EFE Trenes de Chile has declared the tender for the underground section of the Santiago–Melipilla railway deserted, even though the deadline for submitting bids has not yet expired. The company has opted to defer construction of the segment linking Estación Central with Lo Errázuriz, without setting new dates, arguing that it wants to prioritise works already under way, although the service will not connect to central Santiago when it begins operations in 2028.
The new proposal is to start services at the future Lo Errázuriz intermodal station (under construction), which will also be served by Santiago Metro Line 6.
However, the joint minister of Transport and Public Works, Louis de Grange, states that “discussions are always open. Let us recall that the project has not been suspended. That is incorrect: it has not been suspended. The project remains the same. In fact, 1,600 of the 1,900 million [dollars] that the full project costs are already committed and being executed. Ninety per cent of the section is also being executed. There is simply a part that is being re‑evaluated and we will shortly have very good news.”
The long-awaited new rail service, championed by mayors and local residents, aims to strengthen connectivity in the south‑west of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It will extend 61 km, benefit more than 1.7 million people and is expected to generate demand of around 57 million passengers per year.
The line will run through the communes of Melipilla, El Monte, Talagante, Peñaflor (via Malloco), Padre Hurtado, Maipú, Cerrillos and, in future, Estación Central. Works on the Cerrillos–Malloco section are being carried out by the Dragados Besalco Obras Ferroviarias consortium, while the Malloco–Melipilla section is being executed by Sacyr.
EFE seeks to “optimise investment”
“Given the need to optimise investment and bearing in mind that it has not been possible to waive municipal charges for the use of National Public‑Use Assets (BNUP) for the underground section from Lo Errázuriz to Alameda, EFE Trenes de Chile has resolved to defer construction and declare the tender for the underground section deserted,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
In the same vein, it adds that “the company is currently focusing on executing the project on the two sections currently under construction (Cerrillos–Malloco and Malloco–Melipilla, 58 km) […] allowing initial connection from Talagante to central Santiago with significant journey‑time savings”.
“It is also expected to advance other highly important matters, such as regulatory changes on the occupation of National Public‑Use Assets. EFE aspires to have the same exemption conditions currently enjoyed by institutions such as Serviu, the Ministry of Public Works, Metro and even private public‑service operators,” the statement continues.
It also stresses that “the decision redoubles immediate efforts on works already under way, which are 30% complete and cover all seven communes along the alignment. This execution shows significant progress on trackbed platforms and also on civil works for the main stations of the new network, to which the construction of the Melipilla terminal will be added next year; that terminal is currently undergoing archaeological rescue.”
An unprecedented decision
Sources close to the project indicate that deferring this section is unprecedented, given the scale of the Alameda–Melipilla scheme and the fact that, being closer to central Santiago, it is the most heavily used segment.
One hypothesis under discussion is that the decision stems from processing of the 2027 Budget Bill, handled by the finance minister, Jorge Quiroz, who is said to have requested cuts to the budgets of the ministries of Transport and Telecommunications and of Public Works.
This scenario is reported to have been challenged by José Solorza Estévez, who until a few weeks ago served as general manager of EFE Trenes de Chile; the disagreement is said to have triggered an impasse with Louis de Grange, after which Solorza left his post.
Trains to arrive from 2027
The company notes that the 22 trainsets acquired for this service are in the manufacturing phase, with delivery to Chile expected from the first half of 2027. Once in the country, they will undergo testing followed by a trial‑operation (“marcha blanca”) phase.