The General Roca Railway (FCGR) (native name: Ferrocarril General Roca) is a
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
railway 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 ...
which runs from
Constitución station in
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 ...
to the south of the country through the provinces 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Neuquén
Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers w ...
and
Río Negro. It was also one of the six state-owned
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
railway divisions formed after President
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...
's
nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the railway network in 1948, being named after former president
Julio Argentino Roca
Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the Generation ...
. The six companies were managed 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 ...
which was later broken up during the process of railway
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 ...
beginning in 1991 during
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. H ...
's presidency.
The Roca Railway is currently operated by
State owned
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...
companies
Trenes Argentinos
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 ...
(that operates
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
services in Buenos Aires) and
Ferrobaires
The Unidad Ejecutora del Plan Ferroviario Provincial (UEPFP) (in English: "Executive Unit of the Provincial Railway Plan"), mostly known under its trade name Ferrobaires, was a public railway company which operated extensive long-distance passen ...
(for long-distance services) while
freight transport
Freight transport, also referred as ''Freight Forwarding'', is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been e ...
is run by
private companies
A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...
Ferrosur Roca
Ferrosur Roca S.A. (FR) is a private company which operates freight services over part of the broad gauge that belongs to General Roca Railway.
Some of the products transported by Ferrosur Roca include salt, clincker, plaster, cement, lime, ...
and
Ferroexpreso Pampeano
Ferroexpreso Pampeano S.A. (abbreviated FEPSA) is an Argentine private railway company that operates freight services over a network that comprises broad gauge Sarmiento Railway and the Rosario and Puerto Belgrano section of Roca Railway.
...
.
History
Background
The first company to build a railway at the south 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 ...
was British-owned
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway (BAGS) ( es, Ferrocarril del Sud) was one of the ''Big Four'' Indian gauge, broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The company was founded by Edward ...
, which inaugurated its first section
Constitución railway station
Constitución railway station () is a large railway station in Constitución, a in central Buenos Aires, Argentina. The full official name of the station is (in English: Constitution Square Station) reflecting the fact that the station is loca ...
to
Jeppener in 1865, extending its rail tracks to the city of
Zapala
Zapala is a city and touristic destination in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, Argentina with about 32,000 inhabitants according to the .
The city is located at the geographic center of the province at the confluence of national and provincia ...
in
Río Negro Province
Río Negro (, ''Black River'') is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.
Its capit ...
and
Carmen de Patagones
Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in the .
Geography
It is located 937 km southwest from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Río Negro ("Black River"), near the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Viedma, capital of ...
in Buenos Aires.
The BAGSR was one of the largest companies with 8,149 km. of track at the time of its nationalisation in 1948. The
Buenos Aires and Ensenada Port Railway
The Buenos Aires & Ensenada Port Railway (BA&EP) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Buenos Aires y Puerto de la Ensenada) was a British-owned company that built and operated a broad gauge railway network in Argentina towards the end of the nineteenth cent ...
(acquired by the BAGSR in 1898) was another company that built lines in 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 ...
, having been inaugurated in 1872.
At the beginning of the 20th century 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. ...
had established the
Argentine State Railway
Argentine State Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarriles del Estado) was a State-owned railway company of Argentina, established by Law N° 6.757 in October 1909, when José Figueroa Alcorta was the President of Argentina. The company built and operat ...
, which focused on building railway lines in several regions of Argentina. With the purpose of helping to populate
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...
and to contribute to the commercial development of the Argentina's southern provinces, the ASR built lines there through its subsidiary
Ferrocarriles Patagónicos
Ferrocarriles Patagónicos was an Argentine State-owned railway company that built and operated several rail lines in Patagonia region. FP were part of the Argentine State Railway created in 1909 during the presidency of José Figueroa Alcorta.
...
. The first railway built was the
Puerto Deseado Railway
The Puerto Deseado and Colonia Las Heras Railway (native name: "Ferrocarril Puerto Deseado a Colonia Las Heras") was a Government-owned corporation, State-owned railway company that ran between the cities of Puerto Deseado to Las Heras, Santa Cru ...
, opened in 1911 in order to contribute to the commercialization of
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
in the region.
The Argentine State opened other lines across Patagonia, most notably the Patagonian Express, familiarly known as ''
La Trochita
La Trochita (official name: ''Viejo Expreso Patagónico''), in English known as the Old Patagonian Express, is a narrow gauge railway in Patagonia, Argentina using steam locomotives. The nickname ''La Trochita'' means literally "The little gauge" ...
