Rail transport in Argentina

Argentina's rail network at its greatest extent (c.1960).

The Argentine railway network consisted of a 47,000 km (29,204 mi) network at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in the world. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up in 1993 of Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA), the state railroad corporation. During the period following privatisation, private and provincial railway companies were created and resurrected some of the major passenger routes that FA once operated.

Dissatisfied with the private management of the railways, beginning in 2012 and following the Once Tragedy, the national government started to re-nationalise some of the private operators and ceased to renew their contracts. At the same time, Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado (SOFSE) was formed to manage the lines which were gradually taken over by the government in this period and Argentina's railways began receiving far greater investment than in previous decades.[1][2][3] In 2014, the government also began replacing the long distance rolling stock and rails and ultimately put forward a proposal in 2015 which revived Ferrocarriles Argentinos as Nuevos Ferrocarriles Argentinos later that year.[4][5][6][7]

The railroad network today, with its 36,966 km (22,970 mi) size, is now somewhat smaller than it once was, though still the 8th largest in the world.[8]

History

Del Parque station of Buenos Aires Western Railway, the first in Argentina (1857), later replaced by Once railway station in 1898.
Advertisement for th Central Argentine Railway (1913).
First train arriving at San Carlos de Bariloche (1934).

The growth and decline of the Argentine railways are tied heavily with the history of the country as a whole, reflecting its economic and political situation at numerous points in history, reaching its high point when Argentina ranked among the 10 largest economies in the world during the country's Belle Époque and subsequently deteriorating along with the hopes of the prosperity it came so close to achieving.[9] In the early years, the railway was emblematic of the vast waves of European Immigration into the country, with many coming to work on and operate the railways, such as the Italian-Argentine Alfonso Covassi, the country's first engine driver,[10] and also in the sense that the population boom experienced as a result of this immigration required means of transportation to meet the needs of the population. Much like in the American West, the railways also played a key role in the creation and expansion of new population centres and boomtowns in remote parts of the country.[11]

Development

The importance of foreign capital in the construction of the Argentine railways is perhaps overstated, with initial construction of the network beginning in 1855 at first with Argentine finance. The Western, Great Western and Southern railways (today the part of the San Martín, Sarmiento and Roca railways respectively) were all commenced using Argentine capital with the Buenos Aires Western Railway being the first to open its doors in the country.[12]

Following the adoption of liberal economic policies by president Bartolomé Mitre, these railways were sold off to foreign private interests, consisting of mostly British companies, in what would be the first of many acts where the ideological climate of the time would define the fate of the Argentine railways.[13] These sales also included Argentina's first railway, the Buenos Aires Western (by now 1,014 km long), which was sold in 1890 to the British company New Western Railway of Buenos Aires for just over 8.1 million pounds (close to £500 million in 2005 money[14]).[15] Major development of the Argentine rail network occurred in this period between 1870 and 1914, primarily financed by British capital,[16] but also, French, German and Argentine investors. The Argentine state also played a role in this period, financing ferrocarriles de fomento (development railways) in rural areas not profitable for private interests.[10] The Argentine rail network attained significant growth during this period which positioned the country as the tenth largest rail network in the world in 1914 at a point where the country had the tenth highest per-capita GDP in the world.[17] Its expansion accelerated greatly due to the need for the transport of agricultural products and cattle in Buenos Aires Province. The rail network converged on the city of Buenos Aires and was a key component in the development of the Argentine economy as it rose to be a leading export country.

With the advent of the First World War, then subsequently the Wall Street Crash and Great Depression, the rail network of the country experienced a much lower rate of growth after 1914 and had mostly ground to a halt by the beginning of the Second World War.[18] The Argentine government started the nationalisation process of its rail network in 1946.

Railroad newtork grouth and expansion[19]
Years 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920
System length (kilometres) 9.8 722 2,516 9,397 16,500 29,094 47,000
Passengers transported (millions) – – 3 – 18 – 145
Cargo transported (x 1,000,000 tonnes) – – 1.0 – 11.8 – 45.5

Nationalisation

A 1948 Propaganda poster celebrating nationalisation. Caption reads "Perón Fulfils. They are now ours!".
A 1949 advertisement for the Buenos Aires to Bahía Blanca service.

By the end of the Second World War, the United Kingdom owed Argentina m$n 2 billion after the country had filled the gaps in food shortages during the war effort.[20][21] Following what was then a worldwide trend, the private companies were nationalised by the government of Juan Perón, beginning in 1946 with the French railways and then purchasing the British railways after an agreement was signed cancelling the British debt in 1947.[22][23] Perón later claimed in an interview that the British envoys had offered him a bribe of US$100 million if the state paid an extra m$n 6 billion for the railways on top of the debt cancellation.[20] In 1948 these railways, together with those that were already state-owned, were grouped according to their track gauge and locality into the following six state-owned companies named after key people in Argentine history:

These would later become divisions of the state-owned holding company Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA).

