Project Description:
The work will rehabilitate 273 KM of the railway that connects the city of Paso de los Toros with the port of Montevideo. The Grupo Vía Central consortium, made up of the Uruguayan companies Saceem and Berkes, the Spanish Sacyr and the French NGE, is responsible for the financing, design, construction (36 months), rehabilitation and maintenance (for 18 years) of the project.
The new layout is identical to the layout of the existing road for a high percentage of its length, which facilitates its implementation and limits soil movements.
Signaling
The new road will have a new signaling system with high safety features and the existing level crossings will also be modernized, in order to comply with current safety standards.
Stations and bridges
As part of the project, the 25 stations and passenger stops that require rehabilitation will be rehabilitated, and the existing structures on the current road will be adapted (bridges and structures, among which the 4 large metal railway bridges of Santa Lucía, Río Pintado, , the Río Yí and the Río Negro, which will be rehabilitated to provide features compatible with the load and clearance requirements of the new line, but preserving its characteristic aesthetics.
Trenches
At some points, the project provides for the construction of new structures, generally to eliminate points of interference between rail traffic and road traffic. This is the particular case of the construction of 6 trenches that allow road traffic and train traffic to be separated by relocating one of the two below level and keeping the other at level. One of the main trenches is in Las Piedras, where the train will pass in the trench and the road traffic will pass at level. Another important trench is planned for the train at the intersection between the track and Uruguayana Street in Capurro. A third trench is located at the intersection between the road and Route 102.
Acoustic impact
On the route, a study of the acoustic impact of the train on sensitive receptors will also be carried out, that is, mainly education and health centers, and the anti-noise walls necessary to keep sound levels within acceptable ranges will be installed in some points. The design of the new track significantly improves the acoustic impact compared to the current track, mainly due to the 'continuous welded rail' technology that replaces the traditional fixings that generated more noise. Furthermore, the design provides for all the considerations to enable the future implementation of an electric train system, in particular the gauges will allow the future installation of catenaries.
