COLOMBIA’s National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) is preparing to tender long-awaited works contracts to upgrade two strategic freight corridors, with a total value of around $US 145m. The package covering the Pacific Rail Corridor is valued at approximately $US 73m, and covers rehabilitating 499km of infrastructure on Buenaventura - Cartago - La Felisa line, including the La Tebaida branch.. The other package for the Bogotá - Belencito Corridor is budgeted at around $US 71m and covers rehabilitating 278km of track in order to restore to operating condition the central corridor linking Bogotá with the Boyacá region. “These works are fundamental to strengthening national connectivity and competitiveness,” says ANI president, Óscar Torres Yarzagaray. While the current contracts do not include new track construction, industry observers note that restoring reliable freight operations is a prerequisite for future concessions, private participation and international logistics competitiveness. Pre-feasibility study Colombia is also considering expressions of interest for a $US 1.8m pre-feasibility consultancy contract for the proposed Neiva - Central Rail Corridor. The project will link the city of Neiva, capital of Huila, with the existing Central Railway Corridor and restore rail connectivity to a region that has relied almost exclusively on road transport for decades. The contract will cover the preparation of pre-feasibility studies and preliminary designs to evaluate the project’s technical, economic, social, and environmental viability. The work will determine whether the project can progress to the next structuring and feasibility phases. The consultancy contract will be funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) If the study confirms the project’s viability, the corridor could be incorporated into Colombia’s longer-term rail investment pipeline, supporting freight diversification and improved territorial integration beyond the initial priority network. Pacific Corridor dispute Separately, ANI has secured a decisive legal victory against concessionaire Pacific Railways (FdP), with a court ordering the company to pay approximately $US 23m for contractual breaches under its contract to operate the Pacific Corridor. ANI had claimed that FdP committed “serious contractual breaches” including failure to guarantee freight operations, inadequate track maintenance, and deficiencies in rolling stock upkeep on the Buenaventura - La Tebaida corridor. FdP sought annulment of financial compensation, but the court rejected all claims and confirmed the legality of ANI’s actions. Local news outlet Las2Orillas reports that the Pacific Corridor project was originally backed by Swiss capital but was left adrift after the exit in 2016 of a Swiss multinational shareholder. Control later passed to a Colombian businessman but the line never provided regular freight service and progressively deteriorated. The $US 23m award includes accumulated penalties associated with suspending operations and non-compliance, but recovering this money will