Soon after the reorganisation, Perón turned it into a political matter with the nationalisation becoming a symbol of national autonomy and independence from foreign powers rather than an administrative change and is still to this day regarded by justicialists as a move against neo-imperialsm.[24][25] Although for many years the state-owned railways were able to provide a good standard of passenger and freight service, over the years the changing politics of Argentina began to take its toll. By the 1960s, the post-war economic boom had ushered in a new age of the automobile, with rail transport on its way out around the world, a trend from which Argentina was not left unscathed.

Following the ousting of Perón from power, the Larkin Plan was implemented to modernise transport in the country with backing from the World Bank and intended to make investments in the country's railways.[26] However, by 1961 its aims had changed significantly and the plan had evolved into one which prioritised automobile transport and began lifting sections of railway - an act which was put to an end following a series of strikes by railway workers in opposition to the plan.[27] Later governments between 1967 and 1971 then continued investing in the railways and enacted modernisation plans, renewing much of the rolling stock.

The 1970s and 1980s saw a significant decline in Argentina's railways. In 1965, 25% of cargo and 18% of passengers were transported by rail, while by 1980 this figure had dropped to 8% and 7% respectively and Ferrocarriles Argentinos was losing US$1 million per day maintaining an aging system with dwindling passengers.[28] Between 1976 and 1980 during the military dictatorship, 560 stations were closed, along with 5500 km of track, while the number of employees in railway workshops alone fell from 155,000 to 97,000.[29]

Privatisation

Abandonment of transport means.
The Once rail disaster left 49 dead and prompted calls for re-nationalisation.

Between 1992 and 1995, the government decided break up and to privatise the state-owned company Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA), which comprised six relatively independent divisions, Sarmiento, Mitre, Urquiza, San Martin, Belgrano and Roca, and granted concessions to private companies for their operation through competitive bidding.[30] The decision was taken by the former President Carlos Menem and formed part of his neoliberal reforms.

At the start of the concessions, service improved, and traffic began to grow again. However, as more locomotives and rolling stock were needed the private companies became increasingly reluctant to make the investment required to increase capacity and service quality and passenger numbers began to decline again. At the same time, railway privatisation resulted in the loss of some 70,000 jobs in the railway sector over the years, whilst by 1998 some 793 railway stations had closed.[31] In addition, companies with interests in other transport means (such as bus transport) who had vested interests seeking the demise of the railway, purchased lines for far less than their real value.[32]

Under the privatisation, some government subsidies continued in order to attract investors, which meant that privatisation would still mean the state losing money from the railways, while in the concessions, the private companies were expected to maintain the railway infrastructure - something which they would not do during this period and led to the gradual deterioration of the entire network. Similarly, over the years the government subsidies to the private companies increased to levels similar to the losses incurred under the state management of the railways, albeit now with a much more limited service and vastly deteriorated infrasturcture.[32]

The closing of most of the rail system led to the emptying of many towns of the interior, creating ghost towns and therefore to a dismantling of the development that had taken place there since the arrival of trains.[33] Argentine agriculture found itself in the difficult position of shipping its goods more expensively and inefficiently by individual trucks.

The economic crisis in 2001 was the final blow and neither the private companies nor the government could provide the service required. In 2003, the new administration of President Néstor Kirchner set it as a key policy objective to revive the national rail network. Although the economic upturn saw traffic grow again, the suburban rail operators are now little more than managers of government contracts rather than true entrepreneurs.[34]

Recent developments and moves towards re-nationalisation

Florencio Randazzo overseeing construction near Chascomús.
A Mitre Line Electric Multiple Unit.

In 2008, the National Government formed Trenes Argentinos Operadora Ferroviaria (SOFSE) to manage some freight and passenger lines in the country.[1] The Once Tragedy of February 2012 prompted further action by the government, resulting in the revocation of the Sarmiento Line and Mitre Line concessions from Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA) in May of that year, with both lines eventually being put under the management of the state-owned SOFSE.[35][36] In June 2012, the government announced that it was renationalising some freight railways citing "serious breaches of contract" by the operators, this culminated in the nationalisation of the Belgrano Cargas network which operates on over 10,000 km of metre gauge track.[37][38]

This trend continued in the following years and the government began re-opening services and improving on the once private services using completely new rolling stock, including long distance services like the one from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires-Rosario-Cordoba.[39][40] This new-found investment in the railways has not been limited to rolling stock since, in many cases, the state has completely replaced, or is in the process of replacing, the existing infrastructure with continuous welded rails on concrete sleepers and undertaking other works such as renovating level crossings and building new railway bridges.[41][42][43]

While from 2008 to 2014 there were many indications that the state was re-nationalising parts of the railway and making efforts towards improving it, in 2015 it was announced that complete nationalisation of the remaining lines and services were on the table after a project was put forward that would see the resurrection of Ferrocarriles Argentinos as a state-owned holding company which would incorporate SOFSE, Belgrano Cargas and the public company in charge of rail infrastructure.[44] This was put into effect in April of 2015 when, by overwhelming majority, the Argentine Senate passed the law which re-created Ferrocarriles Argentinos and effectively re-nationalised the country's railways, a move which saw support from all major political parties across the political spectrum.[45][46][47]

Commuter networks

Diagrammatic map of the Buenos Aires Commuter Rail Network

Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Cordoba, Resistencia, Paraná, La Plata, Santiago del Estero and Salta are the only cities in Argentina to offer suburban passenger services; most other cities rely on bus and trolleybus transportation.

