President José Antonio Kast and the minister heading both Public Works and Transport and Telecommunications, Louis de Grange, are reportedly set to announce a TAG toll reduction this Monday night, according to Emol. So far, no other source has confirmed the announcement or its details.
According to the outlet, which cites information from the president's office, the statement would be made from the offices of Autopista Central, in the municipality of San Bernardo. Emol did not report the size of the reduction, which highways it would cover or when it would take effect.
The initiative has precedents. In mid-September, Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez confirmed that the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) was talking with various concession operators to lower tolls and curb future increases.
“Indeed, the Ministry of Public Works is holding talks with multiple concession operators to see how, on a voluntary basis, there is room to negotiate better toll rates,” Pavez said at the time.
Earlier, Undersecretary of Public Works Nicolás Balmaceda had discussed the issue on Radio Universo. However, he warned that standardizing toll rates is difficult. “We have 81 contracts,” he explained, adding that some were negotiated 30 years ago and others six months ago, under the concessions law.
The measure sparked debate. In Congress, Senator Camila Flores (RN), chair of the Senate Transport and Telecommunications Committee, welcomed the MOP's efforts to curb increases and even reduce tolls. Senator María José Gatica (RN), chair of the Public Works Committee, said this infrastructure “must serve people and be within their reach.”
Technical experts raised concerns. The Infrastructure Policy Council (CPI) warned of at least two negative implications of a possible reduction, although Emol does not specify them.
The Chilean Society of Transport Engineering (Sochitran) joined those criticisms. According to the professional association, the discussion about lowering tolls on Santiago's urban highways “sends a worrying signal” for transport planning and operations.
For motorists who use concession-operated highways daily, the key detail will be the actual scope of the reduction. That information should become available if the announcement goes ahead tonight in San Bernardo.
