A Chinese state-run company will help build a section of Chilean capital Santiago’s commuter rail system, as a host of contractors from China bid to construct a tunnel along the same railway system, reflecting Beijing’s burgeoning economic ties in Latin America.
A consortium led by China Railway Construction (CRCC) has reached a US$470 million agreement with Chile’s State Railway to build a 26km (16.2-mile) electric railway in the South American country’s congested capital, Chinese media outlets reported this week.
The Santiago-Batuco railway line, covering eight stations, will cut travel times into and out of the Santiago city centre to 24 minutes from 90, expediting journeys for about 35 million passengers per year, according to the Chinese reports.
On a separate railway project in the Chilean capital, two Chinese applicant teams are competing with one bidder apiece, from Chile and Spain, to construct a 3.2km (2-mile), US$220 million railway tunnel that will include a new station and its gates 30 metres (98 feet) underground, the Chilean state railway website said.
The lowest bidder is a group comprising the China Road and Bridge Corporation, China Railway International Group and China Railway Tunnel Group. The highest bid comes from CRCC, the China Railway 22nd Bureau Group and the China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group. A bidder will be chosen next month, the website said.
China is going to slow down in infrastructure development … so there is a capacity for exporting
Chinese participation in building Chilean railways extends Beijing’s growing focus on Latin America, a resource-rich region that has historically looked to China’s rival, the United States, for economic support.
