Paraguay’s government expects to inaugurate a commuter train in January 2027

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On April 26, Paraguay’s Government announced that it would send Congress a bill to design, construct, and operate the first commuter train in the country, which it expects to inaugurate in January 2027.

The project, which will connect Asunción with the town of Ypacaraí (located some 44 kilometers from the Paraguayan capital), has the support of the South Korean government.

“Now in the process comes the passage from the Executive to the Legislative,” said the Minister of Public Works and Communications, Arnoldo Wiens, on sending the bill to Parliament.

The official spoke during a ceremony at the Government headquarters headed by the Paraguayan President, Mario Abdo Benítez.

He anticipated that if the approval of the Congress is obtained, Paraguay and South Korea could sign between September and October a contract that would allow the implementation of “this great investment”.

“If everything goes well, if we work as we have worked up to now, on January 1, 2027, the commuter train should be operating,” predicted the minister, who stressed that this bill resulted from three years of bilateral work.

Paraguay and South Korea signed in September 2021 a memorandum of understanding on infrastructure aimed at promoting this project.

During the ceremony, South Korea’s Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Seong Won-Yoon, highlighted that the train is a fast, safe, and environmentally friendly means of transportation.

“This year marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries,” the vice minister said, according to the official translation, noting that the train would further strengthen bilateral ties.

It is estimated that the installation of the commuter train would generate some 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, while its implementation would mean the creation of 500 jobs.

According to estimates by the Korea Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation (KIND), the project will require an investment of US$500 million over five years.

With information from EFE

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