Chile is promoting an initiative to develop a modern railway system by 2050
A proposal to position the train as the central axis of national transport and logistics
BIOBÍO, CHILE – We could say that the great heyday of railways in Chile occurred between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During this period, railways became a key player in the country's economic development, enabling the integration of Chile's various regions.
Some examples can be found during the governments of Presidents Manuel Bulnes (1841-1851) and Manuel Montt (1851-1861) when the first railway lines of Chile were built between Caldera-Copiapó, Valparaíso-Santiago and Santiago-Rancagua.
There are other examples during the government of President Domingo Santa María (1881-1886), the creation of the State Railways Company (1884), the studies of the iconic Malleco viaduct or the creation of the Railway Network Extension Program.
Before hearing their opinion on the announced projects, we asked the experts, what is their assessment of rail transport, freight and passenger, at the national level?
According to Figueroa, in the last almost 10 years, a great effort has been made in Chile to revive the railway through new projects and expansion initiatives. However, the damage caused by the historical neglect of the railway since the 1960s, coupled with successive short-sighted government decisions made in the 1990s and 2000s, has been even greater. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to position the railway as a relevant player in national mobility, at a level equal to or higher than our highways, airports, and ports in terms of technological advancement.
SANTIAGO - Perhaps a victim of its own success, the new Alameda-Nos train is experiencing such a boom that the sustained increase in its passengers could affect the quality of the service that is currently applauded by the more than five million people who have used it.
Two weeks ago, the train began operating at full capacity, with service every six minutes. On Friday, October 13, it reached a record 52,000 passengers per day, exceeding its design capacity of 50,000 passengers per day.
Biotren's service on lines 1 and 2 recorded a performance far exceeding projections, with more than double the number of passengers transported compared to last year (+137%) and far surpassing the figures prior to the Covid-19 pandemic at the close of 2022.
According to consolidated figures at the end of the year, a total of 9,062,000 passengers used the service that runs through the municipalities of Talcahuano, Hualpén, Concepción, Chiguayante, Hualqui, San Pedro de la Paz, and Coronel. This figure exceeds all estimates made by EFE and also surpasses, even on long-distance routes, the 3,828,229 passengers transported in 2021 and the 5,221,051 transported in 2019, before the pandemic.
The State Railway Company (EFE) opened the bidding process for the Biotren Line 2 to extend its 14 existing platforms between Coronel and Concepción by 80 meters each, which will allow more passengers to be received at the stations and enable "double trains", or two-car trains.
The above is part of the Biotren Capacity Increase project, along with the purchase of 10 new trains, workshops and an electrical substation to support the increased energy demand, for which $291.4 million is being invested, and it is estimated to be available during the first half of 2026.
The ship Tombarra, which sailed from the Port of Santander on November 26, was responsible for transporting these units to the country. Specifically, the vessel carried four cars that make up the two trains.
The new trains, manufactured under French license in Bilbao, Spain, can carry more than 500 passengers at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, similar to the 16 trains currently in service in Santiago. They also feature climate control and noise reduction systems and are capable of saving up to 25% on energy consumption.
The Nos-Central Station route, where the two new X'Trapolis Modular trains will operate, is integrated into the Public Transport Network, has 10 stops along 20.8 kilometers and can be traveled in about 20 minutes.
Fernández also highlighted the arrival of a new hydrogen locomotive as a milestone for 2024, which was incorporated into the international railway fleet in line with its plans focused on advancing towards the energy transition and the decarbonization of the operations carried out by the transport company.
Along these lines, the general manager commented that “during the year we were able to inaugurate the arrival of our hydrogen-powered locomotive, with which we wanted to make an initial effort to contribute to pollution reduction. We are studying this technology, seeing how we can expand in this area to make a real contribution to pollution reduction in the mining business and in the country.”
“For this operation, six trains run daily. It is a train of 22 sulfuric acid cars plus eight copper cathode cars with a composition of two new GT38 locomotives, brought from the United States with the best performance.”
The development of this initiative included the acquisition of new EMD GT38ACL 2,200 HP locomotives and three used GEU10B units for transporting copper cathodes to the Port of Antofagasta. It also included the construction of two railway facilities, the Mejillones workshop and the Antofagasta yard, to meet the operational needs of the service, as stated in the Environmental Impact Statement.
Fernández noted that the project “represents great challenges for our company, considering a large investment in locomotives, cellulose railcars and chemicals.”
In that regard, the executive warned that the company will have to prepare the operation for the project given the demands that Arauco will impose, which is why he called on the railway workers to be rigorous and efficient, in order to respond to the forestry company's trust.
The State Railways Company recorded a total of 32,037,368 passengers transported between January and June of this year, exceeding by 2.3% the 31.3 million users who traveled in the previous record, corresponding to the first half of 2023. In relation to the same period of 2024, the increase was 6.5%.
Santiago, June 11, 2025. – Keeping pace with the city, the Santiago Metro recorded over 640 million journeys across its network in 2024, representing a 6.8% increase compared to the previous year. With these figures, the transportation system continues to approach pre-pandemic ridership levels, reaffirming its vital role in the daily lives of millions of people.
The figure is part of the 2024 report released by the state-owned company, which addressed key milestones, progress, and challenges. In this regard, safety remains a central issue. Passenger perception registered 67%, a 7-point increase compared to the previous year, which may also be supported by the provision of 1,900 security devices, a number that will increase to 2,100 this year.
