He Government national announced the purchase of three new diesel-electric locomotives and of spare parts for railway formations to the Chinese company CRRC International. The agreement will be for a total amount of US$130 million. This Monday they authorized the first advance payment of US$2 million.
The units that will arrive in the country this year will be destined for the line Saint Martin, that unites Withdrawal with Pilar/Cabred, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transportation. Currently, the service operates with a diagram of emergency due to lack of locomotives, which has affected the frequency.
This initiative is framed in the declaration of the Railway Emergency which, according to the area that leads Franco Mogetta, has allowed the investment of more than $20,000 million in the purchase of new rolling stock and spare parts to update overdue maintenance plans.
In addition to the locomotives for the line San Martín, Trenes Argentinos signed an agreement with the Chinese company CRRC Sifang for US$130 million for the acquisition of spare parts for the railway formations of the lines Rock, Sarmiento and Mitre.
“Given the lack of spare parts, the previous management dismantled other formations to obtain spare parts that had not been purchased, which generated a “cannibalization” of the rolling stock, leaving it out of service,” denounced the Secretariat. Currently, 75% of the trains on the lines Rock, Sarmiento and Mitre, more than 500 cars have a delay in their maintenance scheduled due to inaction over the last nine years, according to official information.
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The agreement with CRRC Sifang will allow the arrival of spare parts for the heavy maintenance of the electric cars starting in the second half of 2025.
It is about bogies, hitches, materials for the system traction, electrical elements, tires, elements of suspension, supplies for the engines, the system of braking, and materials for driving cabins and car salons. Equipment and tools for the workshops will also be received.
The investment plan in rolling stock for 2024 includes $6.5 billion in nationally produced materials, $9 billion in purchases of imported spare parts and advances for the acquisition of locomotives for the San Martín line, and more than $5,000 million in repairs carried out by external agents.
In addition to the purchase of locomotives and spare parts, the company is working on the acquisition of 150 passenger cars (50 triple or diesel multiple units)intended to replace the fleet of diesel trains on the five urban lines. Progress is also being made in contracting the repair of 24 locomotives on the San Martín line.
The comprehensive improvement plan includes the adaptation of the workshops of Victory (Miter line) and Toulouse (Roca line), with the arrival of eight overhead cranes, three vertical winches and the purchase of fundamental tools. A similar update is also planned in the workshops of Villa Luro (Sarmiento) and Tapiales (Belgrano Sur).
Source: Ambito
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