The Commuter Train project took another decisive political step this Tuesday. The Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, chaired by Deputy Cristina Villalba, unanimously approved the legal modifications proposed by the Executive Branch to enable the execution of the project through government-to-government agreements.
After the meeting, Public Works Minister Claudia Centurión stated that the railway plan has moved beyond the announcement phase and is now advancing with concrete technical foundations. According to her, international engineering and supervision are already contracted, and technicians from the United Arab Emirates are already working in Paraguay, monitoring the project's development.
“This train is already underway, it does not stop, and with the support of the congressmen it will materialize in much less time,” the minister declared.
The government expects construction to begin in the first half of 2027. The first phase will connect Asunción to Luque, a route of 18 kilometers with nine strategically distributed stations, including points such as Ñu Guasu, the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, the Botanical Garden, and the Central Station.
According to initial estimates, the full journey will take about 26 minutes and will allow the transport of more than 40,000 passengers per day, with the aim of alleviating the congested traffic of the metropolitan region.
The system will be 100% electric, a feature that, according to the MOPC, aims to reduce environmental pollution and urban noise levels. The Commuter Train is part of a broader package of measures to transform public transportation, which includes the incorporation of electric buses and new urban mobility services.
“It is the response that the government of President Santiago Peña gives to this demand and to the suffering of citizens with public transportation,” Centurión concluded.