The first railway in Colombia was in fact the Panama Railroad which crossed the isthmus of Panama in 1855. However, in 1903, Panama became a country in ins own right; as a result, the first railway in present day Colombia was the line opened in 1871 between Barranquilla and Sabanilla (present day Puerto Salgar), a distance of about 22km. The gauge is variously reported as 1080mm or 1067mm; however, subsequent railway development in the country was mainly to a gauge of 3ft (914mm).
The much run down and near bankrupt national railway system all but closed down in the late 20th century. Passenger services ceased and an international link with Colombia was severed. Freight services were franchised to two companies, operating separate groups of lines on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the country.
Today the two freight companies continue to operate, with additional restored mileage. There is also an independent (1435mm standard gauge) mineral railway, a tourist passenger service on one of the Atlantic group of lines, and the Medellin Metro (opened in 1995). Proposals exist for a new Central Railway which would unite the two existing networks; a new coast to coast standard gauge line which would provide an alternative to the Panama Canal for international container traffic; a branch from the Atlantic group of lines to a new port; and a Metro for Bogotá.
© 2006-2011
Glyn Williams
Flag image from CIA World Factbook
