Mendoza suburban rail construction starts as rolling stock contract signed

Mendoza suburban rail construction starts as rolling stock contract signed ARGENTINA: Works have started to facilitate the 45 km Cercanías del Este suburban rail service in Mendoza, with contracts for rolling stock, operations and maintenance awarded in recent weeks. The new service will link San Martín in the east to Luján de Cuyo in the south, where the city’s Metrotranvía light rail extension is also being built. The suburban service will also serve the current Metrotranvía terminus at Gutiérrez in Maipú. Cercanías del Este will use one of the two tracks of an existing 32 km long, 1 676 mm gauge freight railway between San Martín and Gutiérrez. The progress comes following an agreement signed in November 2025 between infrastructure manager Trenes Argentinos Cargas and the province of Mendoza, which is acting as project promoter, allowing reconstruction works and one track to be dedicated for passenger services. For the remaining 13 km section between Gutiérrez and Luján de Cuyo, the existing moribund metre-gauge railway will be rehabilitated and rebuilt to 1 676 mm gauge. This extension was added to the project in May. Tracks over 45 km will be rebuilt and level crossings, drainage and the signalling systems improved. No less than 11 new stations will be built and eight existing ones rehabilitated. The overall cost of the project is estimated at US$150m. Construction work started in July, and is being led by Mendoza-based construction and engineering firm CEOSA under a 195.9bn pesos (€111.8m) contract. CEOSA has also been awarded a concession for the operations and maintenance of the service for 15 years. CRRC DMUs Cercanías del Este will be operated by three three-car diesel multiple-units. These are being supplied by CRRC Tangshan under a 23.2bn pesos (€13.2m) contract finalised in July. The accessible vehicles will have a capacity of 506 passengers, 210 of which can be seated. They will be equipped with air conditioning, wi-fi, USB ports and LED lighting, with spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility and bicycles. The first DMU is due to arrive at San Martín station by June 2027 to begin test running. See also Subscribe to gain access to all news Already have a subscription? Log in. Choose your subscription Considering a corporate subscription? Contact us to find out more.