Lima is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in South America. According to estimates by the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI), the capital has more than ten million inhabitants.
These characteristics, added to the chaotic nature of moving from one place to another in the city, make it even more urgent to have a public transportation integrated that improves the quality of life of citizens.
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The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) works on a project that aims to contribute to that purpose: the improvement of the rail corridor east, in order to unite the Cercado de Lima and Huarochirí.
This work consists of the implementation of a modern railway infrastructure on the current layout of the central railway. The new passenger transport service would enter the current use of the road for freight transport.
The plan includes a stretch of 46.2 km and crosses seven districts of Lima: Cercado de Lima, El Agustino, Santa Anita, Ate, Chaclacayo, San Juan de Lurigancho and Ricardo Palma. Likewise, the construction of four central stations has been preliminarily proposed: Alfonso Ugarte, Abancay, Huaycán and La Florida.
Carlos Rodríguez Oyarce, director of the Directorate of Infrastructure Management and Transport Services of the MTCindicated to Trade who are preparing the technical profile of the project.
“The approximate investment for the work is S/1,200 million. If this project is prioritized, it is estimated that construction would begin in 2024 and end in 2026. This service will benefit more than 74.5 million passengers per year.“, said.
He noted that the railway it will have 14 stops and four stations with a higher demand. In addition, it would become an intercity feeder service, both for the Metropolitano and for lines 1 and 2 of the Lima metro, since some of its stops will be close to those of other means of transport.
“It is an eco-friendly project. There are 18 trains, with a totally electric alternating current service and a maximum speed of 158 km/h. They will have capacity for 997 to 1,350 passengers. The frequency of the service will be approximately eight minutes and the journey of the entire section will take almost one hour. It has also been determined that there are six overpasses”, he added.
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Rodríguez explained that, once the consultative process was over, the MTC considers that the work should be given to concession; however, there is also the possibility of doing it as a public-private partnership. “This already falls on top management. We finished the technical profile at the end of this year and started the preparation of the file, which will take about a year.“, held.
projections
For the specialist Andrés Sotil, from the Lima Departmental Council of the College of Engineers of Peru, planning the execution of a commuter train would be positive for the city. However, he stressed that a good technical study must be carried out so that the continuous circulation of the train along the proposed route does not generate vehicular congestion in the city when crossing a road traveled by vehicles.
“I wouldn’t start a route through East Lima because they already have lines 1 and 2 of the metro. There are no mobility projects for the north and south. It would have been interesting if they included other axes, but in a city like the capital, which lacks infrastructure, it is good to start with something like this“, said.
The specialist commented that the urban proximity of the current railway would present a risk for pedestrians who circulate a few meters from the train route along the Central Highway in the direction of Chosica.
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“It is necessary to study well how they will distribute the space of the stations, especially since a machine yard is needed for the trains”, he commented. Likewise, Sotil stressed that it is important to continue generating roads in the capital.
Also…
To consider
-The future railway is designed in order to reduce the probability of traffic accidents, according to the MTC.
-It is projected that thousands of users can move throughout seven districts using less time.
-The Caquetá del Metropolitano station will be close to the Alfonso Ugarte train station.
-The MTC emphasized that the project will reduce the logistics costs of cargo transportation.