Central Railway System — Earthworks and Civil Works, Puerto Cabello – La Encrucijada
Project sheet
- Sector
- Transportation
- Location
- Aragua – Carabobo States, Venezuela
- Vialpa Role
- Earthworks, railway civil works and structures
Project overview
Earthworks and civil works for the Central Railway System, the cornerstone of the National Railway Plan, enabling railway interconnection between regions as an alternative for interregional cargo and passenger transport within a multimodal system. The region served covers nearly 40% of the Venezuelan population (more than 11 million inhabitants), circulates about 45% of national cargo and holds 70% of the country's manufacturing capacity. The railway runs 183 km from Charallave to Puerto Cabello, serving Las Tejerías, La Victoria, Cagua, Maracay, Mariara, Guacara, San Diego and Naguanagua.
The Challenge
Execute the massive earthworks and civil works for a 183 km railway infrastructure crossing one of the most densely populated and industrially active regions in the country, integrating the alignment with the existing road and urban network.
Vialpa Scope
Earthworks and civil works of the railway alignment, including platform grading, drainage works, road structures and interconnection with the multimodal transport network.
Engineering / Construction Approach
Deployment of heavy earthmoving equipment along the railway corridor, with compaction and platform stability controls to meet the geometric requirements of the alignment.
Operational Constraints
Integration of the railway corridor in a high-density population and industrial region, with coordination of interference with existing road, urban and utility networks.
Technical Highlights
- 183 km of railway alignment (Charallave – Puerto Cabello)
- ~40,000 passengers/day estimated
- ~11.3 million tons/year of cargo estimated
- Region concentrating ~40% of the population and ~70% of the country's industrial capacity
Key Quantities
Photographic archive and field execution
Original photographic field documentation of road execution, structures, concrete barriers and earthmoving by Constructora Vialpa.
Panoramic view of multimodal railway station under construction: reinforced concrete passenger platforms, ballasted track bed, passenger test train, tunnel portal and active heavy machinery earthmoving fronts
Railway alignment on elevated viaduct entering tunnel portal: ballasted track superstructure over reinforced concrete deck with monoblock sleepers along mountainous hillside
Major railway viaduct: cast-in-place reinforced concrete piers, cap beams, continuous structural steel box girders, and concrete deck across rugged terrain
Massive railway embankment grading and compaction: tandem Caterpillar 825 high-density tamping foot compactors and geotechnical platform quality control
Specialized technical crew performing precision assembly, fastening and alignment of railway turnout and switch mechanism over ties and ballast bed
