With a total investment of 115 million dollars, Chile became at the forefront in Latin America in rail transporta region in which most trains are part of the nostalgic memory of the mid-20th century or travel short distances to tourist places.
“What we have seen in our country is a resurgence of a plan that was dying and that little by little we have been recovering. I think it has been very intelligent, on the part of the State, to start with more local services that allow us to go further with the vision that, one day, those pieces of train will be able to come together and we will be able to have a longest distance train.”, the Chilean Minister of Transportation, Juan Carlos Muñoz, tells EL TIEMPO.
And the longest country in the world (from north to south) is barely 7,782 kilometers of railway network, so for Gabriel Boric's government it is a milestone to inaugurate the fastest train in South America. With a maximum speed of 160 km/h, it connects the city of Santiago with the southern city of Curicó, in a first section that in February will extend to the city of Talca. In addition, in the second half of this year it will reach Chillán, where the new route represents a time saving of 80 minutes.
What we have seen in our country is a resurgence of a plan that was dying and that little by little we have been recovering
“A modern train, of excellent standard and quality so that it is not only a fast trip, but also comfortable. The trains not only allow us greater connectivity, but also to be able to decentralize, putting the quality of life of the regions at the center,” said the minister spokesperson for the Chilean Government, Camila Vallejo, during its inauguration.
And although Chile is the seventh country with the largest railway network in Latin Americathe launch of this route represents progress over countries like Argentina and Brazil that, despite having a greater extension of this system, they do not have this type of trains and have the connection between their main cities as an outstanding debt.
“We are very proud and happy and we believe that Chile is becoming a good reference in railway matters. Today recovering the trains is more delicate, it is more difficult because the infrastructure is no longer in as good condition as it was thirty years ago. There are stations that have disappeared, there are lines that we had and that we don't have today,” highlighted the Chilean Minister of Transportation.
South train
As the iconic song that Los Prisioneros released in 1990 says, the train that will connect Santiago with several cities in the south of the country leaves from Central Station with a capacity to transport 236 passengers, who will enjoy the tour amidst high standards of comfort and accessibility for people with disabilities.
“You can enter directly from the ramp. We have special seats for people with reduced mobility where they can leave a wheelchair and the companion can also travel with that person with a specially enabled bathroom where a wheelchair can enter. It also has USB connections, plugs, and our cafeteria service, which makes the travel experience pleasant,” Justin Siegel, general manager of EFE, the Chilean train company, describes to EL TIEMPO.
Added to these services are WiFi, air conditioning and monitors to see the route map and the speed at which the train is moving. And apart from having electric traction, it also has diesel in case it fails for some reason, which guarantees the safety of its journeys, unlike the recently inaugurated Mayan Train, in Mexico, which had to suspend ticket sales due to its failures. up to 8 hours stranded on the tracks.
The new Chilean trains, acquired in China through a tender, will operate every day from 8 am to 7:40 pm with prices ranging between 46,000 and 66,000 Colombian pesos.
“At the intercity level, these services are expensive, and often uncompetitive with alternatives such as buses and cars, over short and medium distances, and with airplanes over long distances. At an urban or suburban level, the train does present great advantages due to its quality of service, reliability in travel time, polluting emissions and large economies of scale, which make it cheaper,” he assures EL TIEMPO. Francisco Fresard, civil engineer in Transportation from the Catholic University of Chile.
Trains to Chile
Although the history of Chilean railways recently turned 140 years old, the inauguration of this train is part of an ambitious program by the government of Gabriel Boric who, from the beginning of his mandate, made it a priority to recover the use of the already existing infrastructure to connect Santiago with Valparaíso and Viña del Mar through a project that is expected to be completed in 2030.
“Rail transport is a transport of social benefit, saving time, improving safety, improving the development of the territories around the train. So, I believe that if we demonstrate as a Latin American country that these services effectively generate benefits for communities and society, they will serve as an example for other countries in their public investment policies to consider the railway as a very valid means of transportation,” Siegel assures.
The current fast train project to the cities of southern Chile hopes to reach 800,000 passengers annually. However, the authorities recognize that there is still a long way to go to connect Santiago with the southernmost cities through the railway.
“In Chile we do not have complete road connectivity in the southern highway area. It is still very touristy and rustic. There is no specific railway plan. But in the surrounding areas like Puerto Montt, which is the city where the southern highway begins in the south of Chile, we have just inaugurated some local services that we are developing,” highlights the general manager of the EFE train company.
The Chilean government even declared themselves open to sharing their railway development models with other countries in the region and highlighted the special bond of cooperation that unites them with our country.
“We go to Bogotá to learn about public transportation and Colombians come to Santiago to learn about public transportation. We are communities that have a lot of ties between professionals. We are going to be more than available to be able to collaborate closely with any interest in Colombia, to learn from what we have developed so far,” concluded the Minister of Transportation of Chile, Juan Carlos Muñoz, who highlights the operation of the fastest train in South America. as a milestone that allows us to move from the nostalgia of the disused railways in the region, to a new way of uniting cities in the 21st century.
ANDREA AGUILAR CÓRDOBA
FOR THE TIME
SANTIAGO, CHILE
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