General Manuel Belgrano Railway
Belgrano Railway | |||
---|---|---|---|
Overview | |||
Status | Active | ||
Owner | Government of Argentina | ||
Locale | Argentina | ||
Termini | |||
Stations | List | ||
Service | |||
Type | metre gauge | ||
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The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the
In the metropolitan section of the city of Buenos Aires, Ferrocarril Belgrano is divided into two lines,
respectively.Passenger trains of Norte Line are only run to Villa Rosa in
Ferrocarril Belgrano ran passenger services to La Quiaca and even to Bolivia although those branches were closed in the 1980s or early 1990s. There are projects to run passenger services between La Quiaca and San Salvador de Jujuy, both cities in Jujuy Province.
The main lines departed from Retiro station in Buenos Aires to the north through the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Chaco, Formosa, Salta, Jujuy, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja and Catamarca.
History
Background
In 1876,
By the beginning of the 20th century, the national government had built several
regions.In 1905 the
Projects were revived several times but it was not until 1921 when the Argentine State Railway company started the construction of a line. Works -directed by American engineer Richard Maury- continued until 1930 when the overthrow of Hipólito Yrigoyen caused their interruption with only a few kilometers built, while Maury was fired by the de facto government. Works resumed in 1936, reaching the cities of Olacapato (1941), Unquillal (1944) and Tolar Grande (1945). President Juan Perón encouraged works to continue after he became president that same year.
In January 1948 works were finished at last and the line was opened, joining Argentina and Chile in Socompa. Trains ran along 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 zig-zags and 2 spirals. In 1972 the line started to operate as a touristic service, under the commercial name "Tren a las Nubes" (Train to the Clouds)
Nationalisation
After the
From then on, a restructuring of the entire Argentine rail network was carried out, given the lines local heroes' names. As a result, several former British and French companies, such as
The Patagonian railway owned by state became part of
The six companies were managed by Ferrocarriles Argentinos which was later broken up during the process of railway privatisation beginning in 1991 during Carlos Menem's presidency.
The following
Ferrocarril General Belgrano
| |
Former company | Provinces |
---|---|
Central Northern (1) | |
Córdoba North Western | Córdoba
|
Provincial de Buenos Aires |
Buenos Aires |
Provincial de Santa Fe |
Córdoba
|
Midland | Buenos Aires |
Compañía General de Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, Santa Fe |
Córdoba Central | Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero |
Transandine | Mendoza |
Note:
- (1) The Central Northern had previously taken over North Argentine Railway in 1909.
Eastern Bolivian line
In 1937, while the Chaco War happened, governments of Argentina and Brazil had competed to extend their railway lines to Bolivia. The branch projected would run from Yacuiba to Santa Cruz de la Sierra but part of the path was being occupied by the Paraguayan Army. On February 25, 1938, governments of Bolivia and Brazil signed an agreement to build a railway line from Santa Cruz to Brazilian city Corumbá, which would allow Bolivia to have access to Atlantic Ocean. That same year, Juan Rivero Torres was appointed chief of the Bolivian delegation to help organize the Mixed Bolivian-Brazilian Railway Commission; until 1951, he served as delegate engineer of Bolivia in the construction of the Santa Cruz-Corumbá Railway, thereby forming a rail corridor to connect South America's Atlantic ports with its Pacific ones.[6] As for Brazil, the railway would facilitate an access to the oil-rich Eastern Bolivia region. On March 15 Bolivia ratified that agreement, declaring null the other contract signed with Argentina in November 1937. Indigenous Chiquitano forced laborers built parts of the Santa Cruz–Corumbá Railway.[7]
Nevertheless, the Congresses of Argentina and Bolivia ratified the agreement. On the other hand, Brazil started to work in Bolivia in 1948, having finished the 625-km length Santa Cruz - Corumbá railway line in 1955.
