The consortium in charge of constructing Lima’s electrical urban railway said Wednesday work on the second stretch of line between Villa El Salvador and Grau Avenue will begin in March. The director of the Tren Eléctrico Lima consortium, Carlos Nostre, said the $549 million project is expected to be finished by July 2011, state news agency Andina reported.
“We are continuing with studies that will allow us to begin work,” Nostre said. “As soon as we have the first study approved, we can begin. The schedule to begin is in March and the conclusion of the project is expected within 18 months, by July 5, 2011.”
The project to create an electrical railway in Peru’s capital began 24 years ago, during the first administration of President Alan García. The government invested more than $320 million in the construction of a 9.2-kilometer route that included seven stations from Villa El Salvador to Atocongo terminal in San Juan de Miraflores. The project was abandoned, however, when money ran out and Peru entered into an economic crisis with four-digit inflation.
Current construction includes the building of another stretch over 11.7 kilometers with nine additional passenger stations between the Atocongo station and the Dos de Mayo Hospital station on Lima’s Grau Avenue.
“We are investigating existing structures using ultrasound and x-rays to see if they are in good condition and if they are reusable,” Nostre said. “We are also planning the restructuring of electromagnetic parts and some systems that need to be complimented.” He added that preliminary results show the pre-existing structures are in good condition.
The Tren Eléctrico Lima consortium includes Brazil’s Odebrecht engineering and construction company and Peru’s largest and oldest construction company, Graña y Montero.
The project is being partly financed by a loan from the Andean Corporation Fund, or CAF, which approved a $300 million loan for construction of the urban railway in 2010.
