Guatemala is about to receive the technical visit of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army to sign an agreement that It will allow the expansion and reconstruction of the Quetzal port.
The project It was agreed in February of this yearwhen Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States, visited Guatemala.
The Executive has reported that US engineers They will be in the country on May 22. However, it will also be an occasion to receive a technical opinion from the US. About possible reactivation of the railway line in Guatemala.
“It is a great agreement that began with the visit of Secretary Rubio, during his historical visit to Guatemala, and he signed a Letter of intention with President Arévalo to grow and modernize the country”Said US ambassador, Tobin Bradley.
“We are also looking for different jobs. They have a team that will see if we can support Restore the country’s railroads. They say from Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla to Puerto Quetzaland also from El Salvador to Mexico”, Said the ambassador.
According to the diplomat, to remember cooperation for the railway line, The economic advance would serve Guatemala and the region.
“We are reviewing what we can do, but we are going to do an analysis if possible. We have a team that comes Also next week to work on that (Railroad reactivation) ”.
“I have a lot of emotion in those things because I have a year here in Guatemala and it is my home now, and I see a lot of opportunity to grow in the country and the region, and we can grow together,” Bradley said.
On March 10, the Secretary of Social Communication of the Presidency, Santiago Palomo, indicated that the procedure that is being followed to The train project is similar to that applied in the Quetzal port.
With the technical visit, Guatemala must present studies on the viability of train reactivation, which includes Estimated time, phases of application and conflict for the right of road.
Last year, Fegua conducted an eye inspection in the department of Guatemala and it was determined that, only in the metropolis, approximately 7,200 families live on the railroad.
Port extension Quetzal requires a first outlay of US $ 9.9 million
In February this year Free press He announced the four points that were agreed with the first technical visit of US engineers. The agreement will have as the first priority Design and improve the current operation of the Quetzal port.
The second priority is a long -term vision for the jetty to meet the demands maritime in the future and have a better connectivity with the national supply chainincluding a rail expansion. It is also intended that the port has the ability to design boat forecasts.
In that sense, the Arévalo government would have to give A contribution of more than US $ 9.9 million, payment that would allow technicians to start their work in Guatemala.
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