In 1949 Argentina financed and built the railway to Santa Cruz, crossing Eastern Bolivia. That line connected
Rosario railways
Once the metre gauge railways became part of Ferrocarril Belgrano, the government ordered the closure of
Likewise, the Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe terminus was remodeled and re-opened in the late 1950s as a
Tucumán railways
Belgrano Railway operated two stations from Córdoba Central, the original built by the Argentine North Western Railway (ANWR, also named El Provincial due to its line extended within Tucumán Province and acquired in 1899) and the other station built by the CC itself, Tucumán Belgrano railway station. The Provincial station operated passenger and freight services until the late 1960s, when the passenger traffic was moved to Central Northern Railway station, also known as "El Bajo".
After the entire railway network was
In the early 1990s, when the
Ex-Midland evolution
This railway extended along Buenos Aires Province from its terminus of Puente Alsina in Lanús Partido to Carhué, an important tourist centre by then.
After the nationalisation several improvements were carried out in the line, such as the addition of a rail track between Aldo Bonzi and Libertad to increase frequency of the services. The modernisation included the purchase of brand-new
By December 1955 the Ferrocarril Belgrano ran more than 40 services per day in the Puente Alsina−Aldo Bonzi section.
Railcars acquired from the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company in 1939 that were still running passenger services on the line were put out of service in 1971, replacing them with the Ganz Works previously used by the Argentine State Railway since 1936. The Ganz railcars ran services until 1977 when the line was definitely closed.
When the Libertad−Plomer section was closed,
Ex-Compañía General evolution
That railway line operated services from
In Rosario, the CGBA terminal station was closed and all its branches put out of service. In Buenos Aires, the CGBA workshops in
Finally in 1961, branches from Patricios to
In August 1977, National Decree N° 2294 stated the closure of the 225-km length line between Patricios and Victorino de la Plaza. Since then, stations and rail tracks had been suffered progressive deterioration, with no plans from the government to re-activate the CGBA lines.
Ex-F.C. Provincial evolution
The Ferrocarril Provincial was the last to become part of Ferrocarril Belgrano network. As the CGBA rail tracks from Port of La Plata to the crossing with FC Provincial (near Etcheverry) had been removed in the 1950s, therefore a joint was built to allow trains from González Catán to run on ex-FCPBA tracks to La Plata.
In October 1961 the Etcheverry−Mira Pampa and Carlos Beguerie−
One year later a joint between former Midland, Provincial and the Port of Buenos Aires was built to reach Avellaneda. In 1974 rail tracks from Carlos Beguerie to Mira Pampa were removed. On July 5, 1977, this line was definitely closed for passenger services, running freight trains until one of the bridges was broken by a truck near Gobernador Monteverde, leaving the line inactive. Years later Avellaneda station (terminus of the line) would be re-opened as a railway museum.
Ex-FC Provincial de Santa Fe evolution
The
In the city of Rosario the terminal stations of former French-owned companies, Córdoba Central, Compañía General de Buenos Aires and Provincial de Santa Fe, were closed for passenger services. From then on, the traffic of passenger would be moved to Rosario Oeste station.
The Rosario terminus of ex-Provincial de Santa Fe was remodeled and re-opened at late 1950s as a
FCPSF's Central Station (terminus of the line located in the city of Santa Fe) was demolished in 1962 to build a new bus terminus, which was inaugurated in 1968.
After the privatisation of all the Argentine railways in early 1990 during Carlos Menem's administration, several railway lines were closed and many cities of the region lost their only public transport that connected them with the main cities of Santa Fe and Chaco.
In the case of Chaco, the government of the province created a state-owned company, named "
Privatisation
By the beginning of the 1990s Ferrocarriles Argentinos's financial situation was catastrophic so the national government led by Carlos Menem decided to restructure the company. A new company, named "Ferrocarriles Metropolitanos S.A. (FEMESA)" was created to manage and operate passenger services in the urban area of Buenos Aires, leaving FA the operation of long-distance passenger trains and freight services. Nevertheless, passenger trains served by FA would be interrupted by a National Decree on March 10, 1993. Only a few lines (operated by the provincial governments) continued to operate outside Buenos Aires Province.
