South American bioceanic corridor development

Bolivia and neighboring South American nations are advancing infrastructure projects to establish bioceanic corridors connecting Atlantic and Pacific markets.

Initially, Bolivia focused on consolidating its internal railway network to integrate its Eastern and Andean systems. To achieve this, the Ministry of Public Works proposed a 400-kilometer route connecting El Palmar in Chuquisaca with Valcarce in Potosí, a strategic alternative to a previous, more costly proposal through Cochabamba.

Efforts have since expanded to include large-scale international initiatives. The Bolivian-Paraguayan Chamber of Commerce and Industry introduced ‘Proyecto Ñemopeteï’, a 1,222-kilometer route requiring an estimated USD 1.3 billion to connect Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with Brazil and Paraguay. This project aims to create a logistics hub for agricultural products from the Brazilian Midwest destined for Asian markets.

In parallel, Peru is developing the ‘Eje Transversal Sur’ (South Transversal Axis) through ProInversión. This strategy seeks to turn the Madre de Dios and Puno regions into logistics nodes, linking Brazilian states to Peruvian Pacific ports such as Matarani, San Juan de Marcona, and Ilo. Supporting infrastructure for this Peruvian expansion includes a USD 99 million electrical link and a USD 37 million fixed internet network.