Ties that bind in Latin America.

• Author: Goethals, Henry
• Position: Rail, road, and river links

Slowly but surely Latin American nations are forging rail, road and river links between their countries, at times over and through extremely hostile terrain. If all goes according to plan, it is only a matter of time before Bolivia has access by rail to a Peruvian port on the Pacific Ocean, Peru overland access to the Atlantic, Argentina access to the Pacific over two rail lines, and Chile access to the Atlantic, again by rail.

One year ago an official Bolivian delegation boarded a vessel at Puerto Quijano in Santa Cruz Province and, several days later, disembarked at Nueva Palmira, Uruguay on the Atlantic coast, following stops in Corumba, Brazil; Asuncion, Paraguay; and Rosario, Argentina. The trip down the Paraguay and Parana Rivers was baptized at the time as "The Voyage of Integration."

At a later meeting in Brasilia, officials of the River Plate countries discussed details of the Corredor Ferroviario de los Libertadores (Railroad Corridor of the Liberators). Scheduled for completion later this year, this 2,200-mile (3,484-kilometer) rail line will link Buenos Aires and La Paz, Bolivia, with the Peruvian...