Under FEMESA administration, the urban services of Ferrocarril Belgrano were divided into two lines,
Belgrano Sur line that ran trains on ex-Compañía General and Midland railways was granted in concession to
The Belgrano Norte line was granted in concession to Ferrovías, a company that owned EMEPA, a hugh railway workshop near Chascomús. By 1994 (first year of the concession) the number of passengers carried had increased to 14,800,000. The company also made investments, acquiring new diesel locomotives and coaches, upgrading infrastructure (renewing rail tracks and signalling and replacing the old bridges) along the entire line. Because of the improvements, the Belgrano Norte Line increased the number of passengers to 36 million.
10,800 of 14,000-km length run by Ferrocarriles Argentinos for freight services were taken over by State company Ferrocarril General Belgrano
In November 1999 the company was given in concession to Ferrocarril Belgrano Cargas S.A., formed by the Unión Ferroviaria and local cooperative "Laguna Paiva". The government of Argentina owned 1% with the attribution to choose the Director. In 2004 the company was re-privatised, keeping the national government 1% of the company.
State interventions
As part of railway privatization, carried out during the presidency of Carlos Menem, a concession to operate the services was granted to the government of Chaco Province in 1992, so the State-owned company "Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco" (SEFECHA) was created in August 1999.
Through its intervention, the government of Chaco reestablished many passenger services in the Province, connecting its main cities such as Resistencia or Sáenz Peña with the rest of the region.
In May 2010, the
Suburban services
Belgrano Norte
In the metropolitan sector of the City of
The line increased the number of passengers carried notably, from 11,8 million in 1993 to about 30,5 million passengers during 2012.[13]
Belgrano Sur
On the southern sector of the City of Buenos Aires two diesel commuter lines operate to the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires. The
The other two branches were originally part of British-owned Buenos Aires Midland Railway that began its operations in 1906, extending its network to the city of Carhué in the south-west of the Province. From Puente Alsina station (Midland terminus) it runs to Aldo Bonzi. The other branch (15-km length) departs from Tapiales station, extending to Marinos del Crucero Gral. Belgrano in Merlo Partido.
See also
- Belgrano Cargas
- Ferrovías
- Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco
- Tren de las Nubes
- Tren de las Sierras
Bibliography
- British Railways in Argentina 1860–1948, H. R. Stones, edited by P. E. Waters & Associates, Bromley, Kent, England, 1993.
References
- ^ "Carta del Belgrano Cargas". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
- ^ Puerto Vilelas - Servicio local: Resistencia - Puerto Tirol - Satélite Ferroviario
- ^ Trenes Argentinos - Informe de Gestión - Primer Trimestre (pag 21-25)
- ^ Roque Sáenz Peña - Chorotis - Satélite Ferroviario
- ^ Resistencia - Cacuí - Los Amores - Satélite Ferroviario
- ^ Patric, Anthony (January 19, 1947). "Railway Across South America Nears Reality". Chicato Tribune. p. 22. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
The strategical railroad linking the Brazilian Atlantic port of Santos to the Chilean Pacific port of Arica is nearing reality. Despite wartime shortages of material and equipment, the Bolivian Brazilian Commission in charge of the construction of the line has performed a near miracle...
- ^ Riester, Jürgen (1975). Indians of Eastern Bolivia: Aspects of their present situation. IWGIA document. Copenhagen: IWGIA. p. 20.
- ^ "La primera estación", La Gaceta, 18 May 2012
- ^ "La popular línea y estación del "Provincial" by Alberto Elsinger, La Gaceta, 8 Jun 2012
- ^ "Patrio de la Madera" on Municipality of Rosario website
- ^ "SEFECHA pasó a la Nación", Diaro Norte, 5 May 2010
- ^ "Sefecha pasó a la Nación", Diario Norte, 5 May 2010
- ^ "Estadísticas del total de pasajeros"[permanent dead link], CNRT