The Unidad Ejecutora del Plan Ferroviario Provincial (UEPFP) (in English: "Executive Unit of the Provincial Railway Plan"), mostly known under its
trade name
A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...
Ferrobaires, was a public
railway company
A railway company is a company within the rail industry. It can be a manufacturing firm or an operator. Some railway companies operate both the trains and the track, while, particularly in the European Union, operation of the track is undertaken ...
which operated extensive long-distance passenger trains throughout the
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. The company was primarily owned and funded by the Buenos Aires provincial government led by
Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (; born 5 October 1941) is an Argentine Peronist politician who served as the interim President of Argentina from January 2002 to May 2003. He also served as Vice President and Governor of Buenos Aires in the 1990s.
Bor ...
. The name "Ferrobaires" is a combination of the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
words for "Rail Buenos Aires."
From its base in the city of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Ferrobaires rail lines extended south and west across the province. The company transported approximately 1.5 million passengers annually and operated from all three major rail termini in the city of Buenos Aires:
Retiro (San Martín),
Constitución, and
Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
, running trains on its 5,500 km of rail tracks.
History
Background
All of the routes which were managed by Ferrobaires were previously operated by
Ferrocarriles Argentinos
Ferrocarriles Argentinos (abbreviated as FA; ) was a state-owned company that managed the entire Argentine railway system for nearly 45 years. It was formed in 1948 when all the private railway companies were nationalised during Juan Perón's fir ...
, the country's former national passenger railway corporation. After the
privatisation
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
of Ferrocarriles Argentinos starting in 1989, many train services across Argentina were indefinitely discontinued. In 1992 the Governor of Buenos Aires Province, Eduardo Duhalde, signed Decree 560/91 by which Buenos Aires requested
National Government to transfer the operation of the lines deactivated between 1961 and 1992, that comprised more than 5,500 km of railway lines. Buenos Aires proposed to work with other municipal governments to create a company that operated the railway services.
On 28 April 1992, Buenos Aires officially requested the transfer of 52 disused lines and branches. In January 1993, "Unidad Ejecutora del Programa Ferroviario Provincial" (UEPFP) was created
[ through decree n° 99/93.][ However, several lines were closed down by the UEPFP, especially during the 2001 financial crisis.]["Una empresa con la marca en el orillo" on ''Página/12'']
18 Feb 2011
By National decrees 1168/1992 and 770/1993, 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. ...
transferred to the Government of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
the operation of several lines in the Buenos Aires, La Pampa
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
I ...
and Río Negro Provinces.
Lines that Ferrobaires were to operate included the Constitución to Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...
line, the Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca (; English: White Bay) is a city in the southwest of the provinces of Argentina, province of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the seat of government of the Bahía Blanca Partido. It had 3 ...
, Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro Province, Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel ...
, Quequén
Quequén is a port and a resort town in Necochea Partido, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, on the Atlantic coast by the Quequén Grande River, directly adjacent to Necochea. With a population of 14,524 inhabitants (INDEC, 2001) it is one of the ...
and Bolívar line; the Olavarría to Bahía Blanca line; the Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
to General Villegas
General Villegas is a town in General Villegas Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
UN/LOCODE
UN/LOCODE, the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, is a geographic coding scheme developed and maintained by United Nations ...
, Toay, General Pico
General Pico is a city located in the northeast of La Pampa Province, Argentina. It is located at above sea level and inside the region of the ''Pampa Húmeda Llana'' (Flat-Humid Pampas). It has a surface area of .
With a population of 53,352 ...
and Darragueira line; the Retiro (San Martín) to Alberdi and Junín line; and the Federico Lacroze
Federico Lacroze (4 November 1835 – 16 February 1899) was an Argentine businessman and railway entrepreneur of French descent. He created the first tram line in Buenos Aires and his Buenos Aires Central Railway helped link the provinces of E ...
to Rojas
Rojas is a surname found throughout the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Latin America.
Rojas may refer to:
People A
*Adrián Rojas (born 1977), Chilean professional football player
*Aguelmis Rojas (born 1978), Cuban long-distance runner ...
line.
Operation
Ferrobaires reactivated some lines that had been abandoned for many years (such as the Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...
– Miramar and Gral. Guido– Gral. Madariaga lines, which had been closed down in 1978) and even built and opened a new station ("Divisadero de Pinamar
Pinamar is an Argentine coastal resort city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Buenos Aires Province. It has about 45,000 inhabitants (2020).
Located less than south of Buenos Aires, it is one of several small seaside communities that ...
", replacing the original station) on the Gral. Guido–Vivoratá branch, in 1996. Trains ran again to Pinamar after 29 years of no service.
Nevertheless, those lines would be closed again due to lack of maintenance and laco of sufficient rolling stock. The branch to Pinamar was closed in April 2011 and remained closed.
