Regional editor Ian Thomson-Newman reports from the Rail LatAm conference held in Santiago in November, on the latest developments in Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

URUGUAYAN State Railways (AFE) has acquired seven Y1 single-car DMUs from Swedish rolling stock leasing company NetRail to improve services on the Montevideo - 25 de Agosto line.

URUGUAY’s Ministry of Transport and public works has awarded Comsa, Spain, with a €94m contract to modernise the 180km between Piedra Sola -Salto Grande line.

URUGUAYAN State Railways (AFE) has appointed Alta Rail Technology, Brazil, to oversee the design and implementation of a new national advanced train control system, which will replace the legacy system with cellular and satellite-based technology.

URUGUAY Trains (TDU) has put forward plans to two local authorities to reintroduce a passenger rail service between Montevideo and Minas following completion of a feasibility study. The mayor of Canelones, one of the two local authorities, has already pledged his support.

URUGUAYAN State Railways (AFE) has announced that it will withdraw all passenger services this week, with the exception of two trains per day on the line from Montevideo 25 de Agosto (one of which runs only as far as Progreso).

The service between the Buenos Aires suburb of Pilar and Paso de Los Toros in Uruguay has been cut back, less than six months after it was launched.