The Ramal C-14 trans-Andean rail link between Salta in Argentina and Antofagasta in Chile is one of the highest-altitude rail lines in the world (peak at around 4,500 m above sea level) and, with around 700 km in length, the centerpiece of a transport axis across the South American continent between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Together with the Austrian project partners GEOCONSULT, STL and Georesearch, PLANUM is part of an interdisciplinary team working on a system for the gradual and demand-oriented upgrading of this railroad line to meet modern transport requirements. Aspects from the fields of economic geography, transportation logistics, earth sciences, natural hazards, and engineering, among others, are considered as a whole.

The project is funded by the Republic of Austria as well as supported by the Argentine side and represents an innovative approach to the capacity estimation and logistics approach of an extreme mountain railroad. The project team traveled to the project area in July 2017 on a reconnaissance trip lasting several weeks and conducted an extensive inventory together with the Argentine operating company and key political and economic decision-makers.

Further inquiries to DI Dr. Kurt Fallast