Asunción, December 12 (Prensa Latina) The Paraguayan Senate today approved a bill that would allocate up to 300 million dollars for the installation of a commuter train desired by the authorities and the population to improve the inadequate public transport system.
The document, now forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, provides for special and financing provisions for the execution and implementation of the works carried out by the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and the company Ferrocarriles de Paraguay SA, according to the ABC Color newspaper.
The figure for the investment of up to 300 million, “whose credit instrument must have the approval of the National Congress to be valid”, is higher than the 275 million presented in the feasibility study, the newspaper added.
However, the former Ministry of Finance has calculated that the commuter train project requires a total cost of over 587 million 740 thousand dollars, ABC Color stated.
For his part, Senator Dionisio Amarilla reiterated his support for the project to equip the capital “with infrastructure that our people are crying out for,” although he acknowledged that they must resort to the trust fund to “pursue the Constitution.” these means.”
The country's president, Santiago Peña, admitted the day before that public transport in the country was “a tragedy”, but his managers lack official support to resolve this situation.
The government agency mentioned the current project of the so-called Commuter Train, now in the hands of the National Congress, as a real opportunity to improve the sector.
Experts refer to local public transport system as local public transport that provides connections between the center of a city and its outskirts or to nearby cities with a large number of people traveling every day.
jha/apb