In early 2006, the national Ministry of Planning considered taking control of the company to arrange for it to be privatised once more, but the provincial government of Felipe Solá
Felipe Solá (born 23 July 1950) is an Argentine agricultural engineer and politician. He previously served as Governor of Buenos Aires Province, from 2002 to 2007, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship under President Alberto Fernánd ...
refused to allow this to happen, arguing that under provincial state control the company was working very efficiently and with low fares.
On 8 February 2007, the Provincial Government agreed to transfer all the services to the National Government to keep the lines active as many of the services on the lines were frequently interrupted due to technical problems. Nevertheless, this agreement was never carried through and Ferrobaires continued being operated by the province.[
By 2011 Ferrobaires was widely criticised by users and journalists because of its severe operational problems trying to run the various railway services.][
In July 2015, Ferrobaires announced the re-establishment of services from Plaza Constitución to ]Pinamar
Pinamar is an Argentine coastal resort city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Buenos Aires Province. It has about 45,000 inhabitants (2020).
Located less than south of Buenos Aires, it is one of several small seaside communities that ...
that had been suspended in 2010["Anunciaron el regreso del tren a Pinamar tras 5 años de inactividad"]
La Noticia 1, 1 Jul 2015 with one service per week,["Vuelve a circular el tren turístico a Pinamar"]
Diario Jornada, 1 Jul 2015 and intermediate stops at Santo Domingo, Segurola, Monsalvo and Invernadas and Gral. Madariaga. The service started operations again on 17 July.
Decline
In June 2016, after a Ferrobaires train collided with a Belgrano Cargas y Logística freight train in Rawson, a city in Chacabuco Partido, the Government of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
led by María Eugenia Vidal
María Eugenia Vidal (born 8 September 1973) is an Argentine politician who served as Governor of the Buenos Aires Province, being the first woman in the office, and the first non- Peronist since 1987. A member of Republican Proposal (PRO), she ...
ordered the suspension of all services (eight in total) operated by Ferrobaires. That decision was taken alleging "the need of preserving security of passengers and service operators".["Tras el choque de trenes en Rawson, Ferrobaires suspendió sus servicios"]
''Clarín'', 30 June 2016
Nevertheless, it was announced that the service from Constitución to Mar del Plata would remain active as it would be transferred to the National Government. Likewise, a report by "Auditoría General de la Nación" (General Auditing Office of Argentina) revealed that rolling stock, rail tracks and signal systems had severely deteriorated due to the lack of maintenance. As of June 2016, the operation of services by Ferrobaires was costing $1,200 million per year, with annual income of only $60 million.["Ferrobaires, una ilusión ferroviaria que perdía millones"]
by Diego Cabot, ''La Nación'', 30 June 2016
In July 2016, it was announced that Ferrobaires would be shut down and all of its personnel and infrastructure transferred to the National Government, a process that had been unsuccessfully attempted in 2007. Passenger services formerly operated by the provincial administration (since 1993) would be run by the Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado
Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado (abbreviated SOFSE; trading name: Trenes Argentinos Operaciones) is an Argentine state-owned company created in 2008 to operate passenger services in Argentina. It is a subsidiary of the Ferrocarriles Ar ...
(SOFSE).[Ministerio de Transporte de la Nación – Resolución 517-E/2017]
(Full text) at Official Bulletin of Argentina In January 2018, Governor Vidal signed the decree to transfer Ferrobaires services and assets to the National State.[Vidal cerró Ferrobaires y los trenes pasan a Nación]
Rieles.com, 22 Jan 2018[Vidal oficializó el decreto para suprimir Ferrobaires y los trenes pasan a manos de Nación]
''El Día'', 22 Jan 2018
Services taken over by SOFSE included the following lines: Plaza Constitución to Bahía Blanca, Bariloche, Quequén and Bolívar; Olavarría to Bahía Blanca; Once to Toay, General Pico, General Villegas, Darregueira and Lincoln; Lincoln to Villegas and Pasteur; Retiro to Alberti and Junín; Federico Lacroze to Rojas. All those services were part of the original set of railway services transferred to the Buenos Aires province in 1992. The Mar del Plata – Miramar and General Guido – General Madariaga lines (not included in the original Decree N° 1168/92)[ had been re-established by the Provincial Government after the transfer of the services.
]
Services
At the time of its closure Ferrobaires operated the following services:"Destinos" on Ferrobaires website
16 March 2015
See also
* Ferrocarriles Argentinos
Ferrocarriles Argentinos (abbreviated as FA; ) was a state-owned company that managed the entire Argentine railway system for nearly 45 years. It was formed in 1948 when all the private railway companies were nationalised during Juan Perón's fir ...
* San Martín R.
* Sarmiento R.
* Roca R.
References
External links
Official website
(archived, 8 September 2013)
{{Railway Companies in Argentina
Railway companies of Argentina
Railway companies established in 1993
Railway companies disestablished in 2016
1993 establishments in Argentina
2016 disestablishments in Argentina
Rail transport in Buenos Aires Province