The Chilean Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications has announced the arrival of two new trains to reinforce the Biotren service in the Biobío region. They were unloaded at the Port of San Antonio on 26 January from the G2 Ocean shipping company’s STAR LOFOTEN vessel.
These trains, manufactured by the Chinese consortium CRRC-Sifang, are added to the current fleet of 9 units and are part of the ambitious Biobío Railway Master Plan, which contemplates a historic investment of more than US$ 3 billion.
The new units, similar to the rest of the SFE-100 series already in circulation, have a capacity for 717 passengers each and are equipped with state-of-the-art safety and comfort technology. They have a maximum speed of 120 km/h and are equipped with anti-crash and anti-climber systems and closed-circuit video surveillance.
They are expected to enter into operation during the second quarter of 2025, after completing testing and white march. This acquisition seeks to respond to the exponential increase in demand for the Biotren, which transported more than 11.7 million passengers in the last year.
The objective is to double the service’s capacity by 2027, optimising existing infrastructure and improving regional connectivity with more sustainable and efficient transport.