Chile Mayors Fight Cut That Stops New Santiago Train Short of the Centre
CHILE · TRANSPORT
Key Facts
- —The country Chile is building a 61-kilometre commuter railway from Melipilla, a farm town west of Santiago, into the capital.
- —Why it matters The mayors say more than a million people have waited 30 years for the line, and many now commute over two hours by bus.
- —What happened On 17 September the state railway EFE shelved the underground last stretch to the Alameda. On 27 September eight mayors asked the government to reverse it.
- —Who is involved Mayors of Cerrillos, El Monte, Estación Central, Maipú, Melipilla, Padre Hurtado, Peñaflor and Talagante, backed by Santiago regional governor Claudio Orrego.
- —What it means for you From 2028 the train is due to stop at Lo Errazúriz, a Metro Line 6 station, not the central Alameda terminus. Riders will change to the Metro.
- —Still open The Transport Ministry has not publicly answered the mayors, and no new date exists for the Alameda section.
Eight mayors in western Santiago have asked Chile’s government to reverse a cut to the Santiago-Melipilla train. The decision leaves the new commuter line stopping short of the city centre.
The Clinic reported on 27 September that the mayors want the shelved underground section restored and funded. CNN Chile said they set out the demand in a letter to the newspaper El Mercurio.
What the railway decided
EFE, the state railway company, said on Thursday 17 September that it had declared the tender for the Lo Errazúriz–Alameda tunnel void. La Tercera and ADN Radio both carried its statement.
EFE cited the need to “optimise investments”. It also said it could not avoid paying municipal fees for using public land along the underground stretch.
The company will focus on the 58 kilometres already under construction, which it says are about 30 percent complete. According to Teletrece, service is still due in 2028, first between Talagante and Lo Errazúriz.
What the mayors argue
The mayors say the project was developed across several governments and is already under way. CNN Chile said they wrote that this commitment cannot be dropped because of fiscal strain or a new administration’s review of priorities.
They say the shelved section drew four valid bids within budget. They also warn of cost overruns and heavier traffic on Lo Errazúriz avenue, and offer to negotiate the municipal fees.
“There is no weighty reason to interrupt it,” Maipú mayor Tomás Vodanovic wrote on X. The group wants a working table with EFE, the Transport Ministry and the councils.
A wider political fight
Claudio Orrego, the elected governor of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, joined the criticism. CNN Chile and ADN Radio quoted him calling it part of “a pattern” of the government dropping earlier projects.
He said he would seek a meeting with Transport Minister Louis de Grange. “Leaving works half-done erodes people’s trust in democracy,” he said. The row lands as the government of President José Antonio Kast faces pressure over jobs and spending.
What Is Not Yet Known
Neither the Transport Ministry nor EFE had publicly answered the mayors’ letter in the reports reviewed. It is unclear whether the tunnel could be re-tendered, or when.
EFE has not published what the municipal fees would cost. Nor is it known whether Congress will grant the fee exemption EFE says it will seek for the Santiago-Melipilla train.
Sources: The Clinic · CNN Chile · La Tercera · ADN Radio · Teletrece · CNN Chile (Orrego)
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