EFE will acquire five trains to increase the capacity of the Limache-Puerto Train. Following the announcement by President Gabriel Boric in his Public Account, The company provided more details of the process that will reinforce this regional rail service that, last year, transported more than 22 million passengers.
The initiative to purchase the new rolling stock already has a satisfactory recommendation (RS) from the Ministry of Social Development and Family, estimating a total investment of 35 million dollars, including 5 state-of-the-art trains, with characteristics compatible with the operation of the current fleet, which would be in circulation in the first half of 2026.
The trains will be electric, will have universal accessibility, air conditioning and will incorporate interior cameras and passenger information screens. Its arrival will allow increasing transport capacity by over 30% during peak hours.
“We know that this is a long-awaited announcement by the regional community and, of course, by us, who for some time have been preparing for the incorporation of the new trains, in different areas such as operations, infrastructure and personnel. With the arrival of these 5 devices we will be able to offer more capacity, better frequency and less waiting time,” explained the general manager of EFE Valparaíso, Miguel Saavedra.
In this sense, EFE Valparaíso is already working on the design of the operational systems that can be implemented with this important fleet expansion. The company is also carrying out the projection of the adaptations that could be necessary for the parking, washing and maintenance of the trains.
Along the same lines, the company will soon begin a training process for new train drivers and will deploy the training plan with the current staff to enable them to drive the new railway equipment.
The president of EFE Valparaíso, Beatriz Bonifetti, highlighted the social role played by the Limache-Puerto Train, which connects the inland and coastal communes, and indicated that the fleet expansion will allow progress in territorial integration.
“We have the role of connecting and moving thousands of people in our region every day. The new trains will allow us to strengthen our operation to offer a better transportation service, directly impacting the quality of life of passengers and passengers. At the same time, we are going to contribute to promoting sustainable mobility, with more electric trains, powered by clean energy,” Bonifetti pointed out.
