Neuquen.- Following the award for the construction of the Railway Maneuvering Yard at Anello, the soil movement work will start in place in 15 days.
The work is part of a Norpatagonian railway branch that will connect Bahía Blanca to Vaca Muerta, and will be carried out by a temporary business union (UTE) formed from Lemiro Pablo Pietroboni SA-Sabavisa SA.
Silvestre Joel Fontana, head of administration for Ferrovial Sociedad de Infrastructure del Estado, explained that UTE has a long track record in rail and has done several projects with the state.
He said, “We estimate that within 10 to 15 days, ground movements and other activities will be visible.”
The Pietroboni-Sabavisa joint venture submitted the lowest offer of those considered acceptable for bidding, which was 1,465,854,621.44 pesos + VAT. The offer is US$791,660.51 in dollars including VAT.
The construction will be located 12 kilometers from Anelo, parallel to Provincial Route 17 and near Loma Campana, YPF’s main development in the area.
Firstly, three roads will be built with their respective manual detours and manoeuvres, such as operational buildings, access roads and movement of heavy vehicles, roundabouts and lighting.
The completion period of the work is 18 months. Also, the connections for the half-way kilometer of the project will also start.
However, Fontana anticipated that the next year would be devoted entirely to work. “By the end of 2025 we should be able to have the train running,” he said.
The movement of soil is a part of these 18 months and it will take 90 days to complete after the receipt of the Executive Engineer. After that, the company responsible for the project can start construction on its own.
A new railway branch to be built between Contralimante Cordero and Anelo will be linked to work being done on the Northern Patagonian Corridor’s maneuvering yard.
This branch will connect to the Bahía Blanca and Contramirante Cordero routes of the General Roca Railway. These will also be reconfigured to bring together Cerri, Cipolletti and Cinco Saltos.
“There is a public-private fund. A hydrocarbon infrastructure meeting was set up within the US Department of Energy, and we, the Department of Transportation, are participating in it. The goal is to start filling the gap now,” he said.
“The decision to have this beach was a vote of confidence that the private sector was finally waiting to buy, invest and do other things. So we calculated that we can start the 77-km project in a few months, maybe from 2024 First,” he said.
Although the laying is designed for freight trains, “this does not disable the possibility of using rolling stock suitable for the transport of passengers. Freighters generally pass through at night or early in the morning.
“During peak hours, where people need transport, there will be no problem in deploying rolling stock for passenger transport,” he concluded.