Commuter rail in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires City's metropolitan rail system is the second most extensive in the Americas after New York's commuter rail system, with about 259 stations, covering 813 kilometres (505 miles) and 7 rail lines serving more than 445 million commuters annually in the Greater Buenos Aires region.[48] Commuter rail service from the suburbs is operated by several agencies. These rail systems converge at five rail terminals, all of them in Buenos Aires, with two, Retiro and Constitución rail terminals being the busiest train stations in Argentina.

Metropolitan Railway Transport[49]
Line Operator Line length (kilometres) Number of stations Annual ridership (1998) Annual ridership (2008)
Mitre
Trenes Argentinos
185,5
55
84,081,493
73,207,048
Belgrano Norte
Ferrovías
54,3
22
35,931,801
45,830,200
Belgrano Sur
Trenes Argentinos
66,3
30
16,219,806
11,472,416
Roca
Trenes Argentinos
237,2
70
152,082,063
125,556,026
San Martín
Trenes Argentinos
56,3
19
25,581,310
46,647,676
Sarmiento
Trenes Argentinos
184,1
40
113,218,819
118,143,006
Urquiza
Metrovías
29,9
23
25,581,310
24,212,133
Totals:
—
813
259
451,971,849
445,068,505
Constitución, second busiest rail station in the country.
A San Martín Line diesel-electric train.

Buenos Aires City's commuter rail provides 1800 trains carrying over one million passengers each business day in the city of Buenos Aires, its suburbs in Greater Buenos Aires and several far-reaching satellite towns. Service is provided by private companies and spreads out from five central stations in Buenos Aires: Retiro (the busiest), Constitución, Once, Federico Lacroze – all serving both long-distance and local passenger services – and Buenos Aires Station which despite its name is a secondary rail terminus serving only local commuter services.

The Retiro and Constitución train stations are linked by Line C of the Buenos Aires Underground, Once is served by Line A of the underground via its "Plaza Miserere" station and by Line H's Once station, while Federico Lacroze is served by Line B. The smaller Buenos Aires Station is accessible by some city bus services and it is the only railway terminus in Buenos Aires that has no access to the Buenos Aires Underground.

Most trains leave at regular 8-20 minute intervals, though for trains travelling a longer distance service may be less frequent. Fares are cheap and tickets can be purchased at ticket windows or through the SUBE card machines at stations. Most of the lines are electric, several are diesel-powered, while some of these are currently being converted to electric and some of the lines share traffic with freight services.

Buenos Aires area commuter rail lines were privatised in the 1990s, and passengers have complained for years about poor commuter rail services on lines leading from Constitución station in downtown Buenos Aires to the capital's southern suburbs.[50] However, in recent years all but two of the services have been re-nationalised and are operated by Trenes Argentinos.[51]

Other commuter rail services

Anchorena station on the Tren de la Costa line.

The light rail Tren de la Costa (Train of the Coast), which serves "tourist" and local commuters, runs from the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires to Tigre along the river for approximately 15 kilometres, the line connects directly to the Mitre line at Maipú–Bartolomé Mitre station in the northern suburb of Olivos for direct access to Retiro terminus in the centre of the city.

An experimental project of a short run tramway line, Tranvía del Este, was inaugurated in 2007 in the Puerto Madero district of Buenos Aires. The 2 km prototype line ran between the Córdoba and Independencia avenues, ridership was not been as expected and the line closed in 2012.[52] Another tramway line, the PreMetro E2, operates as a feeder at the end of Metro Line E and a Historic Tramway operates on weekends and holidays in the Caballito neighbourhood of the capital.

Ticketing

The Buenos Aires public transit system uses a ticketing system. All tickets are bought at ticket booths and ticket printing consoles at railway stations and on board certain trains. Tickets can be bought either using cash or by using the SUBE card (also used throughout the country for buses, tollbooths and underground). Ticket cost differ depending on the payment method: If the tickets are bought using SUBE, the user can benefit from a government subsidy which translates to a substantially reduced fare. Children under three years of age, children in school uniform, retired people receiving pensions and the disabled do not have to pay to use these services in most cases.[53] Similarly, university students and staff have a 20% discount, with a 50% discount proposed in 2015.[54]

Buenos Aires Electric Railways Network in 2008.

