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Mexico to Chile Information from Latin America New information is presented in cursive type and strong presentation Earlier information is on a separate page More information in our periodical "Volta o Trem" Actual issue is No. 16-2 Earlier issues Why not join us as a member? Membership Application Information and Contact Information on:
Sources They are mentioned following the news Item as an abbreviation
Mexico Mexico City: Metro (25/08/11, 05/01/12) The new trains of type FE10 from CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles in Spain, consist of 8 cars with a total capacity of 1900 passengers and are 0,5 Metres wider. They have a total length of 140 Metres. The first trains shall be delivered starting in August 2011. When the Golden Line opens, however, only 13 trains will have been delivered; the remainder will follow by April 2013. Now the first train has arrived in Mexico City. In the meantime technical tests have started at the Tláhuac workshops. A further photograph. CF
Of this system, in its time announced with large fanfares, only part of lines 2 and 3 have been realised, including the line from Cuautitlán to Buenavista. Reason for this is the financial crisis. Now the use of articulated buses is planned for the lines not realised. Now the call for tenders for lines 2 and 3 shall be newly published. The Spanish firm of CAF has reduced its participation which has existed since 2003 from 85 to 43 pct. By November 2011 line 1 had transported less passengers than planned. ERF
This Mexican freight railway company received the first of an order of 44 diesel electric six axle locomotives of type SD70ACe with a power of 4330 HP. They are being built in Canada by Electromovtiv (EMD). CF
The stations on line 1 shall be extended to 90 Meters so that from now on trains can operate with 3 units instead of 2 as at present. At the same time the Siemens vehicles will be modernised and receive new electronic equipment. ERF
Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo (25/08/11) For line 2 of this subway the French firm Alstom will deliver 15 trains and carry out maintenance of them. The trains of type Metropolis offer 64 seats and have space for up to 617 passengers. Each train consists of three units. Three more units can be inserted. An option for 6 more trains is envisaged. The line shall be in service by 2012 and have a length of 21 Kilometres with 12 stations. Daily capacity is 400'000 passengers. The national congress has accepted an international finance package which covers the railway system elements of phase 1 of line 2 with a length of 11,5 Kilometres. This goes between Los Alcarrizos and J.P.Duarte with 14 stations and shall open in 2012. The connexion to line 1 will take place at J.P.Duarte in the town centre. Line 1 was opened in January 2009 and transports today 100'000 passengers per day. A consortium under the direction of Siemens takes care of signalling and automatic train monitoring ZUB 222, electrification at 1500 Volt direct current by overhead contact rail, communication with the train control system OC 100, fare collection, tunnel ventilation and fire prevention, and is responsible for the project administration and three years of maintenance. Later an extension in easterly direction from J.P.Duarte to El Brisal and San Isidro is planned which increases total length to 28 Kilometres. Even later a line 3 is planned as a second East-West line, and shorter North-South lines 4, 5 and 6 whereby total length increases to 60 Kilometres. MRI,
Siemens
Venezuela Caracas: Metro (25/08/11, 05/01/12) The Metro is planning the construction of a new line 5 which shall operate in the south eastern part of the city. The line shall transport 200'000 passengers per day and have a length of 7,5 Kilometres. The line shall relieve the overcrowded line 1. Furthermore the gondola line, MetroCable Mariche, shall be finished on a length of 4,74 Kilometres between Paki Verde and Mariche by November 2012. In a second phase the line will be extended by a further 4,8 Kilometres. In addition, the Cabletren Bolivariano with a length of 2,5 Kilometres and 5 elevated stations shall be built. This line will receive four 4 car trains for 230 passengers each. This will probably be an aerial cable line, jigback system. The first four of 48 trains ordered have arrived and will be put into service shortly. They offer space for 147 passengers more than their predecessors. As is today usual the trains can be accessed on their entire length without interruption and were built by CAF from Spain. CF/ERF
As a continuation of line 1 of this Metro line 2 is under construction. The line is equipped by the French firm of Alstom. The new line has a length of 12 Kilometres and five station. In addition a line 3 is being planned, also an extension of lines 1 and 2. ERF
Ferrocarriles del Ecuador (EFE) (25/08/11, 05/01/12) The reconstruction of the 56,4 Kilometres line Ibarra - Salinas in the North of the country has started. Also the section between Otavalo and Atuntaqui is being worked on; it is also planned to reinstate the line from Otavalo to Ibarra. Now the line from Ibarra to Salinas is ready for service, and state president Rafael Correa has inaugurated the line. The train is called Tren de Libertad, freedom train. Length of line is 30 Kilometres, and has bridges and tunnels. The line was out of service since 2010. CF, ERF
