Railways in
Argentina
The first railway in Argentina opened in 1857, between El Parque
and La Floresta, both places today being within the city of Buenos
Aires (The original terminus at El Parque is now the site of the
Teatro Colón). It was built to Iberian (1676mm) gauge. This gauge
was used extensively on the central plains of Argentina; although
metre gauge was used in the mountainous north, and a network to the east
of the river Paraná (linking the capital with Paraguay) was built to
standard (1435mm) gauge. In the south of the country, railway
development was limited to a few isolated lines, mostly narrow gauge.
Railway coverage today remains extensive, and freight lines are well
used, but passenger services outside the major cities are patchy.
There are international connections with Bolivia and Uruguay. An
international connection with Brazil takes the form of a bridge over
the Uruguay river to Uruguiana, where the standard gauge tracks of ALL
in Argentina interchange traffic with their metre gauge Brazilian
counterparts. Former international links with Chile are now out of
use. A former international link with Paraguay reopened in 2002, but
closed again in 2006 because construction of a new dam meant that the
line would become flooded. There are plans to build a new line
replacing this link.
Long Distance Passenger Operators
- Ferrobaires state owned passenger operator in
Buenos Aires province (Site in Spanish)
- Ferrocentral passenger services between Buenos Aires
and Tucumán and between Buenos Aires and Córdoba (Site in Spanish)
- TBA passenger operator in Buenos Aires province
(Site in Spanish, English version promised)
- Trenes del Litoral passenger services between
Buenos Aires and Posadas, near the border with Paraguay
(Site in Spanish)
Suburban Passenger Operators
- Buenos Aires
- Ferrovias (Site in Spanish)
- UGOFE
- Tren de la Costa modern electric railway running
in attractive scenery alongside the Rio de la Plata (Website
not functional when last checked)
- Córdoba
- FeMed (No website located at present)
- Resistencia Chaco province
- SEFECHA (No website located at present)
Local & Tourist Passenger Operators
- Tren
a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds). Salta to La Polvorilla Viaduct,
a distance of 217km reaching a height of over 4200m above sea level.
With an early morning start, the round trip takes over 16 hours.
Dining facilities are provided on the train, brakfast and lunch being
included in the fare. Operates typically three days each week.
- Tren Patagónico between Viedma and Bariloche
in Rio Negro province. Some trains steam hauled
(Site in Spanish)
- Viejo
Expreso Patagónico (Old Patagonian Express) in Chubut province,
El Maitén to Esquel, 330km, 750mm gauge. Day excursions operate over
part of the line from either terminus, and trains may be chartered
over all or part of the line. Trains are usually steam hauled.
- Iguazù
National Park has a purpose built narrow gauge line some 3.6km
in length with a LPG powered train, the Tren Ecológico de la
Selva, (Ecological Train of the Jungle) to convey visitors from
the central parking and commercial area to the various forest trails
and the spectacular waterfalls that form the border with Brazil.
Freight Operators
- ALL
main line freight operator in Argentina and Brazil
(Site in Spanish)
- Belgrano Cargas extensive metre gauge
freight operator (No website located at present)
- FerroExpreso Pampeano main line freight
operator (No website located at present)
- Ferrosur
Roca main line freight operator (Site in Spanish)
- NCA
main line freight operator
- Minera Alumbrera owns private freight trains
(operated by NCA) carrying copper ore concentrate from the processing
works near Tucumán, to Puerto Alumbrera on the Atlantic coast near
Rosario (Site in Spanish)
Metros & Trams
- Buenos Aires
- Córdoba proposed metro
(No website located at present)
- Mendoza trams (No website located at present)
- Valle Hermoso miniature electric tourist tram
(No website located at present)
Tierra del Fuego
The End of the World Train
- The
End of the World Train towards the close of the 19th Century, the
Argentine government decided to construct a prison at Ushuaia, at the
southern extremity of Tierra del Fuego. A xilorail (wooden
railway) was installed to aid during the construction, using oxen to
haul wagons. By 1909, this had been replaced by a steam hauled, 600mm
gauge, conventional railway. The railway brought supplies to the prison
from the wharf, and building materials (stone and wood) from the
hinterland. Over the years it grew to a sizeable network. The jail
closed in 1947, and closure of the railway followed in 1952. However,
in 1994, a part of the line was reopened as a tourist operation. It
runs from a station located a few km to the west of the town of Ushuaia,
into the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Not quite the most southerly
railway in the world (see Antarctica), but certainly the most
southerly to offer a regular service for fare paying passengers.
