IDB to Finance USD 400 million for the Improvement of Buenos Aires General San Martin Railway
The project will benefit 51 million passengers who use this railway line.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a USD 400-million financing for Argentina, aimed at the readjustment and electrification of Buenos Aires General San Martin Railway, between the stations Retiro and Pilar. The total amount of this project is USD 522 million and it will include a local contribution of USD 122 million.
In this sense, Minister Luis Caputo said: “We are working to guarantee financing for infrastructure investment, necessary for the growth and creation of jobs in the country and for making Argentina a competitive country”.
The project will finance the readjustment and electrification of the line, including the renovation of tracks between stations Retiro-Palermo and Paternal-Pilar, the electrification and construction of a transformer substation and autotransformer centers.
The project will also finance the installation of new signaling and communication systems, the acquisition of equipment for cabling and maintenance of catenary, the transformation of Playa de Alianza into a maintenance shop and the restructuring of Pilar station.
The installation of a modern signaling system will contribute to more security in transportation and efficiency in the operation of the line. In addition, the effects of climate change will be mitigated through the modification of trains’ traction systems, which will allow the reduction of carbon.
This way, travel times will be reduced and confidentiality, quality and capacity of the railway system will improve in the Northwest corridor of the Metropolitan area.
San Martin Line has an extension of 76.3 km and transports 51 million passengers every year, which makes it one of the main lines of railways in the Metropolitan area.