Bogotá: Tren das Cercanias (05/01/12) Instead of a full railway system as it is called in Spain, a so-called TramTrain as is operated in Karlsruhe and Mulhouse shall be built. At the port of Cartagena a ship with the first three coaches of the additional order of 13 three car trains for the Metro in Medellin has arrived. They shall be operating by September 2011 and will be required for the extension of the southern line to Sabaneta as well as a reinforcement due to increased numbers of passengers. The trains were constructed by the firm of CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A., in Spain, the outward appearance comes from the famous designer Guigiaro. Passengers can move continuously through the entire train, and the train can be accessed by wheel chairs. A photograph on arrival. CF
This type of transport system continues to find nw adherents and shall be realised in several cities of Colombia: Baranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Medellin and Pereira. Only Medellin and Bogotá (later) shall have rail bound transport systems. SV
Lima: Suburban line (25/08/11, 05/01/12) The construction of the first part of line 1 is far advanced. This part goes from Villa El Salvador to Avenida Grau. The second part goes from Avenida Grau to San Juan de Lurigancho. The viaduct of the complete line on which the line operates has a length of 33 Kilometres and is thus the world's longest. At the beginning of June 2011 the construction of the second part was approved. The number of stations of the entire line is 26. The Peruvian consortium Tren Lima, consisting of Graña y Montero (GYM) and the Argentinian Ferrovías have signed a contract for the operation of line 1. Tren Lima will also provide the operation and the maintenance of the trains during 30 years. The contract for the delivery of 19 five car trains went to the firm of Alstom They will manufacture the trains of type Metropolis in Santa Perpetua de Mogoda in Spain and deliver them by the end of 2012. They supplement the five existing trains from AnsaldoBreda which will be overhauled and hold the position until the arrival of the new trains. The first two trains shall arrive by the end of 2012. Bombardier Spain will deliver the signalling of the line. The system will be Cityflow 350 and includes the train control EBI Lock 950, the track control system EBI 200 and EBI Switch 700, as well as the automatic train protection system EBI 2000. CF
Running time of the
first part of line 1 will be 27 minutes, at a speed of 80 Kilometres per
hour. Now the line opened on the 11th July 2011
ERF
Already the call for
offers for line 2 is being prepared. It will operate between Vitarte,
the town centre of Lima and Callao and be built sub surface.
CF, ERF, UR
The Spanish railway company FEVE has built for this new company which operates trains to Machu Picchu four luxury vehicles for USD6,5 millions which each offer seats for 144 passengers. Expreso Ferroviário del Peru (05/01/12) With this company already the fourth railway company is operating on the line from Cusco to Machu Piccho. CF
Bolivia Ferroviaria Oriental (05/01/12) This railway has introduced an overhauled and further developed rail bus which has been rebuilt in their own workshop. It was named Aguargüe and has 42 seats, music, television and video, air condition, chemical toilets and on board service. This is the 3rd generation of this type of vehicle. ERF
Brasil New control system from General Electric (05/01/12) GE Transportation has launched a new control system for freight trains. The "Trip Optimizer" is integrated in the locomotive's control system and can be programmed for an optimal fuel use system which depends on the line's profile and further parameters. At the same time a LMS control system (Locomotive Maintenance Suite) is installed which establishes the parameters for maintenance, controls them and transmits them to the maintenance monitoring workshop. RF
América Latina Logística (ALL) will install in Rondonopolis in the local state of Mato Grosso a new terminal. This terminal will have a size of 4 million square metres and serve handling of wheat, fuel, fertiliser and containers. Instead of 18 hours for a typical train with 80 wagons only 3 hours will be required. The terminal shall be ready by the end of 2012 and serve the transport to Santos where ALL owns two terminals. RF
The existing freight line of this connexion shall also be used for the passenger traffic. The metre gauge line can without any problems be operated by a VLT, Vehículo Leve sobre Trilhos, possibly with diesel hydraulic light vehicles from Bom Sinal, and only slight adaptations are necessary. RF
The tourist train with a steam engine on the Estrada Real between the stations Paraíba do Sul, 137 Kilometres from Rio de Janeiro, Werneck and Cavarú in the Paraíba valley is being restored. The steam engine of 1910 is followed by open coaches with 16 seats each. RF
In Paraíba do Sul, 137 Kilometres from Rio de Janeiro, a railway university is being constructed. By 2012, 200 students are expected, later 400 students. The school is established in co-operation with ALL, Vale, Amsted Maxion, Siemens and MRS Logística. Operator is Cepefer, Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Ferroviários, RF
After much to and fro and about 10 offers by the firm of Stadler in Bussnang, the only manufacturer of rack railways, the funds for four trains have been liberated. For the first time this covers a rack version of the well known Articulated GTW cars with the drive section between the car halves in a separate container. RF
At the same time there
are plans for a new building at the upper station on the Corcovado. The
trains will end in a closed hall, and turnstiles as well as video cameras
for the control of visitors will be installed. Maximum admission will be
1250 passengers. The private foods stalls will be removed. The project
of the Tijuca National Park will be carried out with the Roberto Marino
foundation and by the architect Mauricio Prochnik.
