In April 2026, the Chilean Railway Institute presented a national railway strategy up to 2050, which provides for increased investment, new targets for rail transport and institutional reforms. The proposal aims to increase the share of rail in infrastructure spending from 4% to at least 16%. Annual expenditure on rail transport is set to rise from 0.06% of GDP to between 0.10-0.40%. In rail freight transport, the strategy sets the target of shifting at least 30% of the net-t handled in state-owned ports to rail and expanding intermodal transport. By 2050, at least two international railway links are also to be established, provided bilateral agreements and funding are in place. In passenger rail transport, the paper specifies a modal share of at least 16% for urban rail systems and 16% for suburban rail in metropolitan areas with more than 400,000 inhabitants. The flagship project is a high-capacity corridor around 600 km in length, stretching from Valparaíso via Santiago to Concepción, on which high-speed rail (HSR) is also to be assessed by 2050. The report also recommends establishing a Ministry of Mobility, a national railway authority, as well as new planning and assessment procedures. Regulatory changes are to be prepared within three years.
