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.