Newspaper
"O Globo", Rio de Janeiro
Pindamonhangaba: Estrada de Ferro Campos de Jordão (25/08/11, 05/01/12) CPTM is planning the introduction of a tourist train starting in São Paulo, but of course passengers must change trains at Pindamonhangaba. The railway has received from the local state of São Paulo the sum of BRR4 millions for improvements of the track. It is planned to increase the number of passengers considerably. RF
Since 1996 no more rail has been produced in Brasil. The goods circuit consists of the export of iron ore to China and from there back to Brasil as finished track material. As at present large railway projects are being realised, the production in Brasil could be profitable at a quantity of 500 tons per year. Manufacturer Gerdau Açominas has already started the planning of a factory. A further factory of this kind the company Vale will build in Governador Valedares in the local state of Minas Gerais for its own requirements. RF
To empty freight wagons with mineral goods ALL has invented a system whereby the goods no longer adhere to the wagon's floor. With the help of Polypropylene planes on the floor of the cars more than 46 pct. of time for emptying them can be saved when tilting the cars. RF
Progress Rail, the railway part of the American locomotive manufacturer Caterpillar in Peora, Illinois/USA, plans the construction of a locomotive factory in the local state of Minas Gerais. This shall serve the increasing requirement for the transport of paper goods. Caterpillar in its time took over the locomotive production of EMD, the former locomotive factory of General Motors. It is the world's only user of two stroke motors. The locomotives are of type SD70, a more modern version of type SD40. Of the version SD4052 of which FCA has so far ordered 40 locomotives, already 26 locomotives have been delivered. They were modified from 6 to 8 axles to enable larger axle loads and be able to use the locomotives everywhere. RF
This tourist train of the Vale company which we have already presented earlier is celebrating its 5 year anniversary. As a novelty a Panorama coach has been introduced, and of new the train operates twice daily from Friday to Sunday and on holidays, with departures at 10h00 and 15h30 from Ouro Preto and from Mariana at 8h30 and 14h00. A single journey is priced at BRR22.--, a return journey at BRR35.--, in the Panorama coach at BRR35.-- single and BRR60.-- return. RF
This German firm is building in the interior of the local state of São Paulo a factory for vehicle brakes. Today a total of 250 equipments for suburban trains can be produced per month, but in the future this quantity can be increased by 50 pct. RF
The planning of regional express trains to Jundiai, Sorocaba und Santos having been finished, further train lines are being planned from Campinas to Piracicaba, 164 Kilometres from São Paulo, and to Riberão Preto, 402 Kilometres from São Paulo. Average speed shall be 120 Kilometres per hour, maximum speed 180 Kilometres per hour. As the existing lines do not permit this speed, the lines of 1600 Millimetres broad gauge have to be straightened with the use of "Variantes". RF
North of São Paulo existed for a long time a railway line, the Estrada de Ferro Perus - Pirapora (EFPP) which was closed in the 80s of the last century. Now a part of this has been reactivated. This goes from Perus station of the former São Paulo Railway to Gato Preto in the community of Cajamar. In spite of its name the railway never reached Pirapora. It is under the control of the Instituto de Ferrovías e Preservação do Patrimônio Cultural (IFPPC). It is the only tourist railway with narrow gauge. It also served the transport to and from a cement plant which enabled the building of the skyscrapers in the 30s of the last century. The line has a length of 6 Kilometres; running time is 10 minutes. The oldest steam engine is 115 years old. There is also a restored German diesel train, the oldest of Brasil, in the country's colours yellow and green. RF
These two firms want to build a factory at Araraquará in the interior of the local state of São Paulo for the construction of regional trains, subway trains and monorails. It shall be operative by the middle of 2012. RF
Brasil, Urban Transport Teresina: Metrô CMTP (05/01/12) The line of the Metrô Teresina shall be double tracked and receive six new stations. For the operation, 4 new four section trains shall be purchased. Waiting time will be reduced from 40 to 15 minutes. The lines shall transport 50'000 passengers per day. Track shall be separated from the street and at the road crossings light signals shall be installed to control traffic. A further project envisages a viaduct at the Rua Higino Cuna. RF
The project of a Light Rail line with light vehicles mentioned by this web site years ago is now taking off. The arrival of industries at Suape harbour has furthered the development of the envisaged line. The 7 three sections trains have space for 600 passengers each and will be used on the line from Cajueiro Seco to Curado and from Cajueiro Seco to Cabo and will replace diesel locomotive hauled trains. In September, trial operation started. The trains are more comfortable and have air conditioning. Maximum speed is 80 Kilometres per hour. Possibly the line will later be extended to Suape. The line will be completely overhauled. RF