'' that made its inaugural trip in 1935.
The BAGSR also took over the section built and operated by the
Bahía Blanca and North Western Railway that extended to Darragueira and
Toay
Toay is a town in La Pampa Province 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 seco ...
in
La Pampa Province
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
In ...
.
Nationalisation
The General Roca Railway was named after the former Argentine president
Julio Argentino Roca
Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the Generation ...
, was one of the six state-owned
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
railway divisions formed after President
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...
's
nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the railway network in 1948. The six companies were managed 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 ...
which was later broken up during the process of railway
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 ...
beginning in 1991 during
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. H ...
's presidency.
FCGR incorporated the British-owned
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway (BAGS) ( es, Ferrocarril del Sud) was one of the ''Big Four'' Indian gauge, broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The company was founded by Edward ...
, the southern section of the French-owned
Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway
The Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway (Spanish: Ferrocarril Rosario y Puerto Belgrano, and in French: Compagnie de Chemins de Fer Rosario-Puerto Belgrano) was a French-owned railway company which operated a broad gauge, , single track lin ...
and the
Central Chubut Railway (which had been nationalised in 1920) and
Ferrocarriles Patagónicos
Ferrocarriles Patagónicos was an Argentine State-owned railway company that built and operated several rail lines in Patagonia region. FP were part of the Argentine State Railway created in 1909 during the presidency of José Figueroa Alcorta.
...
from the state-owned
Argentine State Railway
Argentine State Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarriles del Estado) was a State-owned railway company of Argentina, established by Law N° 6.757 in October 1909, when José Figueroa Alcorta was the President of Argentina. The company built and operat ...
.
The following
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
railway companies were added to the Ferrocarril Roca network after its 1948 nationalisation:
Notes:
*
(1) ''The BAGSR had previously acquired
Bahía Blanca & North Western and
Buenos Aires & Ensenada railways before being built by the Argentine state.''
*
(2) ''The south section of the R&PBR (from Ingeniero Beaugey to Pto. Belgrano) only''.
Services to the Atlantic coast
In
General Madariaga Partido (which included cities of
Villa Gesell
Villa Gesell is a seaside resort city in Villa Gesell Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was founded in 1931, with the intention of turning a dune field into a timber plantation. and
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 ...
by that point) the Roca Railway owned a
freight line branch that carried
firewood
Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...
to the
dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
s zone at the entrance to Pinamar. In 1943, the city of Pinamar was opened as a tourist centre.
After nationalisation, the Roca Railway decided to extend the branch another 470 meters, crossing the dunes and reaching the city of Pinamar. The company built a small station there which opened in August 1949, serving the line with
railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
s that departed from General Madariaga.
On May 3, 1949, the Mar del Plata south station was definitively closed. The Government alleged that the station was located in a zone with heavy road traffic and there were too many
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
s, causing delays since trains had to run at a very low speed when crossing the city. The building would be later be re-opened as a
bus terminus
A bus terminus is a designated place where a bus or coach starts or ends its scheduled route. The terminus is the designated place that a timetable is timed from. Termini can be located at bus stations, interchanges, bus garages or bus stops. Te ...
. Once the south station was closed, trains moved to the
north station
North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak ...
.
In the 1950s, the Government acquired 12
coaches
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
from the American
Budd Company
The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense products ...
. Unlike old
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
en coaches used until then, the American wagons were made of
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and came with comforts such as air conditioning and double glazing to insulate the passengers from noise, arm chairs, bars and restaurant carriage. Those trains had been specially designed for the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...
. A high-speed 6000 HP
Baldwin locomotive had been also designed to tow that train, since the original project was to run as an express service between Washington and Cincinnati. Nevertheless, C&OR withdrew the purchase due to increasing competition with air travel, therefore Budd Co. sold the trains on.
In 1951
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 ...
acquired a total of 46 coaches from Budd Co. The rolling stock, originally built for
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
railways, had to be adapted to
indian gauge
, a broad gauge, is the track gauge used in India, Pakistan, western Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, and on BART in San Francisco, United States.
In North America, it is called Indian Gauge, Provincial, Portland, or Texas gauge. In Ar ...
used in Roca Railway. After a probationary period, trains began to run express services 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 ...
with a journey time of about 5 hours.
