The CSR EMU is a series of
electric multiple unit cars manufactured by
CSR Corporation Limited for use on
Buenos Aires' commuter rail network. As of 2015, the trains operated on three of the city's lines and 705 cars were manufactured, with each line using a different number of cars per train. They were created for use on lines electrified using both
third rail and
overhead lines.
Background
By 2013, the
rolling stock of Buenos Aires' commuter rail network was ageing and deteriorating rapidly. At the same time, high-profile accidents in
Flores and
Once in previous years had led the
national government to revise the concession-based
railway privatisation, which was largely blamed for the deterioration of the network. The government thus decided to intervene, revoking concessions to companies such as
Trenes de Buenos Aires and setting up
Trenes Argentinos to manage the lines.
["Nueva empresa estatal para el Belgrano Cargas"](_blank)
''Página/12'', 23 May 2013
This was followed by a series of rolling stock purchases from
China CNR Corporation
China CNR Corporation Limited (CNR) was a primary manufacturer of locomotives and rolling stock for the Chinese market. The company has also exported to over 80 countries and regions, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Ne ...
and
CSR Corporation Limited (and later some Argentine companies) to replace trains on both the diesel and rail segments. For the electrified lines, CSR won the contract to provide the
electric multiple units, and an order was placed in January 2013 for 405 cars for the
Mitre and
Sarmiento lines, with another order for 300 cars for the
Roca Line signed in August 2013.
The acquisition of the CSR rolling stock was also accompanied by a series of works on all three lines, to accommodate the new trains (e.g. the electrification of the
Buenos Aires -
La Plata segment on the
Roca Line), and to generally improve rail services. On top of the emergency improvements undertaken following the
Once Tragedy, some of these improvements included the modernisation of stations, raising the height of platforms to match the new trains, incorporating
train protection systems, creating new underpasses and rail infrastructure improvements, some of which were also undertaken by the City of Buenos Aires.
[Comenzaron a funcionar seis de los nuevos trenes chinos del Sarmiento]
- Clarin, 21 July 2014 However, not all works were finished by the time the CSR EMUs arrived on their respective lines, and some works continued on while they were already running services.
A further 200 cars were purchased for the Roca Line in 2017 to replace the aging
Toshiba EMUs which had exceeded their 30-year lifespan.
Overview
The units were built at CSR's
Qingdao factory, a large complex with 1,640,000 m
2 of covered space.
[Los trenes que se vienen desde China]
- Pagina/12, 23 September 2013. The total cost for the 709 cars was $841 million, which also included
R&D as well as shipping, or $1.09 million to $1.27 million per car depending on the line, which was noted as being significantly below market prices.
In 2014, CSR then purchased the Argentine rolling stock manufacturer
Emprendimientos Ferroviarios, in part to establish a place in Argentina to maintain the trains once they were in operation.
The trains have a series of features in line with modern rolling stock, such as
ABS,
air conditioning,
CCTV, a
train protection system and intelligent doors, while numerous components such as the brakes and traction system were sourced from countries such as
Germany,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
and
Japan. The
Roca Line trains have some differences: overhead collection at 25 000 V (instead of 800 V third rail), more (but smaller) windows per car, and no CCTV cameras. The trains began to arrive in February 2014, just 13 months after the order was signed.
Usage
The electric multiple units are used on all of Buenos Aires' electrified commuter rail lines, with the exception of the
Urquiza Line which uses Japanese Toshiba EMUs. The
Belgrano Sur line had
diesel multiple units with a similar appearance to the CSR electric multiple units, which arrived in the country from 2015. The
San Martín Line also saw new rolling stock from CSR, but in the form of
CSR SDD7 diesel-electric locomotives, while the
Belgrano Norte line has seen the incorporation of Argentine-built
EMEPA DMUs.
The
Sarmiento Line was the first to begin operating the CSR trains in July 2014, followed by the
Mitre Line and then the
Roca Line.
In the case of the Mitre and Sarmiento lines, the CSR EMUs make up the entirety of the electric rolling stock, while diesel segments such as the
Victoria -
Capilla del Señor
Capilla del Señor (Chapel of the Lord), is a city located in the northern part of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the administrative seat of Exaltación de la Cruz Partido
Exaltación de la Cruz Partido is a partido in the north-east ...
route on the Mitre Line use Argentine-built
Materfer CMM 400-2 DMUs. The first Roca Line trains began arriving in 2015, continuing to arrive throughout the year, and began to be integrated in June 2015. These are running alongside the existing Toshiba rolling stock purchased in 1985.
All the trains are operated by the state-owned
Trenes Argentinos, which is now a part of the larger
Ferrocarriles Argentinos umbrella company.
Formalizan la estatización del San Martín, el Mitre y el Belgrano Sur
- Diario Registrado, 2 March 2015.
Gallery
File:Eléctricos Chinos para LGR (16689312977).jpg, Roca Line cars being unloaded at the Port of Buenos Aires
File:Sarmiento CSR EMUs (interior)-4.JPG, Interior of a Sarmiento Line train
File:San Isidro Mitre.jpg, A Mitre Line train at San Isidro station
File:EMU CSR detalle acople 01.jpg, Close-up of a coupler
File:Trenes cero kilometro en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.jpg, Sarmiento Line trains
File:Banfield station.jpeg, Roca Line train in Banfield
See also
* CSR SDD7 - Locomotive manufactured by the same company for the San Martin Line
* CNR CKD8 - Other Chinese rolling stock in Argentina
*CITIC-CNR
The 200 Series is a set of underground cars manufactured by China CNR Corporation and CITIC Construction for use on Line A of the Buenos Aires Underground in Argentina. The cars replace the 100-year-old La Brugeoise cars which operated on the ...
- Chinese underground cars for the Buenos Aires Underground
*Rail transport in Argentina
The Argentine railway network consisted of a 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 decl ...
References
{{reflist, 2
CRRC Group
CRRC multiple units
Rolling stock of Argentina
Train-related introductions in 2014
Articles containing video clips
25 kV AC multiple units