AES Railcar
Encyclopedia
The AES is an electric passenger railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, 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 , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...

 that has been in use in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 since 1977, originally with Ferrocarril del Norte, and later for MERVAL
Valparaíso Metro
Metro Valparaíso is the metro system serving the urban conglomeration of Gran Valparaíso, Chile , connecting the cities of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache, this last one, outside of the conurbation...

, the Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...

 region metro system.

History

A total of 20 units, service numbers AES1 - AES20, have been built in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 by the English / Argentine company GEC - Fiat Concorde between 1976 and 1977. Their main area of passenger service has been rapid suburban transit between Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...

 and Limache
Limache
Limache is a Chilean city and commune in the Marga Marga Province, Valparaíso Region. Limache is the only commune of Chile that has two cities. First San Francisco de Limache is to the north of the Matting of Limache, towards the south is Limache Viejo...

, with extended service between Valparaiso and Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

 during the 1980s, and service on the Biotren
Biotren
The similar system for Metro of Concepción or Biotren is basic at grade urban commuter rail system that covers a big part of the city of Concepción, capital of the region of Bío-Bío, also known as Gran Concepción or Concepción Metropolitan Area, both synonyms of "city" according to the urbanistic...

 in the South of Chile since the 2000s. Their maximum speed is 130 km/h (80 mph).

Accidents

There was a major accident at the town of Queronque on February 17, 1986, involving two AES units. It was the largest railroad accident in the history of Chile.

Another AES unit was set on fire by terrorists.

Recent Development

In the early 2000s, MERVAL
Valparaíso Metro
Metro Valparaíso is the metro system serving the urban conglomeration of Gran Valparaíso, Chile , connecting the cities of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache, this last one, outside of the conurbation...

 has gradually introduced new UT440R (Unidad de Tren 440 Reformado) railcars,
bought second-hand from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and refurbished. After operating side-by-side with the AES units for a brief period, they have completely taken over passenger service on June 30, 2005. On that day, AES 17 and AES 3 operated the last MERVAL revenue service between Puerto and Limache, in a large public event that included live music and celebrities.
Although the change to the more modern, quieter, and airconditioned 440R units has been met with a very positive public response, there are many Chileans who feel nostalgic about the AES trains that have been part of their daily lives for decades.

External links

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