Tren Valparaíso Santiago (TVS), a consortium comprised of Sigdo Koppers and China Railway Group Limited, has presented a formal proposal to develop a high-speed rail (HSR) line linking the Chilean capital Santiago with the port city of Valparaíso through the government's concession system.

Spanning approximately 120km, the HSR would reduce travel time between the two cities to 45 minutes, a 50% reduction on both driving and public transport journey times. The total estimated investment of the project is between US$1.6 and 2.5 billion, which is proposed to be financed entirely by the private sector.

Initially, TVS plans to deliver 12 trains, each with capacity to transport 890 passengers, which will travel at a maximum speed of 200km/h.

The Ministry of Public Works (MOP) must now decide if the project is in the public interest. Following the concession procedure, TVS will then carry out feasibility studies, which will be evaluated by the MOP to determine if the proposal can be structured as a concession. If TVS passes these stages, the MOP will launch a tender for the project within a year.

The HSR is intended primarily to serve port cargo, with TVS considering adding a connection to San Antonio port.

TVS originally submitted a proposal in early 2018 to develop the project through the Railway Law, rather than as a concession. The Ministry of Transport decided that it could not approve the proposal in this model earlier this month.

Despite the numerous hurdles remaining before the project can be tendered, prospective bidders are already lining up. Italian firms Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and Salini-Impregilo have publicly confirmed their interest in the project.