China-financed rail maintenance machines arrive in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The first shipment of high-tech rail maintenance machines financed by a Chinese company arrived at Argentina's Buenos Aires Port on Tuesday.

The shipment is part of a financing agreement between Argentina's state-run passenger and cargo train company, Trenes Argentinos, and the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC).

The CMEC provided some 650 million pesos (32.5 million U.S. dollars) in credit for the project to renovate the South American country's rail network.

The new equipment with cameras and GPS can rapidly detect the exact location of a problem and assess how to fix it. It is expected to reduce maintenance costs, according to Argentine officials.

President of Trenes Argentinos Marcelo Orfila said the machinery will help speed up the trains by ensuring the rails work at their optimum.

"This translates into reliability, security and a reduction in travel time," said Orfila.

The new machines "were designed especially for Trenes Argentinos by local technicians who were trained in China," he said. Enditem