A consortium led by Stadler has presented revised proposals for a five-route tram network linking Montevideo and Canelones to the Uruguayan government. The plans were submitted to the presidential board on July 15 and envisage development through a public-private partnership.

The first phase would see two lines built at an estimated cost of US$787 million. The ‘Three Eses’ consortium, comprising Stadler Rail Valencia, Stiler and Saceem, had previously prepared plans for a single 35 km route from central Montevideo to Ciudad de la Costa and El Pinar along Avenida Italia, similar to Line 1 of the current proposals.

Although a previous administration had favoured bus rapid transit for the Avenida Italia corridor, the government led by President Yamandú Orsi, which came to power on March 1, has indicated support for the light rail alternative and would like to see it completed before the end of its term.

Following more detailed feasibility studies, the consortium has now put forward more extensive proposals for five light rail corridors to be developed in phases. These are:

• Line 1: Plaza Independencia – Av Italia – Aeropuerto – Costa Urbana Shopping – El Pinar
• Line 2: Plaza Independencia – Av Italia – Av Luis Alberto de Herrera – 8 de Octubre – Intercambiador Belloni – Zonamerica Technology Park – Airport
• Line 3: Ciudad Vieja – Estación Central
• Line 4: Buceo – Sayago
• Line 5: Estación Central – Las Piedras

The estimated US$787 million cost of the first phase includes construction of the first two routes, covering civil works, tracklaying, rolling stock, staff training, the depot and workshops, and the fare collection system. Stadler would supply an initial fleet of 30 Citylink trams with capacity for up to 270 passengers each.

Line 1 would run for 32.6 km between Plaza Independencia and Ciudad de la Costa via the airport, serving 28 stops. Line 2 would be 13.8 km long with 20 stops; it would share the initial 7.3 km section through the city centre with Line 1 before diverging to serve the major bus interchange at Belloni. Both lines could be extended in subsequent phases, with Line 1 continuing to El Pinar and Line 2 to the airport via the Zonamerica technology park.

The promoters envisage a 25-year concession, allowing three years for construction and 22 for operations and maintenance. However, Stadler’s representative for Paraguay and Uruguay, Luis Pelloni, told local media that the company did not expect to remain involved in the operating phase once it had helped to deliver the project. Instead, it would help to train a local operating company to run the network. ‘We’re not here to take anyone’s business, we’re here to add a new mobility line’, he explained.

Asked about the BRT alternative, Juan Antonio García, an engineer from the consortium’s technical team, questioned whether it would be able to meet predicted demand. The route would require buses operating at 90-second headways through the 18 de Julio area, which he felt would be hard to maintain on the surface given the number of traffic intersections.

‘In theory, the numbers add up, but with two-way traffic and a minute and a half at each traffic intersection, it’s really quite difficult.’ Furthermore, he pointed out, ‘you shouldn’t just think about what it has to move today, but what it will have to move tomorrow’. He felt the BRT plan did not have capacity to increase beyond the initial ‘very high frequencies’.

Following the submission of their latest plans, the promoters have requested a meeting with President Orsi and the Secretary of the Presidential Office, Alejandro Sánchez, as well as with the Minister of Economy & Finance, Gabriel Oddone, and the Minister of Transport & Public Works, Lucía Etcheverry.

According to railwaygazette.com, the revised proposals mark a significant step towards establishing a light rail network in the Uruguayan capital, with the government’s support seen as crucial for the project’s advancement.