Renfe still eligible to bid for Brazil's bullet train project

Criado em 01/08/13 10h55 e atualizado em 05/08/13 09h08
Por Sabrina Craide Edição:Aécio Amado/ Nira Foster Fonte:Agência Brasil

Brasília – The Brazilian minister for Transport, César Borges, said on Wednesday (July 31) that the train accident that killed over 70 people in Galicia, Spain, does not disqualify Renfe, its operating company, from participating in the Brazilian high speed rail tender.

Under tender terms, carriers involved in fatal accidents in high-speed systems over the past five years are not eligible to compete. However, Borges explained that the train that derailed in Spain is not a high-speed type.

“The [Brazilian] government is seeking to attract a wide choice of bidders and would not like to bar anyone from competing [for the bullet train project]. The [Spanish] train was not a high-speed train, although it unfortunately happened to be traveling at high speed [when it crashed]. I'm not on the tender board, but speaking as a government member, I don't see any impairments,” the minister said.

Renfe is among the leading bidders. In May, the Spanish Minister of Development, Ana Pastor Julián, confirmed a consortium of three government-owned companies – Adif (rail infrastructure authority), Ineco (transport engineering and economics) and Renfe (railway operator) – to compete for Brazil's high-speed rail project.

In a note to the Brazilian government, Renfe explained that the railway where the train crashed combines high and medium speeds, but the exact point where the accident occurred is not a high-speed stretch.

Borges also denied any intention of postponing the bidding, which is scheduled for September 19. “I don't know where these rumors come from. I guess some competitor might have an interest in [deferring the tender], because some of them indeed requested us to put it off, while others asked us to maintain the date. Still, we do think there has been enough time, so there's no reason to postpone it any further,” he declared.

Edition: Aécio Amado/ Nira Foster
Translation: Mayra Borges / Olga Bardawil / Allen Bennett