Central Bi-Oceanic railway

The Bioceanic Corridor (Portuguese: Corredor Bioceânico; Spanish: Corredor Bioceánico) is a rail project between Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile.^[1][2] It is intended to join the port of Santos, Brazil, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with the ports of Iquique and Antofagasta, Chile, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.^[3]

Project

In his trip to China in 2013, Bolivian president Evo Morales discussed with Chinese leader Xi Jinping the possibility of building a railway to link the Atlantic with the Pacific through Brazil and Peru. The Chinese president requested a study of feasibility by 2014.^[4]

The Spanish narrow-gauge rail company FEVE was awarded a contract by the Bolivian government to prepare a technical feasibility study.^[5] The first studies were prepared by Spanish, French, and Bolivian consultants and were to be delivered by June 2014.^[6]

In August 2014, a mission from Bolivia sought financing from the Chinese government.^[7][8]

The summit of the Union of South American Nations in December 2014 prioritised the project, along with seven other regional integration endeavors.^[9]

The project contemplated four baseline studies: the basic engineering design, the market study, the strategic study, and the environmental study.^[10] These were to be complete by 31 December 2014.^[11]

Then-Bolivian minister of public works, services and housing, Vladimir Sánchez, stated that the first phase was to build the railroad; the second was to electrify it, and the third was to have a double-track railroad.^{[citation needed]}

The project aims for 95% of trade from the south and north of Peru as well as integration with Brazil.^[12]

Bi-Oceanic Corridor

 

The planned road between Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile

In August 2017, a second expedition through parts of the route that have been completed took place, departing from Campo Grande and covering its entire length to the Chilean ports of Iquique and Antofagasta, the final stop. The route passed through four countries: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile. The first expedition traveled through Bolivia, to Chilean ports.^{[citation needed]} The corridor was to be completed in 2022. Most of the work is to be carried out by Paraguay, which will need to pave more than 600 km of its highways, at the time still unpaved. The route is set to cover 2,400 km, between Campo Grande and Antofagasta.^[13][14]

The project is intended to reduce travel time for exports from the midwest of Brazil to Asia and Oceania (China, Japan, India, Australia) by up to two weeks. With the route, part of Brazilian production, which currently leaves the country through the ports of Santos and Paranaguá, will be exported by Chilean ports at lower prices.^[15]

In February 2022, Paraguay inaugurated 275 km of National Route 15 (about half of the route), connecting Carmelo Peralta (Alto Paraguay), on the border with Brazil, to Loma Plata (Boquerón), in the center of the country. ^[16]

See also

• Brazil–Peru railway
• Interoceanic Highway
• Rail transport in Bolivia
• Rail transport in Brazil

References

1. . La Razón. 20 October 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
2. . La Tercera. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
3. . La República. 10 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
4. . La Paz: La Razón. 29 December 2013. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
5. "Se iniciaron estudios para un corredor ferroviario bioceánico". El Día. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
6. "Corredor ferroviario que uniría a Brasil, Perú y Bolivia tendría un costo de US$10.000M". americaeconomia.com. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
7. "Gobierno boliviano gestiona corredor bioceánico que conectará Perú y Brasil". americaeconomia.com. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
8. . lostiempos.com. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
9. . La Razón. 8 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
10. . La Razón. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
11. . La Razón. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
12. . La Razón. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
13. Expedição percorre rota que encurta distâncias para exportações de MS
14. . Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
15. . Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
16. . Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.