Budd's coaches comfort features included: speakers on the seats, individual lights and tables, carpeted floor,
venetian blind
A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mater ...
s, arm chairs in saloon coaches, pneumatic doors, and reclining chairs. Coaches were towed by Caprotti steam locomotives, eventually using diesel machines. In 1952 diesel locomotives by local company
Fábrica Argentina de Locomotoras (FADEL) named ''Justicialista'' made their debut on the line. Those machines had been built at
Liniers
Liniers is a barrio (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires on the edge of the city, centered on Rivadavia Avenue. It is also an important train station and bus hub, connecting western Gran Buenos Aires with the Buenos Aires Metro.
The neighborhood deve ...
workshops. In 1952, the locomotives began to serve on the Constitución-Mar del Plata section to tow the ''Marplatense'' express with a journey time of 3 hours and 45 minutes.
The ''Justicialista'' also ran to
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 ...
(with a journey time of 22 h 10') and
Mendoza (11 h 40') at an average speed of 145 km/h and remained active until the mid 1960s. Apart from Mar del Plata, the Roca Railway ran trains to other tourist centres on the Atlantic coast such as
Necochea
Necochea is a port and beach city in the southwest of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The city is located on the Atlantic coast, along the mouth of the Quequén Grande River, from Buenos Aires and southwest of Mar del Plata. The city proper ...
(10 services per day during the summer) via Chas or
Tandil
Tandil is the main city of the homonymous Partidos of Buenos Aires, partido (department), located in Argentina, in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province, just north-northwest of Tandilia hills. The city was founded in 1823 and its name originate ...
.
Other cities served by the Roca were
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 ...
(using
Ganz Works
The Ganz Works or Ganz ( or , ''Ganz companies'', formerly ''Ganz and Partner Iron Mill and Machine Factory'') was a group of companies operating between 1845 and 1949 in Budapest, Hungary. It was named after Ábrahám Ganz, the founder and the ...
railcars that had served on the San Antonio to Nahuel Huapi line in
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 ...
). The first train departed from Constitución in 1949, taking 6 hours to complete the 640 kilometers away at 105 km/h. In 1950 the Ganz railcars were added to the Constitución-Necochea line.
Closures
The lack of maintenance and investments and the rise and competition from road and air transport were some of the contributing factors in the decline of Roca Railway services after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Until 1959, the Argentine railway network totalled 44,000 km in length, although rail lines would be dismantled after then in order to reduce the budgetary deficit.
Therefore, several lines were closed in
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 ...
, including the
Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway
The Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway (Spanish: Ferrocarril Rosario y Puerto Belgrano, and in French: Compagnie de Chemins de Fer Rosario-Puerto Belgrano) was a French-owned railway company which operated a broad gauge, , single track lin ...
and other branches such as Nueva Roma–Villa Iris, Chas–
Ayacucho
Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru.
During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...
,
Azul
Azul, meaning "blue" in Spanish and Portuguese, may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Azul'' (Los Piojos album), 1998
* ''Azul'' (Cristian Castro album), 2001
* Azul Azul, a Bolivian pop-dance music group
** "Azul" (song), the title song
* " ...
–Empalme Cerro (Tandil), Arroyo de los Huesos–Chillar, Empalme La Barrancosa–San Enrique and Alfredo Fortabat–Deferrari–Dorrego branches. In those branches rail tracks were also removed.
Other branches that were closed but not dismantled were the Empalme Piedra Echada–
Toay
Toay is a town in La Pampa Province 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 seco ...
, Chillar–Indio Rico, Barrow–Juan E. Barra, Rufino de Elizalde–Las Pipinas, Empalme Pinamar–Vivoratá and Toay–Hucal branches. In January 1962, the Bahía Blanca Noroeste station was closed, moving traffic to
Bahía Blanca Sud.
In 1964 FA announced that the Necochea station would be closed. Although neighbourhoods requested that the decision be reverted, the last train to Necochea crossed the bridge over the Quequén River in December 1968, with the Government alleging that the bridge was not safe. After Necochea was closed,
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 ...
was set as the terminus. In 1973 a precarious stop was built to carry passengers closer to the city of Necochea. In 1977 services to Pinamar were closed due to low profitability, also removing the rail tracks that extended from Gral. Madariaga.
