The presidents of Bolivia, Luis Arce, and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, considered reactivating the works to advance and consolidate the Bioceanic Integration Railway Corridor that will join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, informed this Wednesday, the vice-minister of Foreign Trade and Integration of the Bolivian Foreign Ministry, Benjamín Blanco.
He commented that, within the framework of the protocol acts of the inauguration of President Lula da Silva, a meeting was held with his Bolivian counterpart, Luis Arce, and together they decided to relaunch the binational agenda in a warm, friendly atmosphere and with a wide disposition to work.
“One of the issues that our heads of state, Lula and President Lucho, have addressed is precisely the reactivation of the Bi-Oceanic Railway Corridor that benefits several countries in the region”, he told La Razón Radio.
The project, which will link Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, will reduce costs and time in international cargo transport and, the official continued, will enable Brazil to reach the Pacific through Bolivia to Peru and also to Argentina via the Eastern Network train, which passes through Bolivian territory and extends to the border region of Villazón.
Brazil has the entire railroad network consolidated, it only lacks a section up to the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway to “make the interconnection”.
“The longest part, which is Brazil’s, is already completed, only a few small sections are missing”, he assured.
In the case of Bolivia, the authority confirmed that the Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES) 2021-2025 included “all the works that are missing to be able to join the eastern (railway) branch with the western one”.
On December 5, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) ratified its support for the execution of the Bioceanic Integration Railway Corridor, which aims to reduce the time and cost of imports and exports and to join the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The Bolivian Foreign Minister, Rogelio Mayta, said on that occasion that the decision of the presidents of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, of Argentina, Alberto Fernández and of the vice-president of Brazil, Hamilton Mourão, ratifies “the commitment to this project that will benefit the whole region”.
Bolivia, he stressed, is promoting the initiative because it is of regional interest and to strengthen physical integration and socioeconomic development through a railroad line that will make foreign trade logistics viable, generating economic growth in the region, reducing transportation costs and times.