The feasibility study is now under review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance

The Railway Secretariat said the feasibility study, consolidated by AECOM, is under evaluation by the MEF. Once that concludes, the next step would be hiring a Project Management Office (PMO). There is still no official construction cost. The plan includes a 60-metre corridor that could also carry power lines, fibre optics, water pipes, and cell towers. The update came after a presentation to France's minister delegate for foreign trade, Nicolas Forissier.

Background & context

This is the first confirmation of where the study sits: with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the body that decides whether the State can carry the investment. Hiring a Project Management Office would be the first organisational step toward execution.

The 60-metre multi-utility corridor is new to the public record. The Secretariat has held talks with ETESA about routing the country's fourth transmission line along it. Sharing one right-of-way for power, fibre, and water could lower costs for several public works at once. It is a good idea on paper, but it can't be judged without a cost figure.

At least $9.7 million has been committed to studies and consultancies. Against the roughly $5 billion estimate the President has referenced, that is a normal share for pre-investment. The open question is transparency: as La Prensa reported in July, only one of these contracts went through a public tender.