Santiago–Valparaíso railway line

Railway line in Chile

Estación Mapocho, Santiago
Estación Puerto, Valparaíso

ServiceSystemEmpresa de Ferrocarriles del EstadoHistoryOpened1863TechnicalLine length187 km (116 mi)Number of tracksSingle trackTrack gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

The Santiago–Valparaíso railway is a railway line linking the Chilean capital city Santiago with the port city of Valparaíso.

History

The existing rail line between Santiago and Valparaíso was opened in 1863, and is 187 km (116 mi) long, single-track and designed to avoid steep gradients through mountainous terrain. Passenger service ceased on this line in 1987, and freight traffic almost non-existent since then.^[1] Proposals have existed since the 1990s to build a more direct line between the two cities for passengers and freight. The section from Valparaíso to Limache was doubled and put underground in Viña del Mar as part of the Valparaíso Metro.

Current proposals

A study commissioned by EFE in 2016 outlined three different potential routes for a new Santiago–Valparaíso line, using the Chilean rail network's existing Indian gauge, and cost between US$4–5 billion.^[2]

In 2018, a proposal was submitted by the Tren Valparaíso Santiago consortium of local firm Sigdo Koppers and China Railway Engineering Corporation. The US$2.5 billion plan consisted of a 127 km (79 mi) line with four stations to be designed for passenger trains to run at up to 220 km/h (140 mph), offering an end-to-end journey time of 45 min, around half the time currently taken by road. The line would also be suitable for freight trains operating at up to 85 km/h (53 mph).^[3]

References

^ "Third proposal unveiled for Chilean high-speed line". International Rail Journal. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
^ "Chile mulls new Santiago – Valparaíso line". International Rail Journal. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
^ "Santiago – Valparaíso proposal submitted". International Railway Gazette. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.