The capital of the local state of Alagoas is rebuilding the existing suburban line operated by the CBTU into an urban light rail line. Already two vehicles have arrived from Bom Sinal. Start of the testing service is planned for the 20th April 2011. Thus Maceió would be the first city of Brasil starting an urban VLT service. The trial operation takes place between the Central Station in Maceió and Utinga Leão. Later the line, after the repairs of the damage occasioned by the rainfalls, will be extended to Lourenço de Albuquerque, 32 Kilometres away. On the 10th October 2011 the definitive operation as far as Satuba has started. Fare is BRR0.50 per passenger. Three return journeys are envisaged per day. Not all stations are opened yet. A photograph of the cars. RF
This city in the local state of Mato Grosso in the Pantanal region wishes to build an urban VLT rail service for the Football World Championship. This line would connect Cuiabá with Várzea Grande. Members of the local government have already been in Porto in Portugal and were enthusiastic of this superb transport system. Less enthusiastic were the football organisation FIFA and the Brasilian state which insisted on a simpler system of type BRT Bus Rapid Transit, as only this can be finished by 2012. Now the national government has relented and enables the construction of the line. Now the local state is working on the financing, but this can take some time. The line will have 33 stations and 3 integration terminals (for transfer to buses). the buses will only have feeder duties. Total length is 22,2 Kilometres. RF
Towards the end of december of 2011 the first section from Lapa station to Rotula de Abacaxí of 6 Kilometres will start trial operation. To simulate weight sand bags are being used. The tests will last until April 2012. The second part of 6 Kilometres goes from Rotula de Abacaxí to Piraja station and will take a further 15 months to be ready. The Spanish railways FEVE and Euskotren shall cost free operate the Metrô as they have long-time experience. The suburban line to Paripe shall also be upgraded. The line shall be extended by one station to Mapele. The line is being rebuilt and electrified again. 14 overpasses for pedestrians shall be installed and the entire line will be equipped with walls which cover the still open sections along the line. Nine trains will be modernised and receive air conditioning and a new frontal design which will be similar to the VLTs. RF
The Metrô has installed a long overdue maintenance system as has been used in Europe for a long time. The Chairman of the Metro in Lisboa/Portugal has recommended the Metrô to become a member of the UITP, International Association of Public Transport, formerly known as Union Internationale des Transports Publics, of which the leading public transport organisations all over the world are members, and which in its Technical Committees elaborates the basis for maintenance and other problems. RF
This city in the west of the local state of Rio de Janeiro harbours since many years the firm of T'Trans, formerly ABB Asea Brown Boveri. The firm modernises subway trains for São Paulo and was in charge of building the new tram cars for Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro. Now there are plans to extend the activities and plan a cooperation with the two Chinese vehicle manufacturers China Machinery Corporation (CMC) and China Northern Railways. CMC will deliver 34 trains for the suburban lines of SuperVia in Rio de Janeiro. The 60 trains planned for later shall be assembled and later be maintained at Três Rios . For this a new hall has been built on a space of 12'600 square metres provided by the local community. RF
The Brasilian group of firms MPE and the Malaysian firm of Scomi which have received the order for line 17 of the Metrô São Paulo shall construct in Rio de Janeiro a factory for the assembly of the monorail trains. It will be built on the verge of the long distance road Avenida Brasil where MPE already owns some ground and several buildings. With this a local contribution of 30 pct., later of 60 pct. can be reached. A further order may come from Manaus where the firm also placed an offer. RF
After the recent pacification of the Favela probably an aerial gondola line and three funiculars shall be built. RF
The funicular to the Favela Pavão/Pavãozinho is being overhauled completely since May 2011. All the stations are built new, the vehicle will be replaced by a new semipanoramic vehicle which has space for 18 passengers. The line stopped operation in the middle of March 2011 due to vandalism damage. The work will take six months to be finished. G1
A heavy accident, the third within a short period, caused the death of 5 passengers, and 50 suffered heavy injuries. Apparently the brakes of a not rebuilt vehicle failed. An extensive report can be found on the page about the tramway. In the course of modernisation almost everything that could be done wrongly went wrong. Operation will be stopped for at least a year. Carris, the operator of the tramway of Lisboa in Portugal have concluded a contract with the local state of Rio de Janeiro and will organise the modernisation of the system. Carris operated in the 40s of the last century the tramway of Santa Teresa. Due to similar operating circumstances they are the confirmation that the line will rise from the ashes. Proximately the new rails will be put to tender. Also 7 new cars are to be ordered with a total cost of BRR35 millions, corresponding to five times the cost of the seven rebuilt tram cars. RF
