The National Planning Directorate presented to the authorities of Norte de Santander the progress of the pre-feasibility studies of the Catatumbo Train project with which the National Government intends to link the department with the Caribbean Coast by rail.
The mayors of the eight Pdet municipalities of Catatumbo were invited virtually to this socialization, which took place in the office of the governor, William Villamizar. who had the opportunity to interact with the delegates of the consortium carrying out the studies.
The regional governor highlighted that this project aims to unite Puerto Santander, Cúcuta and Tibú, crossing the entire north of the department until reaching La Mata, in the south of Cesar, and would allow the entire region made up of the eight Pdet municipalities (Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama and Tibú) have the possibility of taking their crops to the North Coast.
The deputy director of National Planning Infrastructure, Kadhir Kairus, indicated that several alternatives for the Catatumbo train project are initially being evaluated and are being socialized to the rulers.
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What is sought is to have a solid proposal with the technical, socioeconomic, environmental, property, financial and legal prefeasibility studies, as well as the cost-benefit evaluation for the development of the Catatumbo Train project and better connection with the Central Corridor. said the National Planning delegate.
The amount of the contract is more than $7,361 million, which also includes three phases that contemplate the delivery of 10 products with an execution period of 50 weeks.
In the contractual schedule it is stipulated that next October, that is, in seven months, the Professional Group of Consultants and Advisors (APCA) made up of the firms Ardanuy, Deloitte, Steer and Durán & Osorio, must have the pre-feasibility studies ready, which will give way to the feasibility and design studies phase.
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“We aspire to have a viable project for the region, given the key project priority for the National Government in its purpose to recover rail transportation in the country,” said Kairus.
For the railway corridor, an investment of $3.06 billion is estimated and the mobilization of 2.62 million tons of cargo in 2042.
“The Catatumbo Train is part of the 2050 Vision of the railway mode, which includes proposals for cargo and passenger projects, with the purpose of modernizing and expanding the country’s railway network, to advance the intermodality of the transport sector, improving productivity. , reducing logistics costs and generating benefits for the regions,” explained Nicolás Rincón, director of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy of the DNP.
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With the execution of the contract, the figures contained in the Intermodal Transportation Master Plan will be updated in which it is estimated that the corridor, which would be built with an investment of $3.06 billionmobilize a cargo of 2.62 million tons by 2042, especially in products such as cereals, ceramics, cement, steel, metals, construction materials, coal and coke.
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