Chile will feed its railway system with the fastest trains in South America, of Chinese origin, which They will connect the capital Santiago (downtown) with Chillán (downtown-south), reducing the current service by 80 minutes.
The Chilean authorities presented at the end of last month the first two trains manufactured by the Chinese company CRRC Sifang, out of a total of six. They will start operating at the end of the second half of 2023.
These trains will connect the metropolitan region with Chillán, separated by some 370 kilometers, in 3 hours and 40 minutes, 80 minutes less than with current trains.
The Chilean Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, said in an interview that these trains have a high standard to improve the travel experience of users.
“On the one hand, they can reach a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, which will mean reducing the trip between Santiago and Chillán by 80 minutes, making them the fastest trains in South America.“, he indicated.
He explained that the vehicles have a capacity for 238 passengers, with bimodal electric-fuel supply, automatic access doors, bathrooms with universal accessibility and spaces for wheelchairs used by people with reduced mobility.
The two trains presented at the end of last month arrived intact from China at the port of San Antonio, Chile’s main port terminal, located in the central zone of the country.
“You only have to imagine the physical distance that separates both countries to realize the immense logistical work to bring each of these trains from the manufacturing plant to our rail network. It is an immense job that seeks to advance our great objective, which is to build better cities, move towards sustainable transport and, above all, improve the lives of thousands of people”, he highlighted.
Muñoz specified that, on average, the transfer by sea takes between 45 to 60 days depending on the route taken by the ship, all the trains come with their separate wagons and are assembled on Chilean soil.
Renewal of the railway system in Chile: when will the remaining formations arrive?
The Chilean minister affirmed that the four remaining trains have already begun their journey to Chile on April 22, so they are expected to arrive at the port of San Antonio during the second week of June.
These trains arrive under the Trains for Chile plan of the State Railway Company. The most immediate goal is to triple the number of passengers transported, from 50 to 150 million, in addition to doubling cargo capacity by 2027.
The Santiago-Chillán service budgeted a total investment of 70 million dollars. Since 2021, state-of-the-art trains of Chinese origin have arrived in Chile to renew the railway system of the South American country. And, in March of that year, the Government of Chile presented 15 Chinese-made trains, considered a milestone to reactivate the public railway transport service.
With information from Argentine News
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