The project of line 3 in Niteroí, first published in 1987, is taking off again. In contrast to the report in the monthly "Tramway and Urban Transport" only the line from Niteroí to São Gonzalo will be built as the underwater tunnel to Carioca in Rio de Janeiro is too expensive. In Niteroí an intermodal terminus will be built at the first station Araribója, following the plans of the architect Oscar Niemeyer which includes metrô, buses and ships. The line will count with 14 stations. RF
For the improvement of train control to reduce the intervals on the line to Deodoro to three minutes and to avoid the trespassing of closed signals. The order for the necessary signalling system of type ERTS Level-1 has been placed with the firm of Bombardier. In the meantime the first new train has arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Within an investment program of BRR2,4 billions up to 2020 with the government of the local state of Rio de Janeiro SuperVia wishes to order another 60 trains. Odebrecht also considers the purchase of 30 trains. The investment program includes also track and signalling. Also the first modernised train was delivered. RF
The Spanish firm of CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, has with its plants in Brasil and Spain won the order for the delivery of 26 six car trains for line 5/lila. The order for the signalling of line 5 was placed with Bombardier. It will permit automatic operation of the trains by means of CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) and reduce intervals between trains to 75 seconds. The construction of the next 11 stations shall start in December 2011. The first modernised train for line 1/ Azul has started operation. In all 98 trains for the lines 1 to 3 will be modernised by 2014. On line 4/Amarela Pinheiros station was opened. Construction, however, is not yet finished. Mainly the planned connexion to line 9/Esmeralda of the CPTM is still missing. Also passengers must pay twice. By October 2011 opening of the last two stations, Repúblic and Luz, is expected. After finishing the line to Vila Sônja the line shall be extended to Taboão da Serra. At the same time an extension at the other end by one station from Luz to Pari is being evaluated. In the meantime and four years late the two most important stations of line 4/Amarela, Luz and República, were inaugurated on the 15th September 2011. Luz station shall later also receive an university, a hotel and a shopping centre. Already the second section of line is being prepared. It contains five stations and 1.5 Kilometres in Tunnel and reaches Vila Sônia. RF
For the construction of line 17/gold the consortium Integração, of which the firm of Scomi from Malaysia is the leader, was chosen. Scomi is a large firm with 4'000 employees and has already built similar lines in Kuala Lumpur and India. Line 17 will have a length of 21,5 Kilometres and have 19 stations and operate from the Metrô station São Judas to Congonhas Airport. There are connexions to lines 1/blue, 4/yellow and 5/lila of the Metrô. Scomi will deliver 24 three car trains. The French firm Thales has won the contract for the delivery of the CBTC operating system .The system SelTrac CBTC, Communications Based Train Control, permits the driverless operation of the line and the exact positioning of the trains. Scomi
A further line is presently being examined. It goes from Jardin Ângela in the South zone to Pirituba. about 30 Kilometres away in the North zone. Start of construction would then be in the Region M*Boi Mirim in the South zone. For this line a PPP Public Private Parceria is being sought of. On line 2 to Cidade Tiradentes a cycle path shall be built underneath the monorail. The prototype of the Bombardier vehicle will be built in Kingston in Canada. The vehicles are based on the ALWEG system. They will be driverless. The further trains will then be built in Brasil in Hortolandia in the local state of São Paulo. A further line, 15/bronce, goes from Tamandatuai station on line 10 to Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul in the ABC to Estrada do Alvarenga. It has a length of 20 Kilometres and will receive 18 stations, of which 4 are integration terminals. Start of building has not yet been fixed. RF
