Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco
Encyclopedia
Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco, S.A. (SEFECHA) (in English: Chaco Railway Services) is a company which operates passenger rail services in the Chaco Province
of Argentina
which were previously run by the state-owned company Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano
(FCGB) since railway nationalization in 1948.
As part of railway privatization
, carried out during the presidency of Carlos Menem
, a concession to operate the services was granted to the government of Chaco Province
in 1992 and was later transferred to SEFECHA in August 1999.
The services operated by SAFECHA, together with those of Tren de las Sierras in Córdoba Province
, are the only ex-FCGB passenger services in the interior of the country that are still in operation. Two services are run:
Resistencia
– Los Amores in Santa Fe Province
This is the northern end of the metre gauge
line from Santa Fe
to Resistencia built by the French–owned Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe
.
Roque Sáenz Peña
– Chorotis
This is the centre section of the metre gauge line from Resistencia to Jujuy once operated by state-owned Ferrocarril Central Norte
.
Chaco Province
Chaco is an Argentine province located in the north of the country, near the border with Paraguay. Its capital is Resistencia on the Paraná River opposite the city of Corrientes...
of 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...
which were previously run by the state-owned company Ferrocarril General Manuel 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...
(FCGB) since railway nationalization in 1948.
As part of railway privatization
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...
, carried out 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:...
, a concession to operate the services was granted to the government of Chaco Province
Chaco Province
Chaco is an Argentine province located in the north of the country, near the border with Paraguay. Its capital is Resistencia on the Paraná River opposite the city of Corrientes...
in 1992 and was later transferred to SEFECHA in August 1999.
The services operated by SAFECHA, together with those of Tren de las Sierras in Córdoba Province
Córdoba Province (Argentina)
Córdoba is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are : Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja and Catamarca...
, are the only ex-FCGB passenger services in the interior of the country that are still in operation. Two services are run:
Resistencia
Resistencia, Chaco
Resistencia is the capital and largest city in the province of Chaco, in northeastern Argentina. At the 2001 census, the population of the Resistencia city proper was 274,490 inhabitants. It is the anchor of a slightly larger metropolitan area, Greater Resistencia, which comprises three more...
– Los Amores in Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
This is the northern end of the metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
line from Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
to Resistencia built by the French–owned Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe
Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe
Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe was a French-owned company that purchased a railway network built by the provincial government of Santa Fe in Argentina on 10 April 1900 and later extended it in the provinces of Chaco and...
.
Roque Sáenz Peña
Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña
Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña is a city in the . It is the second largest in the province. It is located west-northwest of the provincial capital Resistencia, on the main rail and road route across northern Argentina to Salta...
– Chorotis
Chorotis
Chorotis is a town in Fray Justo Santa María del Oro Department of Chaco Province in Argentina. The large Campo del Cielo crater is nearby.Chorotis has been served by train to Sáenz Peña provided by Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco...
This is the centre section of the metre gauge line from Resistencia to Jujuy once operated by state-owned Ferrocarril Central Norte
Ferrocarril Central Norte
The Ferrocarril Central Norte was the first railway built in Argentina by the state...
.