Work awarded for La Dorada-Chiriguaná railway line

The National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) awarded this Monday the Public Works bidding process that guarantees the continued operation of the La Dorada (Caldas) – Chiriguaná (Cesar) railway corridor for another 12 months, while the project is finalized and structured. APP on the same corridor.

The La Dorada – Chiriguaná section has a length of 522 kilometers and is the strategic railway corridor of the ‘Government of Change’ that connects the interior of the country with the Caribbean area, through the departments of Caldas, Antioquia, Santander, Norte de Santander and Caesar.

After having evaluated the proposals of the 8 interested consortia, the ANI selected the offer of the San Felipe Férreo Consortium, who through this railway project will generate more than 1,500 direct and indirect jobs, and will benefit nearly 400 thousand people who reside in throughout the 25 municipalities through which the train transits.

“The railway reactivation will complement road freight transportation, which plays an essential role in the last mile of our intermodal strategy. This award guarantees the operation of the corridor and logistical efficiency that implies a 26% reduction in transportation costs for entrepreneurs,” explained Jonathan Bernal, vice president of Structuring at the ANI.

Among the most representative works will be the locative repairs and maintenance of stations and warehouses, the rehabilitation and repair of existing track switches, installation of signage and the development of socio-environmental programs and activities.

Currently, so far in 2023, more than 104 thousand tons of cargo have been transported, and it is used by companies such as Papeles Familia, D1, Cerámicas San Lorenzo and Prodeco to mobilize raw materials such as paper and ceramics, billet, wire rod and rod, fertilizers. , coal and coffee, among others.

Public Private Partnership

The ANI, with the support of the National Development Finance Company (FDN) – is advancing the structuring of the first Public-Private Association of this Government, which will have a 10-year concession and an investment close to $2.5 billion.

It is expected that with this PPP, which will be awarded in the second half of 2024, an administrative building, a cargo transfer center in the municipality of La Dorada, two workshops for the maintenance of infrastructure and rolling stock, and a new traffic control system that will make the operation safer and more efficient.

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