The Córdoba Central Railway (CCR) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Central Córdoba) was a
British-owned railway company, founded in 1887, that operated a railway network in
Argentina which extended from
Buenos Aires, north west via
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
and
Córdoba, to
Tucumán. Financial problems forced the sale of the company to the
Government of Argentina
The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. ...
in 1938. When
railways were nationalized in 1948 the CC became part of
Belgrano Railway
The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a railway and the longest of the Argentine system. It was one of the six ...
.
History
Beginning
The company was founded in 1887 to take over a concession, originally granted to William Temple in 1885, for the construction of a 206 km line, from the
Córdoba city suburb of Alta Córdoba to
San Francisco. The line was completed in 1888
In October 1887 the Government granted the operation of
Ferrocarril Central Norte
The Central Northern Railway (Spanish: ''Ferrocarril Central Norte'', FCCN) was the first (metre gauge) railway built by the Argentine State Railway. Its aim was to extend the existing British-owned Central Argentine broad gauge) railway from ...
's 884 km line (that included the Alta Córdoba-Tucumán, Frías-Santiago del Estero and Recreo-Chubicha branches) to Hume Hnos. & Cía (owned by The Hume Brothers) for
$ 16,000,000. The concessionary would also invest $5,000,000 to bring it up to a satisfactory standard. The Government guaranteed Hume Hnos. a 5% of interest for 15 years. The Ferrocarril Central Norte only kept the Tucumán-Juramento 226 km. section. Hume Hnos. would then transfer their rights of operation to the Córdoba Central Railway in 1889.
Between 1889 and 1891 the Córdoba Central network was expanded with the addition of Tucumán-Lamadrid (140 km) and
Argentine North Western Railway (284 km.). In 1891 Meiggs & Cía. transferred its assets to newly formed "Ferrocarril Córdoba y Rosario", established in
London with a capital of
$ 10,164,646.
In 1901 the company took over the operation of the British-owned
Córdoba North Western Railway
The Córdoba North Western Railway (CNW) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Córdoba y Noroeste) was a British-owned railway company, founded in 1889, that operated a railway network in the Córdoba Province of Argentina. Financial problems forced the sal ...
from
Córdoba to
Cruz del Eje
Cruz del Eje is a city in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. It had about 30,000 inhabitants at the . It is the head town of the department of the same name, which has a population of about 52,000.
The area of the city was originally inhabited ...
, via La Calera and
Cosquín. This railway had been built and operated by Otto Bemberg & Cía following the course of
Río Primero. This branch is currently operated by
Tren de las Sierras. The first section was opened in 1891, reaching Cosquín the following year.
In 1909 the Government of Argentina acquired the 155 km. line, being added to
Central Northern Railway that same year.
Reaching Buenos Aires
In 1912 the Argentine government granted a concession to the CC to build a line connecting Rosario and Buenos Aires which was opened on 1 May 1912 and in October 1914
a new railway terminus was inaugurated at
Retiro, Buenos Aires. In 1912 the CC took over another British-owned company, the
Córdoba & Rosario Railway, with whom it had shared mutual interests for a number of years.
Severe rail and road competition lead to financial problems which eventually resulted in the sale of the CC to the Argentine government in May 1939 after which operation of its lines was taken over by the
Argentine State Railway. With the
railway nationalisation in 1948, the CC became part of
Belgrano Railway
The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a railway and the longest of the Argentine system. It was one of the six ...
network.
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordoba Central Railway
Defunct railway companies of Argentina
Metre gauge railways in Argentina
Railway companies established in 1888
Railway companies disestablished in 1939
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