Engineering work advances on Colombia's Fenoco coal railway

After protestors had interrupted progress in late April, engineering work permitting Colombia's Fenoco coal railway to resume overnight operation has been progressing once again.

The line's overnight use was stopped in February by The Constitutional Court after residents of one town protested against noise from passing trains. This resulted in the line's capacity being reduced by one quarter. The court ruling stated, however, that the line could reopen if noise levels were lowered.

Fenoco is owned by three coal mining companies - U.S.-based Drummond, Glencore's Prodeco and Goldman Sachs Group Inc's CNR.

The railway faced protests from residents in Bosconia municipality when it began building gabions, or sound-insulating walls, late in April 2015.

Mines and Energy Minister Tomas Gonzalez said in late April that he expected the building of the walls, which are 2.5 km long, to take approximately two months.

The chief executive officer of CMC estimated that the railway restriction had prevented around 3 million t being shipped so far.

Edited from source by Joseph Green. Source: Reuters

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