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Country: Venezuela
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The most intriguing motivation however for the creation of this map was the fact that there seems to be no reliable map available showing new line status with works under way, abandoned or never started.
Also, satellite imagery reveals where new lines lead to ...
>> Click here to open Rail Infrastructure Observation Project Map for Venezuela<<.
(v1.0 30.01.2015: Construction progress satellite data as of December 2015)
Legend:
Green: Line in service
Red: Line under construction
Pink: Construction abandoned
Yellow outline: Tunnel section
Black: Existing network (as provided by Google, available only in "Relief" mode at close zoom)
Primary objective is to document railway infrastruchture built on new alignment. Upgrades of existing alignments are generally not shown, except some cases of total transformation.
Venezuela recent railway projects
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1.) Caracas - Cúa [jump to line]:
The only recent railway line in Venezuela which is in regulare service. Since 2006 it connects Caracas with its southern cities through a tunnel-rich mountain region.
2.) (Puerto Cabello) - Moron - La Encruijada (108km) [jump to line]:
This line links major cities with the seaside harbours. This line counts a 15 tunnels totalling 24,7km and viaducts in steel and precast concrete slabs totalling 21km necessary to conduct the line from sea level through mountainous regions up to plains 500 meter higher. The line will serve 6 stations: Puerto Cabello, Naguanagua, Guacara, San Joaquín, Mariara y Maracay. San Diego and La Encrucijada.
Works started in 2002 and should have been concluded in 2008, but carried on slowly. As to 2015, most tunnels are drilled and a first (symbolic) initial section may enter service soon using Chineses Diesel Multiple Unit trains.
3.) Tinaco - Anaco (467km) [jump to line] :
This is the longest line under (slow) construction and constitutes an east-west axis in the southern Venezuelan outback. The line runs through flat lands and does not touch nor connects any major city as there are none. The line was conceived for a maximum speed of 250km/h. Rolling stock should be provided by China (partly assembled in Venezuela) an may operate with up to 220km/h.
Works started in 2009. By the end of 2012 a 27,8% was achieved. It seems that track laying started in April 2014 on the section Chaguaramas - Valle de la Pascua (35km) [jump to section].
Works seems to have come to a halt in December 2014 on the entire line (verify?).
Works were financed through a "China-Venezuela Strategic Development Fund".
China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) with a stake of 40% in the project builds the line.
The line will serve 10 stations: Tinaco, El Pao, Dos Caminos, El Sombrero, Chaguaramas, Valle de la Pascua, Tucupio, Zaraza, Aragua de Barcelona and Anaco.
4.) San Juan de Los Morros – San Fernando de Apure (252km) [jump to line]:
This north-south line connects low densily populated areas in the outback with those further in the outback. The line corsses the east-west axis Tinaco - Anaco, but will not reach any othe line.
Its first 41km run through difficult mountain regions requiring 10 Tunnels totalling 16km.
Works started in 2002 but are apparently abandoned due to lack of funds and achieving 32%. The italian contractors (Astaldi, Impreglio, Ghella) retired workforce and equipment. Several tunnels seem to have been drilled.
5.) Chaguaramas-Las Mercedes-Cabruta (201km): [ jump to line ]
This north - south line is similar to the other N-S axis by the fact that it does not connect major cities but is likely to serve the political purpose of building a railway line in the Venezuelan outback.
Works started in 2006 by Italian Contracors Astaldi, Impregilo and Ghella but due to lack of funds came to an early halt, achieving 40%. The line should have entered service around 2012.
The line would serve 6 stations: Chaguaramas, Las Mercedes, El Mejo, Santa Rita, Arrecife and Cabruta.
Changelog
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v0.9: 21.11.2015
Initial release
v1.0: 30.01.2016
Added several segments based on imagery as of December 2015.