Transport in Chile
Transport in Chile is mostly by road. The far south of the country is not directly connected to central Chile by road without travelling through Argentina, and water transport also plays a part there. The railways were historically important in Chile, but now play a relatively small part in the country's transport system. Because of the country's geography and long distances between major cities, aviation is also important.
Road transport
Highways
Total: 85,983 km
Paved: 21,289 km
Unpaved: 64,695 km (2020 est.)[1]
- Chile Highway 5
- Chile Highway 7
- Chile Highway 9
- Chile Highway 68
- Chile Highway 181
Freeways
3,347 km (2020 est.)<[1]
- Chile Freeway 6
- Chile Freeway 8
- Autopista del Sol
- Autopista del Itata
Buses
Buses are now the main means of long-distance transportation in Chile, following the decline of the rail network.
Railways
- total: 6,782 km
- (1,653 km electrified)
- meter gauge(40 km electrified) (1995)
- 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) )
Not all lines connect.
Chile's railways (except for a few dedicated industrial lines [3] ) are operated by the state owned company Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE), which completed a major investment programme in 2005.[4]
The rail system once served the entire country, running rail lines from Arica in the north to Puerto Montt in the south. Due partly to the nature of the terrain and evolution in transportation systems, rail travel has suffered greatly at the hands of bus and air competition. The train usually takes longer to reach a destination than a bus, and the comfort is comparable. Prices also tend to be uncompetitive. Rail freight transport has also suffered at the hands of the trucking industry and will continue to do so due to the immense leverage the truck driver's union can bring to bear if they were to feel threatened.
The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia is a metre gauge railway in the north of the country. It was originally constructed in 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge.
The northern rail line out of
The southern line runs as far as Puerto Montt and is electrified as far as the city of Temuco, from where diesel locomotives are used. Due to lack of budget and care, the 389 km Temuco to Puerto Montt section was abandoned in 1992 but after a $44m upgrade it has been back in use since 6 December 2005 with daily service between Victoria (north of Temuco) and Puerto Montt; today, however, only the service between Victoria and Temuco still operates.[5]
Work to build/restore(?) the
There have been repeated case studies regarding the installation of a high-speed line between the cities of Valparaíso and Santiago, some even considering maglev trains, but no serious action has ever been taken on the matter.
Rail links with adjacent countries
- Central Trans-Andean Railway - abandoned 1984 – 100 km of mountain railway of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge with rack railway sections - break of gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)/1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) at either end. Concession planned to re-open line.[4]
Cities with Metros
- Metro de Santiago) website
- Valparaíso (Valparaíso Metro) website
Ports and merchant marine
Ports
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Merchant marine
total: 45 ships (1,000 gross tonnage (GT) or over) totaling 580,749 GT/860,034 tonnes deadweight (DWT) ships by type: (1999 est.)
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Aviation
Airports - with paved runways
- total: 62
- over 3,047 m: 6
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
- 914 to 1,523 m: 20
- under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 310
- over 3,047 m: 1
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
- 914 to 1,523 m: 68
- under 914 m: 223 (1999 est.)
National airlines
- LATAM Chile
- Sky Airline
- JetSmart
- Latin American Wings (defunct)
Bridges
Chacao Channel
Pipelines
- crude oil755 km
- petroleum products780 km
- natural gas 320 km[citation needed]
Mountain passes
- Route 215-CH
- Carirriñe Pass, Los Ríos Region
- Arica and Parinacota Region
- Paso de Jama, Antofagasta Region
- Huahum Pass, Los Ríos Region
- Icalma International Pass, Araucanía Region
- Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, Valparaíso Region
- Lilpela Pass, Los Ríos Region
- Paso de Los Patos, Valparaíso Region
- Mamuil Malal Pass, Araucanía Region
- Pino Hachado Pass, Araucanía Region
- San Francisco Pass, Atacama Region
- Uspallata Pass, Valparaíso Region
See also
- Transantiago
- Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE)
- Rail transport by country
Notes
- ^ a b Red Vial de Chile
- ^ Omnilineas website
- ^ Thomas Salt (2006-04-01). "Automation gets the most out of mining railway infrastructure". Railway Gazette International.
- ^ a b John Kolodziejski (2006-04-01). "Record investment boosts EFE's passenger business". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 2012-05-31.
- ^ "Passengers return to Puerto Montt". Railway Gazette International. 2006-01-01.
- ^ IRJ March 2005
- ^ "IIRSA" (PDF). Initiative For Regional Infrastructure Integration In South America. 2005-09-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-28.
- ^ "Work starts on trans-Andean link". Railway Gazette International. 2005-02-01.
- ^ "Finance". Railway Gazette International. 2006-01-01.
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.