| Work Detail |
The Argentine government, through the Ministry of Transport, is implementing an action plan with more than 300 works to address the railway emergency, following the train crash in Palermo. This plan, detailed in an internal resolution, is divided among the five companies in the railway sector, with a main focus on improving operational safety. For Trenes Argentinos Cargas, 57 initiatives are contemplated, focused mainly on the improvement of tracks (42 works), acquisition and maintenance of rolling stock (5), communication equipment (4), placement of barriers (3), works of art in stations (2) and systems (1). These works seek to improve the operational capacity of Belgrano Cargas, which operates at the limit of its capacity, thus allowing to increase the volume transported. The execution of these works is prioritized independently of the privatization process that could take place in 2025. Trenes Argentinos Operaciones, responsible for passenger services on the Belgrano Sur, Mitre, Roca, San Martín, Sarmiento and Tren de la Costa lines, has 70 works assigned. These are distributed among works of art (17), electrification (11), signaling and communications (11), rolling stock maintenance (10), track renovation (5), civil works (3), track improvement (3), stations and platforms (3), and infrastructure (2). Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura, the railway infrastructure manager, has planned 117 works, focused on signaling and communications (35), track renewal (24), civil works (19), electrification (17), art works (12), level crossings (5), other works (4) and rolling stock (1). Ferrocarriles Argentinos, the public holding company, plans 51 works, mainly in the areas of accelerometry (22), static tests (12), track auscultation (5), dynamic tests (5), mechanics (3), IT (2), maintenance (1) and chemistry (1). Trenes Argentinos Capital Humano (Decahf), focused on human resources, had 14 simulation and training works, which will now be executed by FASE. In total, there are 45 works in progress with an investment of more than $45 billion, and 80 tenders or processes launched in the Official Gazette through Trenes Argentinos Operaciones and Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura. Some tenders have already been awarded, such as the perimeter fence of Belgrano Sur and the renovation of tracks between Las Heras and Lobos on the Sarmiento line. Others, such as the replacement of terminals and conditioning of signaling equipment at Sarmiento level crossings, are in the bid analysis phase. The envelopes have not yet been opened for the renovation of control tables at Sarmiento stations, the purchase of wheels for various lines and the modernization of the signaling on the Merlo-Lobos branch. Resolution 27, which details this plan, is part of the public railway emergency established by decree 525/2024, which allocated almost $1.3 billion to improve operational safety. The news item mentions Trenes Argentinos Cargas, Trenes Argentinos Operaciones, Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura, Ferrocarriles Argentinos, Decahf and FASE as the entities involved in the execution of the plan, but does not specify construction or supplier companies that have won bids. |