For the training of the drivers CPTM has acquired a train simulator. With the "Expresso ABC" an old project has been restarted. This follows on the entire length line 10/turquesa of the CPTM, but with less stations (6 instead of 14). With this the travelling time - at present 50 minutes - can be reduced by 35 pct. In all for the joint section five tracks are envisaged, 2 for the Expresso ABC, two for line 10 and one for goods trains. A further project is the "Expresso Oeste-Sul" which will operate in parallel to the existing lines 8 (from Barueiro on) and 9 (to Pinheiros). The train stops only in Parapicuiba and Osasco and will run the line in 20 minutes instead of 35 minutes as at present. It shall transport 154'000 passengers per day. Furthermore the government plans the installation of an express line between Jundiaí and Agua Branca, the "Expresso Jundiaí". This will reduce running time from Jundiaí to São Paulo from 80 minutes to 25 minutes. The existing line 7/rubi will continue to operate. In place of the cancelled airport train "Expresso Aeroporte" a new normal CPTM line is being planned to the Guarulhos airport which then continues a further 3 Kilometres to the Cúmbica airport. It will use the existing track of line 12/saphir from Brás to Engenheiro Goulart and then operate on a new line of 8 Kilometres to the airport. Designation will be line 13/jade. It is, however, more being planned for the use by employees working there than for air passengers which still will have to travel by express buses to the town centre. After the recent purchase of 105 vehicles of which 52 are already operating, CPTM will purchase another 85 trains to replace old vehicles that are more than 35 years old. For preparing offers Alstom and CAF (Spain) have been invited. By 2014 it is expected to reduce the existing intervals between trains from 4 to 6 minutes to 3 minutes With a new connecting line from Agua Branca on line 8/Diamante to Ceasa on line 9/Esmeralda running time for passengers on line 9 can be reduced by 10 minutes, also because the change of trains at Osasca is avoided. RF
This planned VLT line, the only one apart from the line in Brasilia which deserves this designation, shall again be put to tender. The planned line is extended by 3 Kilometres, and new offers are being expected which unfortunately did not materialise at the last tender. Between Santos and Guaruja an underwater tunnel shall be built which asides the lanes for cars also has space for a VLT line. The tunnel project has existed for more than 40 years. RF
At the new terminal station Novo Hamburgo the test trips for the five new stations of the extension have started. RF
New projects envisage the construction of a goods railway line from Curupayty in the South West of the country, with connecting possibilities to Argentina, to Presidente Franco in the North East of Paraguay, with connecting possibilities to Brasil. They would serve for the transport of Soya. The line is being planned by Korean railway technicians. The line from Encarnación to Asunción is considered to be less important. A Swiss-Austrian consortium will invest USD600 millions in the reconstruction of the railway line Asunción - Encarnación of FEPASA. On the other hand the operator of the Yacireta barrage have started with the construction of a line with a length 0f 7 Kilometres from Ecarnación to Ruta VI, and state president Fernando Lugo was present at the ground breaking ceremony. Who will built the section from Ruta to General Artigas is not yet clear. Also it is not clear whether the line can ever reach Asunción again as between Luque and Jardin Botánico the construction of a motor way has started on the track alignment. CF,
ERF
AFE (25/08/11, 05/01/12) The reconstruction of lines for goods transport is progressing. The section Pintado - Rivera will soon be finished. The Brasilian connecting line Cacequí - Santana do Livramento shall be finished by the end of the year. Thus, the speed in this section can be raised from a minimum of 25 Kilometres per hour to a minimum of 40 Kilometres per hour. Furthermore the lines Piedra Sola - Tres Arboles - Chamberlain will be repaired. In 2012 it is planned to rebuild the lines in the Litoral between Fray Bentos and Algorta as well as from Queguay (North of Paysandú to Salto , a total of 222 Kilometres. Apart of the replacement of sleepers and track the bridges must be reinforced to increase the axle load from 14 to 18 tons. In the LItora these are first considerable line repairs since 1952. The state railway AFE will be placed under a higher authority and form a unity with the CND, Cooperación Nacional para el Desarollo. It shall operate under market conditions. AFE will only be railway operator, and the superior state authority will be in charge of infrastructure. CF
For the first time a passenger train with the diesel units bought in the Netherlands has arrived under its own power in Uruguay. Passenger traffic would be possible, but President Muijac is not enthusiastic. For the time being a weekly train between Pilar in the province of Buenos Aires, 70 Kilometres from Buenos Aires, and Paysandu has been decided on. The cars received the corresponding outside lettering. The expectations for the number of passengers have not been fulfilled for various reasons. CF,
ERF
Argentina Buenos Aires Subte subway (25/08/11, 05/01/12) For the extension of line B in its time the purchase of 36 used subway cars of the Metro Madrid was decided. This purchase was cancelled. Now of new it was decided to buy 24 of these vehicles of series 5000 built by CAF. The cars shall have arrived at the end of 2011. They will be used on line B. Now the first vehicles have arrived. They are needed for the extension of the line which is the line with the largest demand. CF
A project for the extension of line E to Ezeiza
airport is being planned. From the existing terminal Plaza de los Virreyes
a line with an extension of 20 Kilometres is planned. 7 stations are envisaged.
