Colombia’s passenger train system largely fell into disuse in the 1990s. Some freight lines still operate as private networks, such as this coal hauler in Cerrejón, on the Caribbean coast (Daniel Luis Gómez Adenis/CC BY 2.0)

Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (ANI) is to award a $600m public–private contract to build, operate and maintain a freight rail corridor, business website BNAmericas reports.

The 10-year PPP contract will be signed before the end of March, according to a resolution issued by the transport ministry on Tuesday.

The line will run for 526km north–south between La Dorada, a town about 120km from Bogotá, and Chiriguaná, a city near the Caribbean coast.

The project, which will form the backbone of Colombia’s railroad reactivation plan, will upgrade the existing trunk and branch lines and fit them with modern rolling stock.

The project has been in planning for some time. In 2023, website eColumbiano reported that eight consortium had expressed interest in taking on the scheme.

The project will include the construction of two office building, a control centre, two maintenance workshops, a cargo transfer centre in La Dorada and a traffic control system. Twenty-eight stations will be refurbished and 22 bridges reinforced to take heavier trains.

Some 200km of line will be refitted with rails that are able to support loads of 52kg per metre, compared with 34kg at present. The pre-construction phase is expected to take 15 months, followed by a 49-month construction phase.

According to ANI, the corridor is expected to reduce transport costs on the route by 20% and facilitate connections with highways and other rail lines.

The La Dorada–Chiriguaná railroad transports construction materials such as cement and steel, as well as raw materials for ceramics and paper. Other goods carried include coffee, cocoa, fertilisers and agricultural products.