Uruguay is undertaking the transformation and modernisation of its railway system to redefine the role of rail transport in the country’s mobility and logistics landscape. As part of this national strategy, Ineco is delivering key planning and technical assistance projects aimed at consolidating a modern, efficient and competitive transport system, fully integrated with the country’s main productive hubs and national port network.
The flagship initiative involves the preparation of Uruguay’s Railway Master Plan, promoted by the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) and the National Development Corporation (CND), with funding provided by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Developed in consortium with CSI Ingenieros, the Master Plan serves as a strategic roadmap for the sector. The project includes a comprehensive assessment of the existing railway network and transport demand forecasting with a planning horizon extending to 2050. It also defines investment priorities, innovative and climate-finance mechanisms, the applicable regulatory framework, and the stakeholder engagement processes required for the implementation of the proposed model.
Management, Maintenance and Development of the Central Railway
The scope of work is complemented by the provision of ongoing technical advisory services to the National Railway Transport Directorate of the MTOP. This support includes technical supervision of infrastructure maintenance, regulatory compliance, operational safety, market regulation and railway traffic management.
This technical assistance builds on the work initiated in 2018 as part of the Central Railway project, a strategic infrastructure programme involving the rehabilitation of 273 kilometres of railway track linking the Port of Montevideo with Paso de los Toros. The assignment covers technical support throughout the entire infrastructure lifecycle, including procurement, design, construction and commissioning phases, as well as the planning and implementation of the Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) system, helping to optimise the transport of heavy freight from the country's inland regions to the coast.
Infrastructure Planning and Supervision Across Latin America
These projects reinforce Ineco’s engineering and technical consultancy activity across Latin America, where the company is simultaneously delivering major transport infrastructure programmes in the rail, road and aviation sectors. Notable examples include motorway supervision and operational support for the Tren Maya in Mexico, road infrastructure coordination projects in Brazil, the supervision of the expansion of Jorge Chávez International Airport and road corridors in Peru, as well as consultancy services in Argentina.
