Trains to the south: These are the new services and modern trains that will be added to the network
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric has announced the improvement of railway infrastructure for the O’Higgins, Maule and Ñuble regions, as well as the addition of new train journeys.
The Rengo railway station was the setting chosen by the government to announce improvements to Chile’s railway network, which will directly affect the O’Higgins, Maule and Ñuble regions.
The event was led by President Gabriel Boric Font, who was joined by Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz and President of the State Railway Company (EFE) Eric Martin. President Boric explained that the #TrainsForChile plan will allow the government to strengthen the railway network, modernizing and improving the existing infrastructure, and adding new trains to the network.
Details of the announcement
O’Higgins Region
Two new journeys will be added to the existing schedule for the Estación Central-Rancagua-San Fernando route from Monday, August 22. One will leave San Fernando at 07:25am and the other will leave Estación Central at 17:00pm. The addition of three new trains is also being considered for the route by late 2023.
Three new stops will be made on the San Fernando-Rancagua route at the Requínoa, Rosario and Pelequén stations, which could come into operation in 12 to 18 months. Joint work will also be undertaken by the EFE and the O’Higgins regional government to provide the necessary resources to complete the restoration and conservation of the Rengo and San Fernando stations, as well as the refurbishment of the Pelequén, Requínoa and Rosario stations.
All in all, the work on the San Fernando-Rancagua route will benefit an estimated 90,000 people.
Maule Region
The Talca-Constitución line will be updated in the Maule Region, with improvements being made to the 88 kilometers of track already built and arrangements being made for the arrival of three new trains. Work will also be undertaken in the coming months on designs for the new Talca Maintenance Center.
The refurbishment of the tracks will reduce the travel time for the complete route between Talca and Constitución by 30 minutes, going from 3 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes. This will come into effect in September.
A tender has also been awarded to acquire three new trains from Brazil. They will have air conditioning, space for wheelchairs and modern technology, all of which will benefit the 274,000 inhabitants of the zone. Once the three modern trains come into operation, travel times will reduce by a further 15 minutes, bringing the journey down to 2 hours 30 minutes.
Ñuble Region
The new service to Chillán will have the most modern trains in South America. They are currently being built in China and are expected to arrive in early 2023. When they arrive, the entire EFE train fleet will have been completely renewed for the first time in history. This will make the quality of service the same across each of the regions.
The Chillán service will arrive to Santiago in four hours. There will also be an express service stopping only at Talca and Chillán. The journey time from Santiago to Chillán will be 3 hours 40 minutes and from Santiago to Talca, 2 hours 20 minutes.