The decreasing industrial activity in several regions of Argentina caused some freight railway lines to also be closed, such as Pereyra-Punta Lara-Ensenada (in the port of
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
zone) in 1978. One year later, the La Plata-Magdalena-Atalaya and Rufino de Elizalde-Lezama-Las Pipinas (served by passenger and freight trains that contributed to the commercialization of milk and cattle in the region) were also closed.
By 1980, the Roca Railway had 6,827 km of tracks, while the Government suggested to close other 5,264 km. That same year, flooding destroyed the railway bridge that joined the ports of Quequén and Necochea so the stop built seven years earlier was put definitively out of service.
Patagonian railways
When railways were nationalised, State-owned company
Ferrocarriles Patagónicos
Ferrocarriles Patagónicos was an Argentine State-owned railway company that built and operated several rail lines in Patagonia region. FP were part of the Argentine State Railway created in 1909 during the presidency of José Figueroa Alcorta.
...
became part of Roca Railway in a process that started in 1949 and finished in 1956.
It was expected that FA would acquire diesel locomotives and build a line from
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn (; cy, Porth Madryn), also known as ''Madryn'', is a city in the province of Chubut in Argentine Patagonia. It is the capital of the Viedma Department, and has about 93,995 inhabitants according to the last census in 2010.
Puer ...
to Sierra Grande to extend railway to
San Antonio Oeste
San Antonio Oeste is a port city in the Argentine province of Río Negro, and head of the department of San Antonio.
The town is bordered by its sister communities of San Antonio Este, to the east, and Las Grutas, to the southwest. Discovere ...
. Nevertheless, the freight transport activity decreased due to the competition with road transport that reached its peak in the late 1950s. In 1961, the Puerto Madryn railway was closed and the station became a
bus terminal
A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is l ...
.
After being closed, the Puerto Madryn railway rolling stock was transferred to other lines. There were plans to open the railway again in 1964, but after 15 coaches were destroyed by fire, the reopening could not be carried out. Rail tracks were removed in 1974. Likewise the
Comodoro Rivadavia Railway
The Comodoro Rivadavia and Colonia Sarmiento Railway () was an Argentine railway company that built and operated a broad gauge line that connected the port of Comodoro Rivadavia with Colonia Sarmiento in Chubut Province. The FCCRCS -belonging ...
was definitively closed in 1958 and the rail tracks removed.
There was a project to build a transpatagonian railway that would run along the south of Argentina from San Antonio Oeste, crossing Puerto Madryn,
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia () is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San ...
and
Puerto Deseado
Puerto Deseado, originally called Port Desire, is a city of about 15,000 inhabitants and a fishing port in Patagonia in Santa Cruz Province of Argentina, on the estuary of the Deseado River.
It was named ''Port Desire'' by the privateer Thomas C ...
. The project, announced in 1957, was later dismissed. In 1979 both lines,
Puerto Deseado Railway
The Puerto Deseado and Colonia Las Heras Railway (native name: "Ferrocarril Puerto Deseado a Colonia Las Heras") was a Government-owned corporation, State-owned railway company that ran between the cities of Puerto Deseado to Las Heras, Santa Cru ...
and Comodoro Rivadavia Railway were closed. Rail tracks remained untouched until the 1990s when they were removed.
The only line that survived the closing was ''
La Trochita
La Trochita (official name: ''Viejo Expreso Patagónico''), in English known as the Old Patagonian Express, is a narrow gauge railway in Patagonia, Argentina using steam locomotives. The nickname ''La Trochita'' means literally "The little gauge" ...
'', because of being a tourist attraction since the 1970s. Nevertheless, the railway would be closed in 1992 during
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. H ...
's presidency, although it was later put into service again after many people protested and demanded its reopening.
Privatisation
By the early 1990s, most of the public companies in Argentina were unprofitable. The railway system had a deficit of about
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
355 million per year (almost 1 million per day). The famous quote by president Carlos Menem threatening railway union workers to close the lines if they did not cease strikes ("Ramal que para, ramal que cierra" – "Railways that go on strike will be closed") became real when the Government of Argentina closed several rail lines in 1990, leaving a large amount of railway villages isolated.
According to reports, in 1960 539 million of passengers had been carried by train, while in 1990 the number decreased to 264 million. During the last year of state administration, 239,000 services were delayed or cancelled.
As part of the privatisation process,
freight services were granted in concession to
Ferrosur Roca
Ferrosur Roca S.A. (FR) is a private company which operates freight services over part of the broad gauge that belongs to General Roca Railway.
