The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the financial arm of the World Bank, granted the Argentine Government a loan for 600 million dollars to modernize the structure of the Belgrano-Sur passenger railway, and another 200 million dollars for the program Innovation for Smart Growth.
These credits were initialed during a ceremony held at the Palacio de Hacienda, with the signature of the Ministers of Economy, Sergio Massa; of Transportation, Alexis Guerrera; and Science and Technology, Daniel Filmus, with the Vice President of the World Bank for the Latin American and Caribbean region, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo.
The funded projects
The Belgrano Sur Modernization project will potentially benefit 2 million people in the area that they will have access to a better public transport service, with more connectivity, safety and comfort. The electrification of the line, the renovation of tracks and infrastructure, new signaling and telecommunications, the transformation of level crossings, and the enhancement of stations and environments are planned.
For its part, the US$200 million loan will be used to promote the Innovation for Smart Growth programwhich will be executed by the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Promotion and will aim to “foster the growth of the private sector towards a more productive frontier, through the support of public-private partnerships,” the IBRD said in a press release.
As far as the railway program is concerned, warrior He pointed out that “with this signature we are going to launch a historic renovation that is going to improve rail transport as a whole. We are talking about a railway line that links the residents of highly populated localities and that was long postponed. For example , is the only one that when arriving in the City of Buenos Aires does not have a connection with the subway or with other railway lines and we are already 35% complete in the work to reverse that”.
“This loan will allow us to completely renovate Belgrano Sur, transform it into an electric train as set out in our National Sustainable Transport Plan, improve the tracks and the entire railway system to provide more and better connectivity to the 65,000 users of this line. and to 2 million neighbors in its area of influence,” he added.
And he stressed that “this step forward will help decompress the Sarmiento, because surely many people who travel on it today will choose to do so in a renovated South Belgrano, with better service, better stations, better connected and that goes further “.
The project will improve the mobility of users in an inclusive, safe and environmentally sustainable way, providing a quality public transport service to vulnerable populations living in the most populated municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (La Matanza, Morón and Merlo) , improving the travel experience of the 65,000 people who daily use the service and favoring territorial integration.
The works, which will be carried out by Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura, are divided into three stages: railway works, institutional strengthening and project management, and response to contingent emergencies.
In this regard, the railway works include: the renovation of tracks and infrastructure, signaling and telecommunications; the transformation to a different level of some of the existing level crossings; civil works, such as the enhancement of stations and environments, the construction of railway workshops and operational buildings; and the electrification of the Belgrano Sur line.
The total amount of the Project is 675,000,000 dollarsof which 600,000,000 dollars correspond to external financing resources through the IBRD, and 75,000,000 dollars will be resources from the French Development Agency (AFD).
In addition to the aforementioned Modernization Project, the Ministry of Transportation is working, with financing from the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the Development Bank (FONPLATA), on the construction of the Belgrano Sur Viaduct, which meets a 40% progress in the extension of the line to Constitución station.
On the other hand, with financing from the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the road infrastructure, signaling, crossing at different levels (between Tapiales and Aldo Bonzi) and duplication of roads of the M Branch of the Tapiales – Marinos section are being renovated. of the General Belgrano Cruise (included between Libertad and Marinos del Crucero General Belgrano) and the section from Tapiales (Km14+150) to Marinos del Crucero General Belgrano (Km34+600).