The trains will start from a separate terminal at Retiro station every
20 minutes.
At the Colonia workshop of line H an underfloor wheel lathe has been installed. As the line does not have a connexion to line C, the extension of the workshop was necessary. For the construction of the new line F a suitable space at Constitución station is required. This is not simple as on the one hand a connexion to the Roca suburban line has to be considered, and the present station of line C is already overcharged. During the construction of line C in 1932 a short section of tunnel for planned line E was constructed which now might be used for line F. Line E took later a different direction. The closed sections are at present used to store trains. It is also envisaged to extend line F later in direction to Barracas, and also this must be included in the planning. On the 4th October 2011 a further station on line H, Parque Patricios, was inaugurated. Also the park near the station was renewed. The Subte has been transferred to the government of the city of Buenos Aires. Fares were increased at the beginning of February from 1.10 to ARS2.50 as now the subsidies of the state fall away. Users of the electronic SUBE card pay the old price. CF,
ERF
These tramway lines in correspondence with the Subte line E at Plaza de los Virreyes which were built in 1984 and since then operate without any fuss with 4 axle cars from Siemens have now painted the first cars in the yellow livery of Metrovías. CF,
ERF
Buenos Aires station has received completely new track installations. The buildings, however, were not changed. ERF
This suburban railway introduces infra red equipment for the control of the power supply. With this, and without interruption of the power supply, errors in the overhead catenary and power cables can be discovered at the technical office, and measures for the correction of this disturbance can be started. University line at La Plata (05/01/12) Instead of the two diesel motor coaches from NOHAB it is planned to use two section trains from Tecnotren which have 40 seats. CF
At Mar del Plata the new multi modal terminus was inaugurated with the opening journey of the Talgo train "Virgin del Lujan". In the meantime operation has started. Running time for the 400 Kilometres is, with due consideration of the state of the rails, 5,5 hours. The new trains are very successful, and the feared derailments did not take place. Now the train operates daily, and the demand is enormous. The number of passengers has increased threefold. CF,
ERF
This line was inaugurated in mid-2009 by state president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, but then only a trial journey with a motor coach took place. On the 1st July 2011 SOFSE finally started operation and in August 2011 the line was once more inaugurated during an election visit by the state president. The train operates once a week, on Friday from Lincoln, and back on Sundays and at Lincoln there is a connexion to the Ferrobaires train on the line to Buenos Aires Once. CF
On the base of a government decision the licence for this well known long distance train of TEA was cancelled. Reason for this was the cited bad performance of the train. The train was replaced by a diesel motor coach train of type Wadloper from TBA which for the time being starts only at Pilar instead of Federico Lacroze and goes only to Apóstoles where passengers change to a bus to Posadas. Later the extension to the original terminus Posadas is possible. From February onwards the train will have air condition, digital television, safety recording cameras and comfortable seats of type Pullman. The train will operate once weekly. Apóstoles station will be renovated. After many protest from all kind of people the establishment of a new licence to TEA is being considered. Paraná - Basavilbaso - Concepción del Uruguay in Entre Rios (25/08/11, 05/01/12) In the meantime the second and third Materfer motor coach has arrived. A Materfer motor coach will in the future replace the locomotive drawn train on the line Basavilbaso - Villaguay - Concordia. Tecnotren will install at Basilvilbaso a workshop which will both serve for the assembly of trains ordered as well as for the maintenance of them. Work has now started on the line from Paraná to Federal. The line's length is d214 Kilometres, and total cost will be ARS214 million. CF,
ERF
The first vehicles have arrived in the meantime. Now the line is being prepared. It is planned to start a trial service by September 2011. Each vehicle has space for 180 passengers. Fare is not yet fixed, but the transfer to buses with the same ticket shall be possible. Also the bus routes will be adapted. The first line will have a length of 12,5 Kilometres. Now trial operation on an electrified section of 3,8 Kilometres has started. This section was inaugurated by the Argentinean President, but operation has not yet started. CF,