Electrification

Although the first electric railway between Retiro and Tigre was inaugurated in 1916, major electrification projects were not adopted. The large size of the country, its long distances and flat topography mean that major electrification does not make much sense economically, although some suburban networks in Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area were electrified. After several decades of the Buenos Aires rail-service being under-funded, there is presently an ongoing modernistion plan so as to provide much needed improvement in services, and the trend is towards electrification of several lines.

The new Roca Line EMUs are like those used on other lines, but with overhead line electrification instead of third rail.

The first line to receive this improvement was the Roca line network in the southern part of the city, where work is already in progress, and several new segments electrified in 2012, such as the Glew - Alejandro Korn route and the Temperley - Remedios de Escalada route.[55][56] The electrification of this line from Constitución railway station in Buenos Aires to the city of La Plata will be completed in 2015.[57]

Work is also under way on the San Martín line to electrify its diesel segments,[58] and there are plans to electrify the Belgrano Norte line and remaining parts of the Sarmiento Line.[59][60] Both the Mitre and Sarmiento lines received completely new CSR rolling stock in 2014, while the Roca line's 300 coaches of the same type are in storage awaiting the completion of the line's electrification.[61]

In 2008, approximately 42.7%, 258 km (160 miles) from a total rail network of 604 km (375 mi) of the Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires area (excluding outer-suburban satellite cities of Capilla del Señor, Lobos, Mercedes, Luján, Zárate and Cañuelas), but including the city of La Plata, was electrified (with both locomotives and multiple units). By the end of 2015, approximately 75% of the network will be electrified, if the Belgrano Norte is added to the equation (which is being planned); the total electrified network would work out to approximately 84.9%.

Buenos Aires Underground

Map of the current underground network
A Line H station with Siemens O&K rolling stock.

The Buenos Aires Underground (Subterráneo de Buenos Aires-locally known as Subte) is a metro system that serves the city of Buenos Aires, the network was inaugurated in 1913 by the Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company, being the first of its kind in Latin America and in the entire Southern Hemisphere and Spanish speaking world. It currently has six lines, with a seventh underway a further two planned, carrying 252 million passengers per year on a 52 km network with 83 stations.[62][63] The network expanded quickly in its early years, but the rate of expansion had slowed by the 1960s, with serious attempts at expansion and modernisation only occurring in recent years.[64]

Other underground projects

In the city of Córdoba, Argentina, there is a project to build an underground system; the Córdoba Metro, which would make it the second metro system in Argentina.[65] The network will be 33 kilometres long with 26 stations on 3 lines, with a total cost of $1.8 billion.[66] The city of Rosario has also proposed having its own metro system, which is currently being evaluated.[67]

Work has also begun in Buenos Aires to move the Sarmiento Line underground in an effort to decrease journey times whilst improving traffic conditions above ground. The project will be undertaken in three stages and, when completed, would mean that 32.6 kilometres of the line between Caballito and Moreno will be completely underground, with station entrances above ground similar to a metro system.[68] The existing above-ground line has continued to operate while work has occurred below ground for the corresponding sections.[69][70]

Metrotranvía of Mendoza

Passengers boarding a Siemens–Duewag U2 in Mendoza.
Main article: Metrotranvía Mendoza

The Metrotranvía Mendoza (Spanish for Mendoza Light Rail or fast tramway) is a public light rail transport system for the city of Mendoza, Argentina, served by articulated light rail cars operating on newly relaid tracks in former-Ferrocarril General San Martín mainline right-of-way.

The tram serves the metropolitan area of Mendoza, which includes the departments of Las Heras, Central district, Godoy Cruz, Maipú and Luján de Cuyo. As of 2013, only one line runs a 12.5-km stretch between Mendoza Central Station and General Gutierrez in Maipú, on double-track 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge track. The finished project includes four lines, 46,5 km in length and 50 stations, also connecting downtown with the Airport.

Construction of the first line (Línea Verde, or Green Line.[71]) began in March 2009.[72] The system opened for regular service on 8 October 2012.[71] On February 2014, the local Government announced the start of constructing works for the second line, linking the city centre with the North, up to Panquehua, in Las Heras Department.[73]

Unlike the rest of railway services in Argentina,[74] the rail cars on this line run on the righthand track. The service is operated by the State.

A Materfer train like the ones used in Paraná at a workshop in Entre Ríos.

