Ferrocarriles Metropolitanos S.A. (FEMESA) was a company set up by the Argentine government in 1991, during the presidency of Carlos Menem

Carlos Menem

Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...

, to oversee the privatisation

Railway Privatisation in Argentina

Following a prolonged period of hyperinflation in the 1980s, accompanied by a steep increase in fiscal deficit and a sharp fall in reserves, the Argentine government, under the presidency of Carlos Menem from 1989, initiated a series of neoliberal reforms which included the privatisation of...

 of commuter rail services within the city of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

 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...

. The company granted concessions to Metropolitano

Metropolitano

Metropolitano S.A. was a privately owned consortium formed in 1994 to take over concessions granted by the Argentine government, through the state-owned company FEMESA as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem for the operation of commuter rail services in Buenos Aires...

 S.A., Ferrovias

Ferrovías

Ferrovías S.A.C. is a privately owned company which, on 1 April 1994, took over the concession, granted by the Argentine government as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem, for the operation of the 1,000 mm metre gauge Belgrano Norte Line commuter rail service in...

 S.A., Metrovias

Metrovías

Metrovías S.A. is a privately owned company which, on 1 January 1994, took over the concession, granted by the Argentine government as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem, for the operation of the standard gauge Urquiza Line commuter rail service in Buenos Aires,...

 S.A. and Trenes de Buenos Aires

Trenes de Buenos Aires

Trenes de Buenos Aires is a privately-owned company which, on 27 May 1995, took over the concession, granted by the Argentine government as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem, for the operation of commuter rail services in Buenos Aires, Argentina over the broad...

 S.A. for the operation of services which had previously been run by state-owned companies since nationalisation

Railway Nationalisation in Argentina

In 1948, during President Juan Perón’s first term of office, the seven British-owned and three French-owned railway companies then operating in Argentina, were purchased by the state...

 of the railways in 1948. With its task complete FEMESA was wound up in 1997.

In 1994 FEMESA granted concessions to Metropolitano which, through three subsidiary companies, took over the operation of services on the Línea San Martín

Línea San Martín (Buenos Aires)

The San Martín line is a 55 Kilometre,19 station commuter rail service in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina run by the private company Transportes Metropolitanos General San Martín S.A. , a subsidiary of Metropolitano, between 1 April 1994 and 7 January 2005...

, Línea Roca

Línea Roca (Buenos Aires)

The Roca line is a commuter rail service in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, run by the private company Transportes Metropolitanos General General Roca S.A. , a subsidiary of Metropolitano, between 1 January 1995 and 22 May 2007...

 and Línea Belgrano Sur

Línea Belgrano Sur (Buenos Aires)

The Belgrano Sur line is a commuter rail service in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina run by the private company Transportes Metropolitanos Belgrano Sur S.A. , a subsidiary of Metropolitano, between 1 May 1994 and 22 May 2007...

 in Buenos Aires previously operated by the state-owned San Martín

Ferrocarril General San Martín

Ferrocarril General San Martín , named after the former Argentine general José de San Martín, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...

, Roca

Ferrocarril General Roca

Ferrocarril General Roca , named after the former Argentine president Julio Argentino Roca, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...

 and Belgrano

Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano

Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano , named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...

 companies, respectively. In spite of Metropolitano receiving large government subsidies, its services deteriorated to a point where, by 2007, the three concessions had all been revoked and their operation was taken over by the consortium UGOFE

Unidad de Gestión Operativa Ferroviaria de Emergencia

Unidad de Gestión Operativa Ferroviaria de Emergencia is a temporary consortium of Argentine companies formed on 7 January 2005 by Ferrovías, Metrovías and Trenes de Buenos Aires to take over the running of commuter railway services in Buenos Aires after concessions granted to Metropolitano in...

.

Concessions were also granted in 1994 to Ferrovias and Metrovias, for operation of services over the Belgrano Norte, and Urquiza Lines, respectively, previously operated by the state-owned Belgrano

Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano

Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano , named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...

, and Urquiza

Ferrocarril General Urquiza

Ferrocarril General Urquiza , named after the Argentine general and politician Justo José de Urquiza, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...

 companies.

Finally, in 1995, concessions were granted to Trenes de Buenos Aires for the operation of services over the Mitre and Sarmiento Lines, previously operated by the state-owned Mitre

Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre

Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre , named after the former Argentine president Bartolomé Mitre, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...

 and Sarmiento

Ferrocarril Domingo Faustino Sarmiento

The Ferrocarril Domingo Faustino Sarmiento , named after the former Argentine president, statesman, educator, and author Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the Argentine railway network in 1948...

companies.

With all the commuter rail services in Buenos Aires now privatised, FEMESA was wound up in 1997.