Each nation plans its network; the spines join them.
The Pacific Spine follows the west coast from Santiago to Colombia; the Atlantic Spine follows the east coast from Buenos Aires to Venezuela. Cross-border links join every national network to its neighbours, with a sea crossing at the Río de la Plata and a mountain tunnel through the Andes.
Routes are indicative. Corridors are drawn city to city, through the cities on the existing railway wherever a line exists: MMC corridors follow those lines, upgrading the line or running above it on viaduct. Where no line exists, the corridor is new build. Final alignments are set at detailed design by terrain survey, geotechnical analysis, environmental and cultural heritage assessment, and agreement between the nations they connect.
| Nation | Corridors | Straight-line km | Built km (×1.2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 4 | 2,400 | 2,900 |
| Venezuela | 2 | 1,500 | 1,800 |
| Guyana | 1 | 400 | 500 |
| Brazil | 9 | 13,900 | 16,700 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 400 | 500 |
| Argentina | 6 | 6,400 | 7,700 |
| Paraguay | 1 | 600 | 700 |
| Bolivia | 2 | 1,700 | 2,100 |
| Chile | 4 | 3,200 | 3,800 |
| Peru | 2 | 2,600 | 3,100 |
| Ecuador | 1 | 500 | 600 |
| South America | 33 | 33,700 | 40,400 |
Cross-border links are counted separately. Built km = straight-line km × 1.2 (stated assumption).
The spines — high-speed maglev trunk lines
- Pacific Spine: Santiago – Lima – Quito – Medellín – Darién Gap – Central America – Mexico City – Dallas – Winnipeg – Edmonton – Fairbanks – Bering Strait crossing. About 17,000 km straight-line (20,400 km built).
- Atlantic Spine: Buenos Aires – Río de la Plata crossing – Montevideo – São Paulo – Rio de Janeiro – Salvador – Recife – Belém – the Guianas – Caracas – Medellín. About 10,200 km straight-line (12,300 km built).
- Southern Cross: Santiago – Andes base tunnel – Mendoza – Córdoba – Buenos Aires. About 1,300 km straight-line.
The spines run through the national corridors and cross-border links; each section is part of a nation’s own network. The two long spines meet at Medellín. See the Americas spines map →