THE government of El Salvador has confirmed that it will announce the winner of a tender to conduct a feasibility study for the country’s Pacific Train network development project next month.
The tender was launched by El Salvador’s ports and airport authority, Cepa, and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei), in March. It requires bidders to provide a technical evaluation of the country’s 555km 914mm-gauge network, which closed in 2002, and assess the viability of the network to transport freight and passengers.
The possible project involves reinstating a line between the capital San Salvador and the developing port city of Acajutla with the option of an extension to La Hachadura, on the border with Guatemala. The study will consider the cost of this scheme as well as conduct relevant legal and regulatory evaluations.
The feasibility study is supported by the Korean Trust Fund following negotiations between Cabei and the Korean ministries of economy and finance, which led to the creation of a $US 450,000 fund to pay for the study. The results of the study are expected in August 2022.
