Ferrocarril Compañía General en la Provincia de Buenos Aires
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The Ferrocarril Compañía General de Buenos Aires (CGBA) (in French: Compagnie Général de Chemins de Fer dans la Province de Buenos Aires) was a French–owned company, formed in 1904, which operated a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) metre gauge railway network in Argentina.
In 1904 the company took over a concession to build lines between the ports of Buenos Aires and Rosario, and to La Plata, together with other branch lines in the west and south of Buenos Aires Province. These lines were built as detailed in Table 1.
| Section | Length, km | Date Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires - Rosario | 395 | 25/01/1908 |
| Villars - 9 de Julio | 202 | 01/03/1909 |
| Gonzalez Catán - La Plata | 88 | 27/07/1910 |
| Pergamino - Vedia | 122 | 05/12/1910 |
| Patricios - Plaza | 224 | 07/12/1911 |
| 9 de Julio - General Villegas | 232 | 01/12/1912 |
The company always faced tough competition from the various large British-owned railway companies operating in the Province who had already built lines in those areas where most profit was to be made. As a result of this competition, plans to build a line between Buenos Aires and Bahia Blanca, and other branch lines were abandoned.
When the entire Argentine railway network was nationalised in 1948, during Juan Peron's presidency, the CGBA became part of the state-owned company Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano. During the later privatisation it was taken over by Transportes Metropolitanos - Belgrano Sur S.A.
[edit] References
Andres M. Regalsky, Foreign Capital, Local Interests and Railway Development in Argentina: French Investments in Railways, 1900-1914, J. of Latin American Studies, Vol 21, No.3 (Oct 1989), pp. 425-452.
