Colombia infrastructure watch

Colombian transport minister Guillermo Reyes has met with leaders from the Pacific region of the country, including the governors of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Nariño and Chocó departments, as well as the heads of chambers of commerce and other associations.

The meeting was to discuss the development of airport, river and rail infrastructure in the Pacific regions of the country.

The minister pointed out that priority will be given to the start of works on the Valle del Cauca commuter train, which will connect Cali with the municipalities of Jamundí, Palmira and Yumbo along a 23.6km route at an estimated cost of 2.4tn pesos (US$536mn).

The commuter train project is undergoing feasibility studies, which should be concluded by the end of this year, paving the way for the technical, legal and financial structuring process to start in the first half of 2023.

The bidding process is expected to begin at the end of the second half of next year.

During the meeting, Reyes mentioned interest in extending the regional train to Popayán to the south and to the coffee belt to the north.

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Bancolombia, Banco de Bogotá, Banco de Occidente and the Antioquia development institute (IDEA) signed a 1.4tn-peso refinancing contract for the Vías del Nus highway project, which is part of the 4G infrastructure program promoted by the national infrastructure agency (ANI).

The 157km Vías del Nus corridor has been in full operation since December 4, 2021. It crosses the northwest of Antioquia department, connecting to the Middle Magdalena region and the Caribbean ports.

The operation and maintenance stage will require some 2.5tn pesos.

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The 129bn-peso Transversal del Carare road project has now advanced 55%.

The initiative includes works on 197km of the road corridor between Boyacá and Santander departments and entails rehabilitation, maintenance and paving to improve conditions in municipalities including Tunja, Barbosa, Vélez, Landázuri, Cimitarra and Puerto Araujo.

The works on the corridor, which will benefit some 300,000 people, are intended to lead to savings of 10% in operating costs for road users and will reduce travel times and reduce accidents.