Tren de la Costa
Encyclopedia
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line in Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires is the generic denomination to refer to the megalopolis comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the conurbation around it, over the province of Buenos Aires—namely the adjacent 24 partidos or municipalities—which nonetheless do not constitute a single administrative...
, between Maipú Avenue station in the northern suburb of Olivos
Olivos, Buenos Aires
Olivos is an Argentine city in Vicente López Partido in the Province of Buenos Aires and a suburb within the Greater Buenos Aires metro area....
and Delta station in Tigre
Tigre, Buenos Aires
Tigre is a town in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, north of Buenos Aires city. Tigre lies on the Paraná Delta and is an important tourist and weekend attraction, easily reached by bus and train services, including the scenic Tren de la Costa...
, on the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
. The line connects directly to the Mitre line at Maipú–Bartolomé Mitre station for direct access to Retiro terminus
Estación Retiro
Retiro Station is a large railway terminus in the Buenos Aires central business district in Argentina, located in the district of Retiro, opposite Plaza San Martín, a large public square....
in the centre of the city.
Tren de la Costa is served by nine two-car trains sets. Each train has a capacity of 200 passengers and travels at an average speed of 35 km/h. The journey time is 30 minutes, with a frequency of about 20 minutes.
History
The line was developed during the period between 1891 and 1896 as part of the Buenos Aires and Rosario RailwayBuenos Aires and Rosario Railway
The Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway was a British-owned railway company that built and operated a broad gauge railway network in Argentina, where it was known as the Ferrocarril Buenos Aires y Rosario....
(BA&R) connecting Coghlan junction in the 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...
neighbourhood of Belgrano
Belgrano, Buenos Aires
Belgrano is a leafy, northern barrio or neighborhood of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Location :The barrio of Palermo is to the southeast; Nuñez is to the northwest; Coghlan, Villa Urquiza, Villa Ortúzar and Colegiales are to the southwest....
with the port of Tigre and was known as the Tren del Bajo. The line served as an alternative route to Tigre already served by the Buenos Aires Northern Railway
Buenos Aires Northern Railway
The Buenos Aires Northern Railway was a British-owned company that operated a broad gauge railway line in Argentina, in the second half of the nineteenth century....
. The line was later absorbed by the Central Argentine Railway
Central Argentine Railway
The Central Argentine Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
when this company took over the (BA&R) in 1908. It was electrified in 1931, nationalised in 1948 when it became part of F.C. 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...
; but in 1961 part of the system was abandoned and left to decay for 30 years.
In 1990 plans were formulated for reopening the line and with railway 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...
in 1992, the Tren de la Costa company (part of Sociedad Comercial del Plata
Sociedad Comercial del Plata
Sociedad Comercial del Plata is a diversified Argentine holding company, with interests primarily in the energy, rail transport, real estate, and tourism sectors.-Overview:...
, controlled by local businessman Santiago Soldati
Santiago Soldati
Santiago Soldati is a prominent Argentine businessman.-Career:Santiago Soldati was born to Francisco Soldati, a nephew of the founder of the Villa Lugano neighborhood of Buenos Aires, José Francisco Soldati, and the owner of the city's largest utility, the Italian-Argentine Electric Company...
) was formed to take over the concession for the service.
The track was converted
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
from broad gauge
Indian gauge
Indian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...
to , and electrified in 1994. Public services and the related commercial operations began in April 1995, and the maiden ride, on April 21, was shared by Soldati, company and government officials, and President 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:...
.
Concept
The line and its stations offer various forms of entertainment and enjoyment for both adults and children and is used by both tourists and commuters. Each station, seven of which are original stations refurbished, has history and art displays, and the stations at Maipú Avenue (Vicente LópezVicente López
Vicente López is a mainly residential neighbourhood in Vicente López Partido of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, it forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban agglomeration...
), Avenida del Libertador
Avenida del Libertador
Avenida del Libertador is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in points north, extending 25 km from the Retiro District of Buenos Aires to the northern suburb of San Fernando.-History:...
(Olivos
Olivos, Buenos Aires
Olivos is an Argentine city in Vicente López Partido in the Province of Buenos Aires and a suburb within the Greater Buenos Aires metro area....
), and San Isidro
San Isidro, Buenos Aires
San Isidro, Buenos Aires is a municipality in Greater Buenos Aires and one of the most affluent municipalities in Argentina. It is located in San Isidro Partido in the Buenos Aires Province....
have substantial shopping areas. Borges Station, by the Olivos marina, is 'the station of the arts' and has an art café with open-air sculptures. Located nearby is the Juan Carlos Altavista
Juan Carlos Altavista
Juan Carlos Altavista was an Argentine actor and comedian.-Life:Juan Carlos Altavista begun his career at Teatro Infantil Labarden, in Buenos Aires. There attended future actress as Julia Sandoval and Beba Bidart...
Cinema, one of the oldest still operating in the world. Anchorena station is the 'Tango station' with a cultural centre, and Barrancas station hosts an antiques fair.
The route between Libertador and San Isidro has been adapted for use by walkers, joggers and cyclists. Delta station serves the Parque de la Costa
Parque de la Costa
Parque de la Costa is an amusement park located in Tigre, a northern suburb of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.-Development:The park, located on a 14 hectare lot along the Paraná River Delta , was developed by Santiago Soldati, whose family holding company, SCP, had been bolstered by record...
, an amusement park, as well as Tigre's other important tourist attractions including the casino, a crafts fair, riverside restaurants and boat trips.
The line has not been wholly successful and has seen a large drop in passenger numbers since its opening in 1995. Around 100,000 journeys were made each weekend initially; but, by 2005 there were just 150,000 a month, a third of which were foreign tourists. The coinciding economic upturn did not reverse this trend, and ridership declined to around 70,000 a month by 2010.
Stations
- Maipú (Olivos)Olivos, Buenos AiresOlivos is an Argentine city in Vicente López Partido in the Province of Buenos Aires and a suburb within the Greater Buenos Aires metro area....
- Borges (Olivos)Olivos, Buenos AiresOlivos is an Argentine city in Vicente López Partido in the Province of Buenos Aires and a suburb within the Greater Buenos Aires metro area....
- Libertador
- Anchorena
- Barrancas (San Isidro)San Isidro, Buenos AiresSan Isidro, Buenos Aires is a municipality in Greater Buenos Aires and one of the most affluent municipalities in Argentina. It is located in San Isidro Partido in the Buenos Aires Province....
- San Isidro R (San Isidro)San Isidro, Buenos AiresSan Isidro, Buenos Aires is a municipality in Greater Buenos Aires and one of the most affluent municipalities in Argentina. It is located in San Isidro Partido in the Buenos Aires Province....
- Punta Chica (BéccarBeccarBeccar is a middle and upscale residential neighbourhood located north of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is part of the partido of San Isidro in Gran Buenos Aires...
) - Marina Nueva
- San Fernando R (San Fernando)San Fernando, Buenos AiresSan Fernando de la Buena Vista is a city in the Gran Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and capital of the San Fernando Partido, north of the city of Buenos Aires.- Geographic Data:...
- Canal
- Delta (Tigre)Tigre, Buenos AiresTigre is a town in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, north of Buenos Aires city. Tigre lies on the Paraná Delta and is an important tourist and weekend attraction, easily reached by bus and train services, including the scenic Tren de la Costa...