Argentina Plans to Include C14 Railway Upgrade in Freight Railway Concession Tender

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 26, the government of Salta Province, Argentina, is pushing to include the upgrade of the C14 branch line of the Belgrano Cargas freight railway in the scope of the national railway concession tender. The line connects to the Chilean railway network via the Socompa border crossing and serves as a transport corridor for mineral resources in northwestern Argentina to Pacific ports. A previous World Bank study predicted that with the development of copper and lithium mining projects, annual freight demand on the C14 branch line could reach up to approximately 1.35 million tonnes by 2045, while the current transport volume is only about 13,000 tonnes.

The Salta provincial government has entered into consultations with the Argentine federal government regarding the C14 branch line upgrade requirements, hoping to include the relevant upgrade works as performance obligations of the new concessionaire through supplementary tender documents. The federal government has stated that it will study incorporating the works through subsequent supplementary clauses, and the relevant documents still need to complete formal procedures before the bid opening scheduled for November 11. The tender concerns the Belgrano Cargas freight railway concession, with a proposed operating term of 50 years.

The C14 branch line extends westward from Salta, passing through San Antonio de los Cobres and Salinas de Pocitos to the Socompa border crossing, with a total length of approximately 360 kilometers, and connects with the Chilean railway network. The upgrade requirements are concentrated on track rehabilitation, upgrades at key stations such as Olacapato and Laguna Seca, and traction capacity improvements on certain steep gradient sections. Salta Province also plans to build a logistics node of approximately 39 hectares in General Güemes, equipped with container handling areas and inland port facilities, with an estimated cargo handling capacity of approximately 760,000 tonnes.

Copper mining development is the main source of expected increased railway transport demand. The Taca Taca copper mine project covered by the World Bank study plans to export copper concentrate through Chilean ports, and the relevant plan had considered arranging up to 6 freight train runs per day. Lithium mining projects require railway transport of industrial raw materials such as sodium carbonate and lime, as well as some lithium products. The study estimates that if the relevant mining projects are commissioned successively and road freight is shifted to rail, the potential annual freight volume of the C14 branch line in 2045 would be approximately 1.346 million tonnes. This figure is a transport demand forecast, not an approved capacity expansion target for the railway.