Transport Minister César Sandoval ruled out that Lima-Chosic trains brought from the United States operate this year due to the conditions of the rails and surrounding areas that would travel the cars. “According to the time line proposals, no,” said the official when they were consulted directly about whether they would work for this year. Their statements occurred after the technical table culminating to evaluate its viability. Although the mayor did not participate Rafael López Aliagathere was a team from the Municipality of Lima and Sutran.
“We agree with the trains, moreover, the MTC has a national rail plan that is going to be developed even with the close train, but with all the guarantees, with the security that users deserve and, above all, guaranteeing the safety and life of all users. The route right now as it is, we have to recover properties that are next to the railroads and that is technically prohibited. He makes the head of the Transport portfolio overnight.
Sandoval greeted that the mayor has reversed his attempt to make a white march the first days that trains arrived in the capital, because he considered that with the current conditions it could have ended in a tragedy. “According to the conditions there is neither white marching nor is empty and he ruled out. You really have to act with enough responsibility because you imagine an incident when the train was moving and that was deranged. It was 5 km/h, you imagine a white march at 40 km/hy with passengers, we would be talking about a misfortune that nobody wants,” he added.
Days before, the mayor of Lima had advanced that he would not participate in this technical table. The situation between the burgomaster and the head of the MTC has been tense since López Aliaga accused him of trying to boycott the implementation of the trains, an attitude that he has also taken against the media and the Comptroller. Sandoval has denied these accusations and ruled out that there is a political interest behind.
“The mayor has apologized through his representatives and of course when one has the leadership or interest of solving obviously he sits on the table, but if he believes he has been well represented, they are already decisions that they make,” he said that the absence of the burgomaster.
In statements to the press Sandoval did not want to advance opinion on the state of deterioration in which the trains are located and pointed out that at the time they will make their own report. “The current state I reserve, there is information, but this is following the competent organ that is the Comptroller. When it corresponds to the MTC that will arrive, the time when we have to certify and verify the state of the rolling material, we will do it timely,” he added.
He also ruled out that the MTC delegates functions to the Municipality of Lima to administer the Lima-Chosic trains and clarified that these functions correspond only to the ATU and the same ministry