ERF
To start with there will be two out and back journeys. Fare will be ARS5. RF
Chile New books from Chile (05/01/12) At the Editor Ricaaventura two books have been put on sale which on the web site can be found under "Catálogo". The book with the title "El Ferrocarril Transandino" by Pablo Moraga Feliú tells the story of this mountain railway which connected Argentina with Chile. An excerpt of the book can be consulted on the web site of the editor. The book has 126 pages and many black and white photographs. A further book is also placed on the same web site as above, and also of this there is an excerpt. The book with the title "Ferrocarriles Eléctricos Privados de Chile" by the author Harold Middleton describes electrical private urban, rural and industrial railways. It has 180 pages and many black and white photographs. Of new, these books are now available at the Fahrplancenter.
CF
The historical motor coach has after an interruption of several months restarted service in May 2011. The 62 Kilometres are covered in 1 hour and 15 minutes. The train leaves Tacna at 05.45 and 16.00 from Monday to Saturday and starts from Arica at 09.00 and 19.00. In Tacna there is of course a railway museum . A Video. Arica - La Paz (25/08/11, 05/01/12) Work on the rehabilitation of this line have started. It was interrupted in 2005. To start with, cleaning work was undertaken. Now work continues after plan and shall be accomplished by February 2012. In cooperation with the Chilean authorities efforts are made for a possible tourist traffic on this beautiful line. For the new line rolling stock of FCALP shall be restored. Three locomotives, a crane arm, a shunting locomotive and 100 goods wagons shall be repaired. The vehicles must be capable to operate at heights of up to 4000 Metres above sea level. Thereby 70'000 to 90'000 tons can be transported per year. The maximum inclination is 6 pct. CF
This city in the mining area in the North of Chile plans the construction of a tramway line and has taken up contact with the French firm of Alstom which shall prepare a project. CF
The Spanish firm of CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, has received a contract for the delivery of twelve trains of 9 coaches each. This supplements the twenty trains of 8 coaches each delivered 4 years ago which operate on line 1. With this - and with the orders of the Metrô São Paulo - CAF has become the largest supplier of subway vehicles in Latin America. CF
Work on the construction
of the new lines 3 and 6 will start at the beginning 2012. The stations
will receive platform doors, and the opening of the doors is only actuated
by the operation of a button by the passengers. Current supply is by overhead
catenary to reduce the dangers for the passengers. The line will be operated
automatically. The project of line 3 has a length of 22 Kilometres and
18 new stations. The first section goes from Cal y Canto to Pedro
de Valdivia and connects the Northern and Western areas of Santiago. There
will be connections to lines 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, and the line will open by
2017.
CF,
RN
CF
Suburban trains (25/08/11, 05/01/12) To reduce the deficits it is being considered to privatise the suburban lines. This concerns in the first place Metrotren (Santiago - San Fernando) and Merval (Valparaíso). On the line from Santiago to San Fernando it is planned to change to right hand traffic for safety reasons, to reduce collisions at the level crossings. For the line from Santiago to Nos express trains with new rolling stock are being planned. The trains shall during the rush hours operate every 4 minutes, otherwise every 10 minutes. 13 trains of the latest generation are being ordered. They have air conditioning, automatic door operation and a maximum speed of 150 Kilometres per hour. Thereby running time can be reduced from 45 to 15 minutes. The line from Santiago to Rancagua will instead of a train every 30 to 60 minutes later be served every 15 minutes. The connexion of this line to buses shall take place at the stations Buin, Paine, Ganeros and Rancagua CF, ERF
A project of the Universidad Central de Chile wishes to further tourism on this historical line ERF
More information in our periodical "Volta o Trem" Actual issue is No. 16-2 Earlier issues Why not join us as a member? Membership Application Information and Contact
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