Paraguay's transportation system ranges from adequate to poor, largely depending on the region of the country. The country has a network of roads, railroads, rivers, and airports, but significant infrastructure and regulation improvements are needed.[1]
Roads
Paraguay National Routes.
Estimates vary on the total extent of Paraguay's road system, from more than 60,000 kilometres (37,000 mi) to less than 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi). The discrepancies seem to be the result of differing standards regarding what constitutes a road. Thousands of kilometers of unpaved rural roads exist. Paraguay has about 16,630 kilometres (10,330 mi) of paved, major feeder roads. [2] The core network connects Asunción, Encarnación, and Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil, where it connects later with the Port of Paranaguá. In July 2023, the first duplicated highway in Paraguay was being created on the stretch of PY-02 closest to Asunción, and there were already 122 kilometres (76 mi) duplicated.[3] The Trans-Chaco highway is only partially finished, the paved portion ending at Mariscal Estigarribia. Bolivia's portion of the highway, in contrast, is entirely paved. For trade purposes, the paved highways from Ciudad del Este to the Brazilian port of Paranaguá are particularly important. Additionally, the roads connecting Paraguay to Buenos Aires are adequate.[1]
Route 15 has been one of the central points in the country's road advancement. This highway (currently under construction) is expected to become an international logistics center by becoming part of the Bi-Oceanic Corridor, and being the shortest passage between the Chilean ports of Antofagasta and Iquique on the Pacific Ocean and the Brazilian port of Santos on the Atlantic Ocean.[4] In February 2022, Paraguay inaugurated 275 km of the road (about half of the route), connecting Carmelo Peralta (Alto Paraguay), on the border with Brazil, to Loma Plata (Boquerón), in the center of the country.[5]
The government owns the country's sole railroad company, including a 438-kilometre (272 mi) line from Asunción to Encarnación. An effort to privatize the company in 2002 failed when no buyer could be secured because of the steep investment required to make the line profitable. Currently, only a small section of the line is open. It is used for tourist traffic. Paraguay's railroads operate on a standard 1.435-meter gauge.[1]
The total length of rail in Paraguay is 971 kilometres (603 mi). 441 kilometres (274 mi) of that is standard gauge at 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Another 60 kilometres (37 mi) is narrow gauge at 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), and 470 kilometres (290 mi) of the total railway is privately owned.
Inland waterways
The River Paraguay at the town of Concepción
Paraguay has 3,100 kilometres (1,900 mi) of inland waterways. The Paraguay and Paraná are the country's two main rivers. The Paraguay River, with headwaters at Mato Grosso, Brazil, flows southward, converging with the Paraná in southwestern Paraguay, and then flowing to the Río de la Plata estuary in Argentina, the entrance for the great majority of ships servicing Paraguay's ports.[1]
Ports and harbors
The Asunción port in 2011
Villeta, located on the Paraguay River south of Asunción, serves as Paraguay's primary port. Asunción, long the country's only modern port, Encarnación (on the Paraná River), and San Antonio serve as the country's other major ports. Paraguay's ports are split between state and private ownership. The country's twenty private ports, however, are far more efficient, handling nearly 90% of soybean exports.[1]
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