Acciona competes for works worth 1,100 million in the Buenos Aires Metro against the large groups in the sector

The capital of Argentina has launched a new metro line 25 years later and the large construction companies in the sector do not want to miss this train. The local government has given the ‘snap’ to the tender that includes the engineering, construction and equipment work of Line F of the Buenos Aires Metro under a budgeted investment in 1,350 million dollars (1,160 million euros at the current exchange rate).

Companies from all over the world have responded to the call of the city’s Ministry of Infrastructure; from local to Asian builders, including large European firms. From Spain, the only group that has expressed interest in this contract has been Acciona, which faces tough international competition. Among the Europeans, there are the French Alstom and Systrathe German Siemens Mobilitythe Portuguese Mota Engil or the Italians WeBuild and Ghella. On the other side of the map, the Japanese stand out Hitachi or the Chinese powerchina, CMEC, CREC, CCECC and CRRC Changchun.

According to official estimates, the future Line F will be able to transport more than 300,000 passengers daily once in operation. This is an ambitious and long-awaited project, as it will be the first new underground line in a quarter of a century. The Buenos Aires government has highlighted that it is a modern line, equipped with the latest technology in signal systems, advanced security and brand new cars with air conditioning. Furthermore, construction will be carried out in two stages and It will take approximately four years of workwith the start of works scheduled for next year after the closing of the national and international bidding process.

The route of Line F will have a total extension of 9.8 kilometers and will have 12 stations: Brandsen, Constitución, Cochabamba, Chile, Congreso, Corrientes, Santa Fe/Pizzurno, Recoleta, Pueyrredón/Hospital Rivadavia, Parque Las Heras/Coronel Díaz, Plaza Italia/Ecoparque and Pacífico. This route will connect the Barracas neighborhood, which until now did not have a subway service, with Palermo, crossing strategic areas such as Constitución, San Cristóbal, Monserrat, San Nicolás and Recoleta. On its route, it will connect with the six existing lines and with two railway stations, including Constitución, the busiest in the country, where more than a million passengers circulate every day.

For Acciona, this contract would represent an important boost to its expansion strategy in South America, where it has been especially active in recent years. In Argentina, the company has already won recent large contracts in different branches such as the Riachuelo System works, the first major expansion of the main sanitation system in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area in more than 70 years. Furthermore, recently, its subsidiary Acciona Services Argentina has received official authorization to exploit airport operational and ramp services in general within Argentine territory.

The opportunities for the group chaired by José Manuel Entrecanales do not stop on this continent and a few weeks ago, his company was in the news again when it was prequalified to bid, with the help of the Belgian contractor Give mefor one of the major works in contention: the expansion of the Port of San Antonio, Chile’s main maritime terminal, which includes a public-private investment plan of 4,450 million dollars (just under 3.8 billion euros at the current exchange rate).