Paraná local network

The Paraná urban railway is served by two local lines which run on the standard gauge General Urquiza Railway and link Paraná city -Capital of Entre Ríos province- with Colonia Avellaneda and Villa Fontana. The two lines are 9 and 13.4 km long, but there are further plans to expand the system. Villa Fontana's line was inaugurated on August 2010 up to Oro Verde and expanded to Villa Fontana in 2011. Colonia Avellaneda's line was inaugurated on March 2011.[75][76]

Paraná city is also linked with interurban servcices to Concepción del Uruguay and Concordia, Entre Rios' main cities.[77]

Resistencia's commuter network

It serves Great Resistencia, the capital city of the province of Chaco with a 10 km line to Puerto Vilelas with 8 stations, and a 20 km line to Puerto Tirol with 16 stations. From the intermediate station of Cacuí in the Puerto Tirol Line leaves the interstate line to Los Amores in the province of Santa Fe. The whole network uses the former General Belgrano Railway 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge tracks.[78]

The system was originally operated by Chaco Railway Services, owned by the Province's Government, but on May 2010 operation was transferred to SOFSE, the state-owned railway company managed by the National Government.[79]

La Plata Railway station

La Plata

La Plata is mostly serviced by the Roca Line, including the University train of La Plata, which runs from the central station to the National University of La Plata. Currently, the segment of the Roca Line which runs from Buenos Aires to La Plata and its suburbs is in the process of being electrified with new rolling stock, stations and track, with works having commenced in 2014 and due to be completed in 2015.[80] This line also provides commuter services to La Plata's city centre from neighborhoods like Tolosa, Ringuelet, City Bell and Villa Elisa, with a frequency of one train every 25 minutes, which is expected to drop to 12 minutes after the electrification is completed.[81]

Intercity passenger services

Long distance passenger train.

Argentina scrapped many of its uneconomical long-distance passenger train services during the early 1990s and privatised, by concession contract, several main routes to Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA), Ferrocentral, Ferrobaires, and Trenes Especiales Argentinos. The new services were not what passengers were used to and, with the exception of the Buenos Aires, Rosario, Córdoba and Tucumán corridors, provided erratic and poor-quality services. In recent years however, government policy has changed to one in which the state intends to re-open and operate all services which were formally closed.[82]

Under privatisation, many services ceased to operate for a variety of reasons. Among these were previously iconic routes such as Buenos Aires - Posadas and Buenos Aires - Bariloche.[83][84] Recently however, the national government has been replacing very large segments of track in important corridors and routes, using continuous welded rails on concrete sleepers to accommodate trains running at speeds of 160 km/h.[85][86] Many of these improvements are nearing completion while others are under way and some are in the planning stages.

In 2014 there was a 600% increase in spending on railway infrastructure, being spent on projects around the country to revive long distance services, while this expendature is expected to be even higher in 2015.[87][88] To accommodate this revival in long distance services, Retiro railway station will receive a new expansion for the services being operated by SOFSE.[89] Similar projects are nearing completion in cities like Rosario, where a completely new railway terminal has been built in addition to the existing ones.[90]

At the same time, the high speed rail project which had been planned for the Buenos Aires - Rosario - Córdoba corridor has been put on hold since for the moment the routes are being refurbished for the 160 km/h services which are considered to be a higher priority, though as of 2015, Chinese proposals for high speed rail are still being considered.[91][92]

Routes

Retiro railway station in Buenos Aires.

Inter-city services are currently served by two Stated-owned railway companies, Trenes Argentinos (that manages all the long-distance passenger rail services) and Ferrobaires (operating services in Buenos Aires Province). Ferrobaires has been criticised for the quality of its service,[93] though there have been signs that the company (owned by the province of Buenos Aires, rather than the national government) may be dissolved when its remaining services are taken over by Trenes Argentinos.[94]

Nowadays, some of the most important cities of Argentina are served by train, departing from Constitucion, Once and Retiro terminus located in the centre of Buenos Aires. Some cities currently are: Mar del Plata, Rosario (both stations, Norte and Sur, Córdoba, General Pico, Santa Rosa, Rufino and San Miguel de Tucumán.[95]

Other regional services are operated by their respectives Provinces, such as Tren a las Nubes (operated by the Government of Salta) and Servicios Ferroviarios Patagónico (also known as "Tren Patagónico") by the Río Negro Province.

Tourist railways

Historic Tramway in Caballito, Buenos Aires.
Tren de las Sierras.
The famous "Polvorilla" viaduct used by the Tren a las Nubes.
The Old Patagonian Express crossing the Río Chico.

Buenos Aires

Córdoba

Rosario

Salta

Mendoza

Misiones

Patagonia

Tierra del Fuego

Rolling stock

Prior to the deterioration of the rail network, Argentina had a greater number of rolling stock manufacturers which supplied trains and cars throughout the railways, however today only Materfer, Grupo Emepa and Fabricaciones Militares remain. While Materfer make the CMM 400-2 diesel multiple units and the MTF-3300 diesel cargo locomotives, Emepa manufacture the Alerce EMU/DMU which is to be used on the Belgrano Norte Line.[102][103] At the same time, Fabricaciones Militares only makes freight cars, such as those used in the Belgrano Cargas network, though in the past they made electric trains for suburban and underground lines.[104] There have been signs that the industry is reviving and expanding, while at the same time there are many workshops around the country which refurbish and modernise older rolling stock.[105][106]

Though the industry is being revived, the country no longer has the capacity to manufacture long-distance locomotives and EMUs for suburban lines, so these are mostly imported from China and are made by companies such as CSR Corporation Limited and China CNR Corporation, with CSR planning to open a factory in Argentina.[107]

Track gauge

The railways of Argentina operate over the following track gauges:

Main line gauges:

Secondary gauges:

International rail links to adjacent countries

Posadas-Encarnación train at Posadas station.

