The National Rail Transport Directorate of the Ministry of Public Works of Uruguay has appointed Ineco as an expert consultant for the organisational structuring of the new Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) centre. Ineco will provide support for the CTC of the Central Railway for one year, advising on regulations and providing training for railway operation, safety, planning and freight transport. This is the company’s fifth contract for this project, and is the most significant in the Uruguayan network in recent years.

Ineco has signed a third contract with the Uruguay Rail Corporation to provide advisory services in signalling and telecommunications for the review of the Central Railway project, known as Paso de los Toros. The new contract, like the two previous ones, is the result of the agreement signed in 2017 between the Spanish Ministry of Transport (MITMA) and its Uruguayan counterpart (MTOP). The project consists of the construction and maintenance of 273 kilometres of railway between the port of Montevideo and the city of Paso de los Toros, applying  the highest European safety standards.

The Ministry of Transport and Public Works of Uruguay has awarded Ineco consultancy contracts for the supervision of design drafting and works management on the Paso de los Toros-Montevideo railway line and access to the port. The job includes supervision of the executive project and works, including signalling and communications systems, as well as assistance in carrying out the necessary tests for the commissioning of the railway infrastructure.

The Central Railway project consists of the design, construction and maintenance of 273 kilometres of railway between the port of Montevideo and the city of Paso de los Toros, applying the highest European standards in terms of safety. Uruguay is promoting a transport infrastructure programme to strengthen its logistics platform, complementing the railways with road haulage and the port system. The commissions are the result of an agreement signed between the transport ministries of Uruguay and Spain to consolidate cooperation in the field of infrastructure and transport.

The Ministry of Transport and Public Works of Uruguay has commissioned Ineco to provide technical assistance for the tendering of the contract to construct and maintain the railway infrastructure on the section between the Port of Montevideo and Paso de los Toros station. The ‘Central Railway’ project promoted by the government is the most important railway project in recent years in Uruguay. The construction and maintenance of the 273 kilometres of railway track between the Port of Montevideo and the city of Paso de los Toros, which involves upgrading the line to a higher standard to enable use by freight trains at 80 km/h and 22.5 tons per axle, represents an excellent opportunity to add the railway to the country’s transport system. The upgrading of this line will facilitate the transport of raw materials to a new pulp mill belonging to the Finnish company UPM. The project was presented on 15 August 2017 to business leaders in a ceremony attended by the president of the Republic, Tabaré Vázquez.