A new suburban train line in Chile

In the Valparaíso region, Chile’s largest port and third largest population centre, the Valparaíso – Limache train line is about to double in size. The aim is to encourage a modal shift for everyday journeys, support the city’s economic growth, and reduce journey times for more than a million residents.

We are delighted to have been selected for this project, which will make a tangible contribution to improving the lives of local residents. We are proud to be supporting EFE and the transformation of transport in Chile, a country with a long history for SYSTRA. The outlook for the country is promising and we have the key references to support the development of our business there.

Hispanic America Cluster managing director, SYSTRA

Optimised infrastructure, a specialist partner

The three tracks will be built on an existing railway right-of-way and will re-use the old La Calera station. The stations will be made accessible to persons with reduced mobility, and solar panels will be installed to capture photovoltaic energy. The entire project will be built using a BIM model.

The project will be carried out as a joint venture between SYSTRA Chile and the Chilean engineering company Consultores de Ingenieria (CDI), which specialises in civil engineering. It will involve experts from our connected teams throughout the world, who will be responsible for engineering, civil engineering and rail systems. SYSTRA had previously carried out a long campaign of acoustic tests on this line to validate its acceptance by residents.

It’s a project that will have a positive impact on passenger safety, reduce congestion, cut pollutant emissions and journey times between home and work, as well as making transport more accessible.

Alexandre Alves, Project director, SYSTRA Chile

SYSTRA had previously carried out a long campaign of acoustic tests on this line to validate its acceptance by residents.

SYSTRA to help transform Chile’s railways

In 2019, Chile launched a vast national plan, ‘Trains for Chile’, aimed at tripling the number of passengers by 2027, from 50 to 150 million a year, as well as transporting an additional 6 billion tonnes of goods by rail. SYSTRA is already involved in several of these projects for EFE:

• Engineering studies for the civil engineering and systems of the Santiago-Melipilla with the installation of a new track to the south-west;
• Similar assignments for the creation of the new Santiago-Batuco line to the north-west of the capital;
• The creation of a new railway maintenance centre at Chillan;
• Technical assistance for the construction of the Cerro Chepe tunnel for the Puente Ferrovioario project in the Rio Biobio, for the Concepcion-San Pedro de La Paz line.