Colas has secured a new railway contract in Chile
Following an international call for tenders launched by Santiago Metro as part of the future Line 9 in the Chilean capital, Colas Rail (Colas) has been awarded the contract worth approximately 104 million euros* for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the electrical systems and the associated SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system.
This new contract is for part of the construction of the future Line 9 of the Santiago metro. This new 27 km-long infrastructure will consist of 19 stations and a maintenance and storage center. For a total investment estimated at 2.5 billion euros, this infrastructure will be connected to seven existing lines on the network and will form a new main north-south corridor for the Chilean capital. Commissioning of the first section is scheduled for 2030.
The work to be carried out by Colas Rail will in particular include the construction of a distribution center and of eight rectifier substations, the installation of thirty-nine lighting and power supply units and the roll-out of a SCADA system for power, traction and traction control. The work will also include maintenance of all the facilities for a 20-year period.
"This latest success demonstrates our clients’ confidence in our ability to design, deploy and maintain complex railway systems. The future Line 9 of the Santiago metro is a key urban transport project in the Chilean capital. This establishes Colas Rail as a leading player in the Chilean rail sector, recognized for its expertise and the complementary nature of its business lines in the maintenance and construction both of railway track and of electrical installations", says Hervé Le Joliff, Executive Vice President, Railways.
Over the past decade, Colas Rail’s teams in Chile have contributed to the construction of Lines 3 and 6 of the Santiago metro and to the extensions to Lines 2 and 3. Since 2016, they have also been responsible for maintaining the entire metropolitan underground network, which now comprises seven lines, 149 km of double track and 143 stations.
Colas Rail is also involved in the development of Chile’s national rail network, supplying and installing the track and catenaries on one of the sections of the future Alameda–Melipilla line on behalf of the state-owned company EFE. This new rail link will connect Santiago with the south west of the country and will help to improve the region’s transport infrastructure.
Following the award in 2025 of the contract to build the second section of the future Alameda Melipilla line, this latest success confirms Colas Rail’s strong growth momentum in Chile. It demonstrates the confidence placed in the Group and consolidates its position amongst the leading players in the country’s rail sector.
* order backlog: June 2026
