Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado de Chile (EFE), Chile’s national rail operator, has commissioned Ineco to carry out an analysis of the impact on the track system of the rolling stock that runs on the San Pedro-Las Ventanas section of railway. The section has a length of 45 kilometres and consists of single non-electrified track. The route begins in the town of San Pedro, crosses the Aconcagua River and runs parallel to the right bank of the river until it reaches the coast. The section continues along the coast for 20 more kilometres until it ends at the port of Las Ventanas, which is the main bulk port in the central area of the country.

The San Pedro-Las Ventanas section is dedicated exclusively to freight transportation. The main activity involved is the transportation of copper from mines located in the interior. On the return route, trains transport acid used in mines for obtaining of copper.

Ineco is also developing, together with the company Louis Berger, new technical regulations for EFE: a legal framework that will regulate all aspects of railway activity, from signalling to stations, through rolling stock, tracks and safety.

Metro de Santiago has commissioned Ineco to carry out detailed engineering on the refurbishment of its Alstom NS74 trains, the first to operate in the city’s suburbs. The project involves a total of 35 trains with pneumatic running gear, a total of 245 carriages. Manufactured between 1974 and 1981, they have reached the end of their service life but are being refurbished, a process that began in 2011 and will provide them with another 20 years of operation.

Since then, Ineco has been providing services to Metro de Santiago to supervise the entire process, which includes replacement of engines, installation of new HVAC and door closure systems, renovation of interiors and fitting of passenger information devices, in addition to corridor connections between carriages.

Ineco has begun providing advice on manufacture and assembly control for the new Alstom trains of Metro de Santiago de Chile. This comes after the company’s previous involvement in developing the basic engineering phases, drafting bidding documents and supporting tender evaluation and contract awarding for the modernisation of the NS74 train fleet (currently made up of 49 five-carriage trains) manufactured in the 1970s by Alstom, which will be replaced by a new fleet consisting of 35 seven-carriage trains.

The company will be sending a multidisciplinary team to Santiago de Chile that will be responsible for technical assistance during testing and commissioning the prototype train.