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Lima-Chosica trains stalled a year on, awaiting contract signing
🇵🇪 Peru /Energy & Infrastructure

Lima-Chosica trains stalled a year on, awaiting contract signing

From La República · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A project to operate donated Caltrains between Lima and Chosica, Peru, remains stalled one year after its presentation.
  • Technical, contractual, and safety issues, along with the need for a signed addendum to the railway concession contract, prevent the trains from operating.
  • While the current mayor of Lima anticipates the contract addendum could be signed in about two months, no concrete start date for the service has been given.

A year after their grand unveiling, donated Caltrains meant to revolutionize transport between Lima and Chosica remain idle, with no clear start date for operations. The project, initially presented as a swift solution for millions in Lima Este, is entangled in persistent technical, contractual, and safety concerns that block passenger service.

Despite repeated announcements from the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima about an imminent launch, both the Urban Transport Authority (ATU) and the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) agree that crucial legal, technical, and operational aspects of the railway system must be resolved before the trains can run. The initial promise of a "white march" within months, made by former mayor Rafael López Aliaga in July 2025, has proven far from reality.

I have been with the people from Proinversión. An addendum to the contract is about to be signed and the offer is guaranteed (...) We are making every effort to have it signed as soon as possible. It will be approximately within two months, but we want to do it sooner and there is full willingness for it to be done sooner because it is what is appropriate.

— Renzo ReggiardoThe Mayor of Lima provided an update on the expected timeline for signing the contract addendum needed to operate the Caltrains.

The latest update came from current Lima Mayor Renzo Reggiardo, who stated on July 10 that Proinversión and the railway concessionaire are in the final stages of signing an addendum to the contract. He estimated this agreement could be finalized in approximately two months, though efforts are underway to expedite the process. "We Peruvians cannot afford to have a train of this magnitude stopped," Reggiardo emphasized, noting the trains are equipped with air conditioning, bathrooms, bicycle spaces, and double-decker cars.

However, the signing of this crucial addendum remains an expectation rather than a certainty. Proinversión's executive president, Luis Del Carpio, has avoided setting a firm date, only mentioning institutional goals. The Caltrains, a significant investment, continue to wait for a signature that will allow them to serve the public.

We Peruvians cannot afford to have a train of this magnitude stopped.

— Renzo ReggiardoThe Mayor of Lima highlighted the urgency of getting the stalled train project operational.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La República in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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