Within the framework of APEC 2024the American company Caltrain from California donated to the Municipality of Lima 90 cars and 19 locomotives whose purpose is to implement a rail service that connects Lima with Chosica. However, this donation has generated a series of questions due to an alleged payment of US$24 million that would have to be made. In this regard, the president of Ferrocarril Central Andino, Juan de Dios Olaechea, explained the benefits of the donation, and also spoke about the possibility of having a train that connects Callao with Chancay.
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How much will the arrival of locomotives from the United States alleviate traffic?
The donation is significant. It is going to completely change the eastern and western panorama of Lima. When we talk about the fact that the system, thanks to this donation, will be able to move 200,000 people a day, we can imagine the number of vehicles that we are going to remove from traffic, which will bring two benefits: one is the direct one, of the people traveling on the train; and the other is the indirect one, which will allow the Central Highway and the other parallel roads to regain some fluidity.
Approximately when would they come into operation?
There are several dates. The arrival of the carriages and locomotives should occur within the next four months. This is good because Lima residents will be able to attest to the benefits of this service. The following operation steps require a series of authorizations from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ositran and ATU (Urban Transportation Authority for Lima and Callao), which means that we cannot control these deadlines. Afterwards, a white march of this service should be able to begin, which will allow citizens to confirm this donation. Then it would take 18 months to have the complete double-track service, properly fenced, which would allow the movement of 200,000 people a day in an economical, safe and ecological way.
What would you respond to critics who point out that these machines are many years old (40 years)?
What would I say to them? Let them go to university to study, prepare and not make statements based on poorly made amalgams, trying to create false arguments. I understand that many people have a car and say that after two years it begins to get old, that at eight years it is old and that at 20 it is a junk. That’s for the automobile, but for urban passenger trains the useful life of a car is 80 to 100 years, so these cars (which are donating) are in the middle of their useful life.
What characteristics do they have?
I could explain to you technically that the wheel is the same wheel as the trains they make today, that there is no technological change between these cars and the ones they make now, but let’s get down to business. Do these cars have the same speed as the ones they make now? Yes. Do they have air conditioning like new cars? Yes. In addition, they are made of stainless steel and have a very long life ahead of them. I don’t see where the basis for the criticism is.
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Is this a donation or a purchase?
It is donation and gift. The US$20 million that is said to have cost the Municipality of Limait is because of the freight that will have to be paid for those wagons. We are not going to ask them to donate to us and on top of that pay the freight to bring it to Peru. Bringing in those cars, even if they were new, costs US$150,000 per car and per locomotive, so adding all that up is US$20 million. In addition, Caltrain had a series of expenses that it will have to assume to remove these cars from its line and told the Municipality to assume the expense. In the end, there is also a million dollars of financial leasing that the company had to pay on those locomotives.
Is it a donation to the Municipality of Lima or to the concessionaire?
To the Municipality because Caltrain, being a California state company, cannot donate the rolling stock to a private company.
On the other hand, now that we have the port of Chancay in operations, should we have a train from Lima to Chancay?
Yes, it is a very important issue and I think the time has come to unite Callao with Chancay. We are finishing the study of that project.
What does this study contemplate?
Join the port of Callao to the port of Chancay and along the way have an urban passenger service between Ventanilla and Callao. We try to do both things at the same time.
Should Peru have more commuter trains from the north to the south?
Definitely north and south of Lima. All of this has been written since 2013. All of these proposals were presented to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the time, which did not show any interest, unlike the current mayor (of Lima) who has allowed this project to move.
DATA
Juan de Dios Olaechea assured that he has not received any commission for the donation made by the United States.
“There is a media outlet that has suggested that I received a commission on this donation. I want to make it clear that I have not received anything directly or indirectly. It is an insult against the Municipality, the mayor and the Government of the United States to say that,” he added.
He indicated that the State must work quickly and give priority to authorizations for the locomotives to come into operation.
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