New Oversight Contract Secured for Chile's Suburban Rail Initiative

According too a recent report from Railway Gazette International, the national railway company in Chile, EFE, has initiated a €18.6 million contract for supervision on the Melipilla – Malloco segment of the upcoming Santiago – melipilla suburban railway project.The ADI Consortium, which includes Ayesa Engineering (40%), DRS (40%), and ILF (20%), has secured this contract.

This agreement, revealed in mid-May, encompasses various responsibilities such as project management, document oversight, technical support at the site level, quality assurance checks, and overall coordination of activities. To enhance efficiency during construction and monitoring phases, building facts modeling techniques will be employed.

The Santiago – Melipilla line spans approximately 61 kilometers but has been out of service for passengers since 1987. The reconstruction efforts are part of a broader initiative known as ‘Chile on Rails,’ aimed at revitalizing suburban rail services across the nation.

The work between Malloco and Melipilla will involve adding an additional track along wiht constructing four new stations. Existing tracks will be upgraded with a modern signaling system while electrification is also planned alongside improvements to level crossings and maintenance facilities.

The new suburban services are set to conclude at Central-Alameda station in santiago where an underground terminal is proposed to facilitate connections with the city’s metro system.

“This contract marks our ongoing commitment to enhancing Chile’s rail infrastructure,” stated Mariluz Ramírez from Ayesa’s LATAM Transport Division. She highlighted their previous contributions including inspections related to metro Line 3 extensions and current oversight roles for sections of metro Line 7 in Santiago.

Additively,EFE announced on May 16 that it had received proposals for a $175 million tender focused on implementing ETCS Level 2 signaling systems for both the Santiago – Melipilla and Santiago – Batuco lines. Bidders include major players like Alstom and Siemens; decisions regarding this contract are anticipated by August.

• Dive deeper: Check out our feature article discussing Chile’s ambitious plans for passenger rail revival in the August issue of Railway Gazette International.