Incidents

A passenger train slammed into a bus at a rural Argentine level crossing, near Dolores, some 125 miles (201 km) south of Buenos Aires, before dawn on 9 March 2008, killing 18 people and leaving at least 47 others injured. The bus driver ignored the warning lights and lowered crossing gates.[110]

A passenger train operated by Trenes de Buenos Aires hit a bus on a level crossing at Flores in Buenos Aires during the morning rush hour on 13 September 2011, killing 11 people and injuring 265. The train derailed, and crashed into a train standing at the platform in the adjacent station. The bus driver had ignored warning lights and a partly lowered barrier.[111][112]

On 22 February 2012 a passenger train operated by TBA crashed into the solid buffers at the Once station near downtown Buenos Aires, killing 51 people and injuring over 700 others. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner called for two days of national mourning following what was the second deadliest train accident in Argentina's history.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Resolution 163/2015 - Infoleg (Spanish)
  2. ↑ Estaciones nuevas y modernas para las lineas metropolitanas - ADIFSE, December 2014
  3. ↑ Comenzaron a funcionar los nuevos trenes - ADIFSE, November 2014
  4. ↑ Así es el proyecto que recrea Ferrocarriles Argentinos - EnElSubte.com, March 2015
  5. ↑ http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/economia/2-270658-2015-04-16.html Otro salto en la recuperación de soberanía] - Pagina/12, 16 April, 2015
  6. ↑ http://enelsubte.com/noticias/es-ley-la-creacion-de-ferrocarriles-argentinos/ Es ley la creación de Ferrocarriles Argentinos] - EnElSubte, 15 April, 2015
  7. ↑ Ferrocarriles Argentinos: Randazzo agradeció a la oposición parlamentaria por acompañar en su recuperación - Sala de Prensa de la Republica Argentina, 15 April, 2015
  8. ↑ CIA World Factbook - Argentina
  9. ↑ The tragedy of Argentina: A century of decline - The Economist, 14th February 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Breve Historia de los FERROCARRILES ARGENTINOS, su Construcción, su Destrucción, su Importancia, y Proyecto de Recuperación. - Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, 2013, p.6
  11. ↑ El Ferrocarril en La Argentina - Ferrocarriles del Sud, August 2011
  12. ↑ Los Ferrocarriles: Sus orígenes - TodoTren
  13. ↑ Breve Historia de los Ferrocarriles Argentinos - La Gazeta
  14. ↑ Currency converter - The National Archives
  15. ↑ Breve Historia de los FERROCARRILES ARGENTINOS, su Construcción, su Destrucción, su Importancia, y Proyecto de Recuperación. - Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, 2013, p.22
  16. ↑ The British and the Argentine railways Retrieved on 24 June 2008
  17. ↑ "Argentina's Economic Crisis: An "Absence of Capitalism"". Heritage.org. 2001-04-19. Archived from the original on 2011-12-08.
  18. ↑ Breve Historia de los FERROCARRILES ARGENTINOS, su Construcción, su Destrucción, su Importancia, y Proyecto de Recuperación. - Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, 2013, p.24
  19. ↑ JSTOR: The Economic Journal, Vol. 68, No. 271 (Sept., 1958), pp.589-593 - Retrieved on 14 June 2008
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Juan Domingo Perón anuncia la nacionalización de los ferrocarriles. - Portal Publico de Noticias, March, 2015.
  21. ↑ 1945 Britain – Imperial ambitions of a starving nation - 2nd Look, December 2009
  22. ↑ La red ferroviaria argentina - Ministerio de Educacion
  23. ↑ Los Ferrocarriles: Sus orígenes - Todo Tren
  24. ↑ BREVE HISTORIA DE LOS FERROCARRILES ARGENTINOS - La Gazeta
  25. ↑ El primer objetivo estratégico La Independencia Económica, una de las tres banderas del justicialismo Cuadro de situación financiero en 1946 - Historia del Peronismo
  26. ↑ El plan Larkin y la resistencia obrera - Laguna Paiva
  27. ↑ Historia de los Organismos y Empresas del Estado: Ferrocarriles Argentinos - Ministerio de Planificacion
  28. ↑ El SISTEMA FERROVIARIO DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA - Revista Geográfica Digital, January 2013