Some of the products transported by Ferrosur Roca include salt, clincker, plaster, cement, lime, ...
and
Ferroexpreso Pampeano
Ferroexpreso Pampeano S.A. (abbreviated FEPSA) is an Argentine private railway company that operates freight services over a network that comprises broad gauge Sarmiento Railway and the Rosario and Puerto Belgrano section of Roca Railway.
...
, while
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
lines were given to
Metropolitano
Metropolitano S.A. was a privately owned consortium formed in 1994 to take over concessions granted by the Argentine government as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem for the operation of commuter rail services i ...
.
Trenes Argentinos
In 2011, the
Mar del Plata railway and bus station
Mar del Plata (officially named "Estación Ferroautomotora Eva Perón")
Station facilities include 42 bus garages, 5 railway platforms, 50 shops, 3 restaurants, 51 ticket offices, parking lots and accessible toilets.
Train services are operat ...
was inaugurated.
["Cristina inauguró la terminal de trenes y micros de Mar del Plata en un día con retrasos"]
''Clarín'', 22 Jul 2011 During the ceremony it was announced that the terminus was able to operate 11 trains services per day.
''La Razón'', 22 Jul 2011 The train section cost
$ 117,4 million.
["La Presidenta inauguró la Ferroautomotora y anunció más obras para Mar del Plata"]
''La Capital'', 23 Jul 2011
Likewise, train units made by
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 ...
company
Talgo
Talgo (officially Patentes Talgo, SAU) is a Spanish manufacturer of intercity, standard, and high-speed passenger trains.
Corporate history
TALGO, an abbreviation of Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol (English: ''Lightweight articulated tra ...
were also featured in the inauguration. A total of six trains (consisting in 1
diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
and 9 coaches) were acquired by the Government of Argentina. The Talgo units had a capacity of 214 passengers, all of them provided with air conditioning and TV. The estimated journey time was five and a half hours.
["Fue inaugurada la nueva estación Ferroautomotora de la ciudad de Mar del Plata"]
Rieles Magazine, 25 Jul 2011
Nevertheless, in 2012 the Talgo trains were retired from service. The Government alleged that trains maintenance and service costs were too expensive. The Ministry of Transport said the contract with Talgo had been revoked. A total of six trains had been purchased although only two of them were running.
In 2014, trains manufactured by
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 ...
were acquired by the National Government to run luxury services to Mar del Plata. The first
CNR CKD8
The CNR CKD8 is a diesel-electric locomotive manufactured by China CNR Corporation from 2013 onwards for use in Argentina by state-owned Trenes Argentinos, a subsidiary of Ferrocarriles Argentinos S.E. The CKD8G variant is used primarily on th ...
unit arrived to Mar del Plata station in November 2014. The trains have a capacity for 565 passengers. Each unit has 12 coaches (with five
first class travel
First class is the most luxurious and most expensive travel class of seats and service on a train, passenger ship, airplane, bus, or other system of transport. Compared to business class and economy class, it offers the best service and most co ...
, four
pullman and one restaurant carriage, among them).
COMPANY
Companies operating on General Roca Railway tracks since its creation in 1948, have been the following:
;Notes
Suburban branch
In the metropolitan sector of 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 ...
the Roca Line operates from the city-centre terminus of
Estación Constitución south to
Alejandro Korn
Alejandro Korn (3 May 1860 – 9 October 1936) was an Argentine psychiatrist, philosopher, reformist and politician. For eighteen years, he was the director of the psychiatry hospital in Melchor Romero (a locality of La Plata in Buenos Aires) ...
,
Cañuelas, and
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
, and west to
Haedo. The line has the highest ridership figures in the Buenos Aires commuter rail network, and there is an ongoing electrification initiative to electrify the remaining parts of the line which are still operate diesel services, such as from Buenos Aires to
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
. New rolling stock from
CSR Corporation Limited
CSR Corporation Limited (CSR), formerly known as China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corp was a Chinese manufacturer of locomotive and rolling stock.
In 2015, the company merged with China CNR to form CRRC.
History
In 2007 the China South ...
has also been acquired for these services, and these began to be integrated into the line in June 2015.
Ya corren los nuevos trenes 0 Km en el Roca
– Cronica, 8 June 2015.
References
{{Rail transport in Argentina
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