Skanska will Build Railway in Argentina and US

Skanska has won rail contracts to build two large-scale railway extensions in Argentina and the USA.

The company, in a joint venture with Chediack and Milicic, has secured a $132.9m contract from Potasio Río Colorado, an affiliate of Vale, to build a railway extension from the province of Neuquén to the Port of Bahía Blanca in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Skanska’s share in the contract is 33.4%, amounting to a total of $43.4m; the company will be responsible for civil works including embankment, drainage and pavement on an 83km extension of the railway that also involves 29 bridges.

Construction of the new rail link to Neuquén is expected to facilitate economic growth in the region. The project is scheduled to begin in February 2012 and will be completed in the first quarter of 2014. Skanska has also secured a $374m contract from Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in California, US, to build a 16km extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system.

The company won the contract in a joint venture with Shimmick Construction and Herzog Contracting, with Skanska having a 45% share in the contract. The rail extension includes two stations, six at-grade crossings and two above-grade crossings, and the project will extend the BART system to San José, California.

The extension will start from Warm Springs station in Fremont and end in the city of San José.
Construction on the project will start in February 2012 and is expected to be completed in spring 2016.
The BART is a rapid transit system that connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County.