Local and international consortiums can now present their proposals to the National Infrastructure Agency for the construction, operation and improvement of the 522 kilometers of this corridor, which will connect the center of the country with the Caribbean region.
Within the National Government's commitments in terms of transportation infrastructure, trains have particular relevance. Broadly speaking, the idea is to create a railway system that connects the interior of the country with the Colombian coasts, and within this purpose the La Dorada-Chiriguaná corridor is of capital importance.
This project aims to connect the center of the country with the Caribbean region through a train that will travel 522 kilometers. According to figures from the National Infrastructure Agency, La Dorada-Chiriguaná will have an investment of $3.4 billion Colombian pesos (plus US$ 843 million).
After several delays and modifications to the project schedule, this Monday, the Government published the final specifications that provide clarity on the 10-year concession that will allow the project to be launched.
With this, the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) will be able to open the tender that will allow finding the proponent that will be in charge not only of the construction, but also of the rehabilitation, improvement, operation and maintenance of the corridor for the next decade.
National and international interested parties can now submit their proposals to ANI.
“(The project) will be awarded in the month of December (...). We are now beginning an evaluation process for interested parties, from many countries around the world, for the construction of this infrastructure,” announced Francisco Ospina, president of the ANI. According to the manager, in addition to the $3.4 billion in investment that will mark the project, more than 30,000 indirect jobs will be generated.
In the past, the National Infrastructure Agency specified that the consortium that won the tender must carry out 1,480 hydraulic works that will prevent, in the future, flooding along the 522 kilometers of the corridor.
Likewise, said company must build an administrative building, an Operational Control Center, 2 workshops for train maintenance and a Cargo Transfer Center, which will be located in the municipality of La Dorada.
Government calculations also indicate that the Dorada-Chiriguaná would reduce land transportation costs between the interior of the country and the Caribbean region by up to 30%.
“We start by analyzing the topographic, environmental, social and property conditions. Please know that this project includes road interventions and relocation of a couple of schools,” Ospina added.
The reactivation of the railway mode
For decades, the competitiveness of cargo transportation in Colombia has depended on the state of the roads. Hence there is talk of balancing the proportion of roads with railways.
According to figures from the Ministry of Transportation, there are 3,528 kilometers of railways in the country, but only 1,267 are in operation; As for the road mode, there are 205,109 kilometers (17,993 are primary network).
In addition to La Dorada-Chiriguaná, the Petro Administration contemplates another railway corridor: Bogotá-Belencito. The Government seeks to reactivate more than 1,800 kilometers of railway network with an investment of $31 billion between 2022 and 2026.
According to the ANI website, the La Dorada-Chiriguaná Public-Private Association (APP) is the backbone of the railway reactivation that will promote the intermodal and logistics efficiency strategy, reducing transport costs by up to 20%. cargo and making the most of its complementarity with road, airport, river and port modes.
