Director of Railways Juan Echeverz.
While the private sector will tackle the core network, Echeverz said that upgrading work would begin within the next few months on a further 500 km, comprising the route ’that connects Salto with Paysandú and Fray Bentos’. This would be undertaken by former AFE personnel transferred to the ministry when infrastructure and operations were separated last year (RG 2.03 p64).
ON MARCH 5 the Ministry of Transport & Public Works announced that two bids had been received to upgrade 1114 km of Uruguay’s rail network (RG 1.04 p7).
Canadian engineering and construction company AXOR Group is bidding against a consortium of Teyma of Uruguay and COMSA of Spain. According to the ministry, prequalification documentation had also been issued to Alstom, América Latina Logística and SNCF, but they did not bid.
Technical content was to be assessed within a period of 45 days, after which the separate financial bids would be opened. The government has established that the maximum it will pay to use the upgraded infrastructure will be US$5m a year, and the contract is to be awarded to the bidder ’that offers the lowest fee’ according to National Director of Railways Juan Echeverz.
While the private sector will tackle the core network, Echeverz said that upgrading work would begin within the next few months on a further 500 km, comprising the route ’that connects Salto with Paysandú and Fray Bentos’. This would be undertaken by former AFE personnel transferred to the ministry when infrastructure and operations were separated last year (RG 2.03 p64).
