PreMetro

The PreMetro or Line E2 is a 7.4 km (4.6 mi) tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

 line that connects with the Buenos Aires Metro

Buenos Aires Metro

The Buenos Aires Metro , locally known as Subte is a mass-transit system that serves the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first station of this network opened in 1913, the first of its kind in South America, the Southern Hemisphere and the entire Spanish-speaking world...

 line E, at Plaza de los Virreyes station and runs to General Savio and Centro Cívico. It is operated by Metrovías

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,...

.

It was officially opened to the public on 27 August 1987. The cost of building and fitting out the line was USD

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

 5.4 million. An additional USD 4.6 million was allocated to the acquisition of a fleet of 25 light rail vehicles.

Initially only a total of eight cars were built using new metal bodies manufactured in Buenos Aires mounted on the original 1913 Belgian-built La Brugeoise

La Brugeoise cars (Buenos Aires Metro)

The La Brugeoise cars are the Buenos Aires Metro Line A rolling stock since its inauguration in 1913. They were built by Belgian railway rolling stock manufacturer La Brugeoise, et Nicaise, et Delcuve between 1911 and 1919 for the Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company's first metro line...

 chassis

Chassis

A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

, and despite their age, the 1913 rebuilt cars could cover the 7.4-km line in less than 30 minutes.

The Argentine company Fábrica de Material Ferroviario (MATERFER) of Córdoba won the order for the construction of 25 modern LRVs of an entirely Argentine design, for which Siemens was subcontracted to supply the electrical components. The new single-unit, bidirectional trams provide a seating capacity of 32, with room for over 100 standees, three doors per side are provided for rapid egress and ingress. Power at 750 volts DC is picked up by a single pantograph. Couplers are not furnished so multiple operation is not possible. The cars entered into service on 14 October 1988; it appears that only 17 of these cars were built.

Line “E2” passes through many poorer areas, but travel on the light rail line is generally safe. Tram operates at 10-minute headways during the day.

Stations

• Intendente Saguier Line E Metro
• Balbastro
• Mariano Acosta
• Somellera
• Ana María Janer (formerly known as Fuerza Aérea)
• Fátima
• Fernández de la Cruz
• Presidente Illia (connection with commuter rail line Belgrano Sur)
• Parque de la Ciudad
• Escalada
• Pola

Branch 1 (Centro Cívico)

• Ana Díaz
• Centro Cívico

Branch 2 (General Savio)

• Larrazabal (formerly known as Armada Argentina)
• Nicolás Descalzi (formerly known as Ministro Carrillo)
• Gabino Ezeiza
• General Savio

External links

• http://www.metrovias.com.ar
• Subterráneos de Buenos Aires (Spanish)