First Colombian Railway Public-Private Partnership Tender Receives Three Offers of Interest

The La Dorada-Chiriguaná railway project, Colombia’s inaugural Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the rail sector, has attracted bids from three consortia, as announced by the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) on February 7, 2025, the project, comprehensively structured by the National Development Finance Company (FDN) with assistance from Deloitte Colombia, Durán y Osorio, and Gómez Cajiao – Setec, and supervised by IDOM, entails an investment exceeding 3.4 trillion Colombian pesos.

The 10-year concession includes the replacement of 205.5 kilometers of rail from 75 lb/yd to 115 lb/yd, upgrades to sleepers, ballast improvements, refurbishment of rolling stock, construction of an administrative building, an Operations Control Center, two train maintenance workshops, and a Cargo Transfer Center. Additionally, it involves implementing advanced signaling, communication, and train control systems, as well as the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure and freight transport services using rolling stock allocated by the nation.

ANI plans to evaluate the proposals and bidders over the next two months, with the contract award anticipated in April 2025.

Headline Image: The La Dorada-Chiriguaná railway project. Photo credit: National Infrastructure Agency (ANI).