BCN-41 Belt and Road Initiative key to revamping Argentina’s cargo rail

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ZCZC

BCN-41

CHINA-ARGENTINA-CARGO-RAIL

Belt and Road Initiative key to revamping Argentina’s cargo rail

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 24, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – Argentina’s cargo rail system
has witnessed improvements in running time and capacity thanks to cooperation
with China.

“Chinese support is extremely important” to expand the train fleet, which
had been neglected for years, said German Hanacek, assistant project manager
of the state-owned train company Belgrano Cargo and Logistics, during a
recent interview with Xinhua.

He said that the new trains with reduced transportation time and improved
cargo capacity would double their speed from 15 km per hour to 30 in 2019.

The results are a victory for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has
seen the Asian giant invest heavily in boosting Latin America’s
infrastructure and connectivity.

For the past four years, China has aided Argentina in revamping its
Belgrano Cargas railway, particularly its San Martin and General Urquiza
lines, which are key to connecting the country’s agricultural northwest to
the major export hubs.

The extensive project calls for 107 Chinese-made locomotives, 97 of which
have been delivered via the port in the capital Buenos Aires, and 3,500 rail
cars manufactured by Chinese rolling-stock maker CRRC Corp.

With Chinese financing, the project aims to rehabilitate the 1,500-km
cargo rail line that runs through the northern provinces of Santa Fe,
Tucuman, Salta and Cordoba.

The line, operated by the state-owned Argentinian Cargo Trains (TAC),
connects the country’s northern provinces to one of its major ports, Gran
Rosario.

Hanacek also highlighted the visit of Argentinian engineers, drivers and
technical staff to China, noting the important exchange of knowledge.

“It is a great project for us and we are grateful. We were treated very
well and they were always open to anything we requested,” said Hanacek.

According to official data, the China Machinery Engineering Corporation
(CMEC) is financing the 2.47-billion-U.S.-dollar renovation project, which
includes new rails, machinery, tools and parts.

In the first five months of the year, Belgrano Cargas registered record
high cargo shipments of 680,107 tons, according to Argentina’s Ministry of
Transport.

Next year, the Argentinian government estimates that 6 million tons of
cargo will be carried on the Belgrano Cargas tracks, compared to 2.5 million
tons in 2015.

“We are leading the most important renovation effort ever carried out on
our cargo rail,” Minister of Transport Guillermo Dietrich said, “so the
production of our regional economies reach the ports of Rosario for export in
the shortest time and at the lowest cost.”

BSS/XINHUA/HR/1255