems, as well as the integration of complementary services for passengers and the communities around the stations can be evaluated.
Finally, the study must propose solutions for the operation of logistical and freight services with initiatives such as modal exchange centers between rail and trucks, intermodal terminals, exclusive freight corridors or tracks, and system modernization, among others.
Regarding the methodology for developing the plan, a diagnosis of the region’s transport system will be carried out to subsequently generate investment initiatives that promote the development of the railway. Surveys of infrastructure, transport systems, and activities are also considered.
Along the same lines, there will be the collection of macroeconomic indicators, measurements and surveys, as well as a literature review; participation instances, integrated diagnostics, calibration and modeling of the passenger transport network will be added, which will be the inputs for proposing the investment initiatives and for conducting the preliminary evaluation of the proposed initiatives.
