Korea Rail Network Authority wins contract to supervise Peru's 'Iron Horse of the Andes' railway project

The Korea Rail Network Authority said Tuesday it has been selected as the final contractor for the Peru Huancayo-Huancavelica Railway Improvement Design Review and Construction Supervision project, worth approximately $13 million (19.2 billion won), commissioned by Peru's Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Infraestructura de Transporte de Uso Público.

The project involves modernizing an aging 128.7-kilometer line that runs through Peru's central Andean highlands at elevations above 3,600 meters. The authority's consortium will carry out supervision work across the construction and operational phases over approximately five years.

The authority formed a global consortium with domestic engineering firms and local partners, beating out competitors from Spain, Japan and other leading railway nations to earn perfect scores in both technical and price evaluations.

The authority also plans to use the project as a springboard to help South Korean railway companies enter the Peruvian market, and to expand its presence in large-scale rail infrastructure markets across neighboring Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Panama and Colombia.

Lee An-ho, acting president of the Korea Rail Network Authority, said the contract win "is a remarkable achievement that again demonstrates the excellence of Korean railway technology, earned through head-to-head competition with the world's leading rail nations." He added that the authority would "continue to raise the profile of Korean railways on the global stage and lead international markets together with our companies."

Meanwhile, as of 2024, the Korea Rail Network Authority had secured 91 projects across 27 countries, totaling approximately 665.7 billion won.