In January of this year, the Government delivered a written application to the United States Army Engineers Corps so that the rail transport system can be rebuilt in the country.
The vision is to connect the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean, including 21 kilometers from the metropolitan area that would be used for a public transport system known as Metro.
Santiago Palomo, Secretary of Social Communication of the Presidency, explained that the idea is basically how the iron network that was abandoned for years and how this can be made an alternative that strengthens Guatemala’s commercial position can be rescued, this includes the Metro and a protocol similar to the one planned for Puerto Quetzal was established.
Arévalo wanted to use the same strategy that was implemented to agree on the extension of the Quetzal port, an agreement that is close to being signed in May of this year; However, in the case of the train, the result may not bear positive fruits and remain only in an idea.
The application
The Letter of Request, Lor for its acronym in English, is the letter that was delivered to the Americans to begin preliminary analyzes on the viability of the project. Currently, Guatemala does not have any rail development plan, that is, there is no technical guide for the train idea to be a reality.
This contrasts with the Puerto Quetzal project, for which there are technical studies that will allow the estimated constructions of more than US $ 600 million.
Even so, lacking technical studies, the country promised to develop a strategy that must be presented in May, a tentative date in which a technical visit of US military engineers would be received to inspect the areas in which the train is sought to be rehabilitated.
Fernando Suriano, Deputy Minister of Transportation of the Ministry of Communications, said that, at that time, it was agreed that more information is going to be documented, from the legal framework to technical studies, in the case of the train or the proposal of the Cercanías train
If the American guarantee, the Ministry of Defense will have to sign the agreement, so that the military group begins the execution of the project.
Far from reality
But the vision is far from a reality, an internal source of the executive agency indicated to Guatevisión news that there is still no clarity about the way in which train rehabilitation could be implemented, which includes the delay time, enabling phases, project cost and financing
As for the Metro, the current budget of 2025 has destined Q1 thousand 200 million to carry out viability studies, but have not begun its execution. According to Finance Minister Jonathan Menkos, they are still in planning meetings.
“At this time we are several entities in communication, it has not yet been defined who of the entities will be in charge of that responsibility,” Menkos said.
Another problem in sight is the amount of Guatemalans living in the surroundings or on the train line. Last year an ocular inspection was carried out in the department of Guatemala and it was determined that approximately 7,200 families live on the railway only in the metropolis.
The same source explained that the project is not yet close to negotiating the right of road, but if it becomes developing, it is the government that must do a strategy to relocate families.
Although this is another of the great governance, there are abysmal operational differences between the Quetzal port and the train project. Some of the sources consulted that preferred not to be cited indicated that it is possible that locomotora never boot.