The Metrotranvía Mendoza (

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, Can ...

for Mendoza Light Rail or fast tramway) is a public light rail transport system for the city of Mendoza, Argentina, served by

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometim ...

light rail cars operating on newly relaid tracks in former- General San Martín Railway mainline

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

. The line runs between Mendoza and General Gutierrez in Maipú, on

double-track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most li ...

rail. The Metrotranvía of Mendoza serves the metropolitan area of Mendoza, which includes the departments of Las Heras, Central district, Godoy Cruz, Maipú and Luján de Cuyo. Service operates from 6:00 to 22:00. The line has been named the ''Línea Verde'', or Green Line. The line operates on the right-hand side as its former U.S. light rail rolling stock is configured, in contrast to the left-handed operation of the majority of the Argentine railway network.

History

In 2009 the Government of Mendoza Province signed an agreement to build a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

line between the cities of Mendoza and Maipú, at an estimated cost of AR$ 62,449,732. Works were carried out 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 ...

Construcciones Electromecánicas del Oeste S.A. (CEOSA) and SOGESIC S.A. An inauguration ceremony was held in February 2012,"Mendoza light rail service begins" (December 2012). ''

Tramways & Urban Transit ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...

'', p. 451. LRTA Publishing. . but service did not begin at that time, as much of the construction work remained to be completed.''

'' magazine, May 2012, p. 193. LRTA Publishing. Starting on 29 April 2012 passengers were permitted to ride on occasional demonstration/trial services on a portion of the line. The system finally opened for regular service on 8 October 2012.

Future plans

Construction is currently under way, as of early 2015, to extend the Metrotranvía to Panquehua, in Las Heras, adding an extra of double track to the original route. The rail for this extension was manufactured in Spain while the concrete sleepers were manufactured in Argentina.Cómo es el novedoso sistema constructivo del nuevo tramo del Metrotranvía
- Jornada Online, 2 July 2015 This extension includes the construction of new

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term a ...

s, as well as the refurbishment of old railway stations. As of April 2018, this new section was projected to open in February 2019. Another project currently planned will extend the line 4.8 km (3 mi) from Panquehua to El Plumerillo International Airport, and add another 15 km (9.3 mi) branch from the intermediate Godoy Cruz stop to

Luján de Cuyo Luján de Cuyo is the district capital of the Luján de Cuyo Department located in the west of the Mendoza Province of Argentina. It forms part of the Greater Mendoza metropolitan area. Wine It was the first delineated appellation An appella ...

Rolling stock

(Parador Gutierrez) Siemens–Duewag U2 (9)

The service is provided by eleven

Siemens–Duewag U2 The Siemens–Duewag U2 is a type of light rail vehicle (LRV), built by consortium of Siemens, Duewag and Wegmann & Co built between 1968 and 1990. The design was based on the prototype U1 tram built in 1965 for the Frankfurt U-Bahn. The U2 was a ...

light-rail vehicles (LRVs) acquired secondhand from the

San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. It is known colloquially as "The Trolley". The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Tra ...

system in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. By November 2011, about half of these had arrived in Mendoza,''

'' magazine, January 2012, p. 27. LRTA Publishing. and the delivery was completed with the final two cars arriving on 27 April 2012.''

'' magazine, July 2012, p. 272. LRTA Publishing. In 2022, the

San Diego Metropolitan Transit System The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (''SDMTS'' or often simply ''MTS'') is a public transit service provider for Central, South, Northeast and Southeast San Diego County. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes t ...

sent another delivery of 39 second-generation trolley cars to Mendoza.

References

External links

*
Metrotranvía
on Sociedad Transporte Mendoza {{DEFAULTSORT:Metrotranvia of Mendoza Light rail in Argentina Transport in Mendoza Province Mendoza, Argentina

History

Future plans

Rolling stock

See also

References

External links