  29. ↑ Breve historia de la privatización de los ferrocarriles en la Argentina - Tiempo Argentino, February 2012
  30. ↑ El proceso de privatizaciones en la Argentina desde una perspectiva del Balance de Pagos - MECON
  31. ↑ El servicio ferroviario argentino de las últimas dos décadas, el antes y después de las privatizaciones - Monografias.com
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Privatización de los ferrocarriles: “Ramal que para, ramal que cierra” - Contra Molinos de Sortilegios, 24 July 2013
  33. ↑ COMO PERDIMOS EL FERROCARRIL ARGENTINO - Ancaloo, 29 September 2008
  34. ↑ Argentina sets a new course. Railway Gazette International, Retrieved on 19 May 2008
  35. ↑ "Finalmente, el Gobierno le sacó las concesiones del Sarmiento y del Mitre a TBA". Clarín.
  36. ↑ "El gobierno nacional estatizó los ferrocarriles Sarmiento y Mitre", Infobae
  37. ↑ "ALL concessions revoked". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  38. ↑ "Nueva empresa estatal para el Belgrano Cargas", Página/12, 23 May 2013
  39. ↑ Randazzo: “Estamos saldando una deuda con las ciudades del interior del país”
  40. ↑ Exitosa prueba en la renovada vía a Rosario EnElSubte.com, March 2015
  41. ↑
  42. ↑ Rescinden contratos a privados y vuelve Ferrocarriles Argentinos EnElSubte.com, March 2015
  43. ↑ Randazzo: “Este paso bajo nivel es parte del importante proceso de renovación ferroviaria de la Línea Sarmiento" - Crónica Ferroviaria, February 2015
  44. ↑ Así es el proyecto que recrea Ferrocarriles Argentinos - EnElSubte, March 2015
  45. ↑ http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/economia/2-270658-2015-04-16.html Otro salto en la recuperación de soberanía] - Pagina/12, 16 April, 2015
  46. ↑ http://enelsubte.com/noticias/es-ley-la-creacion-de-ferrocarriles-argentinos/ Es ley la creación de Ferrocarriles Argentinos] - EnElSubte, 15 April, 2015
  47. ↑ Ferrocarriles Argentinos: Randazzo agradeció a la oposición parlamentaria por acompañar en su recuperación - Sala de Prensa de la Republica Argentina, 15 April, 2015
  48. ↑ Secretaria de Transporte de la Nacion Facts and Figures / TABLE No. 6 (Spanish) Retrieved on 19 February 2011
  49. ↑ Secretaria de Transporte de la Nacion Facts and Figures / TABLE No. 2 (Spanish) Retrieved on 19 February 2011
  50. ↑ Reshaping Argentina's Railways, Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 2 (pp.23–29) Retrieved on 24 June 2008
  51. ↑ servicios líneas metropolitanas - SOFSE
  52. ↑ El tren de Puerto Madero, ocho meses sin servicio y un futuro incierto - Cronista, 23 May 2013
  53. ↑ Tarifas - Tren Mitre
  54. ↑ Creación del Boleto Docente para el Transporte Público ferroviario y automotor - Crónica Ferroviaria, 18 March 2015
  55. ↑ Electrificarán todos los ramales del Ferrocarril Roca Retrieved on 23 June 2008 (Spanish)
  56. ↑ Informe Anual 2012 - Ministerio del Interior y Transporte, 06 June 2013
  57. ↑ En 2015 terminará la electrificación del ramal Constitución-La Plata - Diario Conurbano, 03 December 2014
  58. ↑ Comprarán 160 coches y 24 locomotoras chinas para la línea San Martín Retrieved on 23 June 2008 (Spanish)
  59. ↑ Anunciaron la electrificación del Sarmiento hasta Mercedes - El Nuevo Cronista, 27 March 2015
  60. ↑ Randazzo: "Quiero comprometerme aquí a que en los próximos años, no más allá de 24 meses, se inicie el proceso de electrificación del ferrocarril hasta Mercedes” - Crónica Ferroviaria, 27 March 2015
  61. ↑ La Presidenta presentó los 300 vagones cero kilómetro destinados al ferrocarril Roca , que a fin de año estará electrificado - Precidencia de la Nacion, 05 March 2015
  62. ↑ Informe de gestion 2013 - Metrovias, 2013
  63. ↑ SBASE planea dejar iniciada la línea F para 2015 - EnElSubte, 10 September 2014
  64. ↑ Planes e Inversiones - Buenos Aires Ciudad
  65. ↑ Diario La Voz Del Interior Retrieved on 10 July 2009 (Spanish)
  66. ↑ Córdoba metro redesigned - Railway Gazette, 19 February 2012
  67. ↑ Reimpulsan la construcción de un Subte en Rosario - EnElSubte, 29 July 2014
  68. ↑ Soterramiento del Ferrocarril Sarmiento - Secretaria de Transporte, 08 September 2011
  69. ↑ Ceremony marks start of Sarmiento tunnelling - Railroad Gazette, 05 July 2012
