DB International Operations

PorTren’s entire locomotive fleet is now in Uruguay

The final two units have made the journey from the port of Bilbao to the port of Montevideo, thus completing the total of 7 locomotives that will transport over 2 million tonnes of pulp per year by rail for UPM.

These state-of-the-art models that meet the highest environmental standards will transport the goods along the 273 km between UPM’s new mill in Paso de los Toros and the port of Montevideo.

PorTren is the company created by our concessionaire Cointer and CHR Group Uruguay (Christophersen) to provide the necessary rolling stock (7 locomotives and 140 wagons) specially designed for this service, and to build the Railway Operation and Maintenance Centre (COM), which was inaugurated on 6 November. 

The service will be operated for 22 years by the DBCC Transport consortium, made up of Cointer, CHR Group Uruguay and DB International Operations. 

The first 20 wagons for UPM have arrived in Uruguay

Snapshot_2 _SP (1)

The first 20 wagons designed and built by our concessionaire Cointer, in collaboration with its partners CHR Group Uruguay and DB International Operations, have arrived in Uruguay.

They will transport 2 million tons of pulp by rail per yearfor the Finnish giant UPM, between the Paso de los Toros mill and the Port of Montevideo. Cointer will manage the concession for 22 years.

The wagons, which have been specially designed for this project, have anti-vandalism features (tarpaulin, top cover and metal ends) and are watertight, a fundamental requirement requested by UPM., They also have an anti-slip solution on the inside that prevents the load from shifting during transport.

In addition, they have a four-axle capacity (25 t/axle) and meet European standards, although their circulation and approval are not planned for Europe, but only for Uruguay. They will run on the international UIC gauge (1,435 mm).

The pulp loading and unloading process will be carried out through the upper deck, which has an electric opening and closing system, and there is also an alternative manual system.