  70. ↑ Fotos de la obra del soterramiento del Ferrocarril Sarmiento - Traninga!
  71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 "Mendoza light rail service begins" (December 2012). Tramways & Urban Transit, p. 451. LRTA Publishing. ISSN 1460-8324.
  72. ↑ "Metrotranvía deal signed". Railway Gazette International. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  73. ↑ "Second stage of Metrotranvía signed by Government". Info News Mendoza. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  74. ↑ El día en que Argentina dejó de manejar por la izquierda - Autoblog, 23 September 2014
  75. ↑ Paraná - Oro Verde - Cnia. Avellaneda en Satélite Ferroviario
  76. ↑ Horarios Paraná - Colonia Avellaneda - Trenes Argentinos
  77. ↑ Sofse: Parece que la solución vino rápida y el tren de pasajeros ahora llega hasta Concordia - Cronica Ferroviaria, 04 April 2014
  78. ↑
  79. ↑ "Sefecha pasó a la Nación" (in Spanish). Resistencia: Editorial Chaco S.A. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  80. ↑ La Presidenta presentó los 300 vagones cero kilómetro destinados al ferrocarril Roca , que a fin de año estará electrificado - Sala De Prensa de La Republica Argentina, 05 March 2015
  81. ↑ Comenzaron las obras de electrificación del ramal Constitución - La Plata - InfoBae, 03 December 2014
  82. ↑ Randazzo: "Ramal que arranca no para nunca más" - Sala de prensa de la Republica Argentina, 28 February 2015
  83. ↑ F. Lacroze - Apóstoles - Posadas - Satelite Ferroviario, 08 December 2014
  84. ↑ Viedma - Jacobacci - Bariloche - Satelite Ferroviario, 16 March 2015
  85. ↑ Tren a Rosario arranca el miercoles: tardara 6:30 horas - EnElSubte
  86. ↑ Mar del Plata: Día a día avanzan las obras de renovación de vía - Crónica Ferroviaria, 02 April 2015
  87. ↑ Se publican en la web las obras ferroviarias de ADIF y sus contratos - ADIFSE, 26 May 2014
  88. ↑ Obras - ADIFSE
  89. ↑ Nuevo acceso y andenes para larga distancia en Retiro Mitre - EnElSubte, 02 April 2015
  90. ↑ Se ultiman detalles para la llegada del tren a Rosario - ADIFSE, 26 January 2015
  91. ↑ Randazzo sepulta el proyecto de tren bala a Córdoba - La Voz, 20 December 2012
  92. ↑ El tren chino de alta velocidad vigoriza América Latina - People Daily, 26 January 2015
  93. ↑ Randazzo volvió a atacar con dureza a Scioli - La Nacion, 13 March 2015
  94. ↑ El caso Ferrobaires - Cronica Ferroviaria, 24 March 2015
  95. ↑ Horarios y Destinos - Satelite Ferroviario
  96. ↑ "Randazzo recibió el tren que vuelve a unir Alta Córdoba con Cosquín", Ministerio del Interior y Trasporte, 17 Mar, 2015
  97. ↑ Recorridos - El Tranvia del Bicentinario
  98. ↑ Imágenes - El Tranvia del Bicentinario
  99. ↑ A un siglo de su puesta en marcha, quieren que vuelva a rodar un tranvía - La Capital, 29 October 2006
  100. ↑ Mendoza Wine Train Retrieved on 26 May 2008
  101. ↑ "Accidentado viaje inaugural de un tren de vapor en Bariloche", La Nación, 14 Jul 2001
  102. ↑ Nuevo servicio diferencial en el Belgrano Norte, con coches de fabricación nacional - Secretaria de Transporte, 25 March 2015
  103. ↑ Ferroviario - Materfer
  104. ↑ Fabricaciones Militares construirá más de 1000 vagones para el Belgrano Cargas - Fabricaciones Militares
  105. ↑ Técnicos españoles colaborarán con la recuperación de los talleres ferroviarios argentinos - Telam, 23 July 2013
  106. ↑ Tecnología e innovación ferroviaria en la Argentina - Pagina/12, 19 April 2014
  107. ↑ La fábrica de trenes china CSR Sifang se instalará en la Argentina - Telam, 04 November 2014
  108. ↑ Initiative for Regional Infrastructure Integration in South America, Retrieved on 26 May 2008
  109. ↑ En julio se licitará tren Los Andes - Mendoza Retrieved on 26 May 2008 (Spanish)
  110. ↑ Argentina train bus collision
  111. ↑ "Al Menos Once Muertos y 228 Heridos en la Mayor Tragedia con Trenes en la Ciudad en Casi 50 Años". Clarín (in Spanish) (Buenos Aires). 13 September 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  112. ↑ "Argentina Bus and Trains Crash Killing at Least 11". British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2012.

Bibliography

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