A rare and classic view: Rio de Janeiro, Bonde de Sta. Teresa, Silvestre,  Meeting and Connection, Corcovado Railway. Photo Peter Lais

How to reach Restaurant Sternen:

From Winterthur main station take bus No.3 towards Rosenberg, get off at the bus stop Bachtelstrasse, go across the street crossing and then go down along Bachtelstrasse towards Veltheim town centre, turn left into Löwenstrasse, and the Sternen Restaurant is just across the street from a school building.

The AGM of the AIFFLA Cooperative will be held Sunday 26th June 2011 at the Restaurant Sternen, Winterthur, at 2.30 p.m. Registration please until 22nd June 2011 to RP-PR@aiffla.com , Information (in German only): www.aiffla.com

Since this year the Latin American Press Service of ARGE Lateinamerika receives "Volta o Trem+. This is a further opportunity for FLB to distribute railway news about Latin America to an even more extended circle of interested people.

This date was fixed at the AGM; we will then probably watch the movie on the Chilean Railways which will be produced in February/March 2011 by the German TV station SWR for ARTE.
  

Opening Train of JRC Picture courtesy The Jamaica Gleaner

Saturday April 16, 2011 saw the official first run of a passenger train from May Pen, through Spanish Town to Linstead. 

Transport Minister Mike Henry himself was on the train who was greeted by crowds of people at any station under way. 19 years ago Jamaica Railways Corporation train services had been completely withdrawn because the government could no longer support the deficit. Since then several governments tried to privatize or to sell the railway, whose first line from Kingston to Angel was opened in 1845. India was the only country who demonstrated some interest for a while, but retired later from any project. Only Bauxite traffic remained from a Mine West of Linstead to Port Esquivel. 

News that the railway may be reactivated have been published several times, but always without success because of the elevated cost. 2010 Minister for Transport Mike Henry took the issue in his own hands. 

After some consultations along the mostly still existing infrastructure and rolling stock, it was decided to rehabilitate the network in several steps. Three locomotives and 8 passenger carriages have been refurbished. The carriages receied a paint scheme in the national colours. At Spanish Town all tracks had to be re-laid because the old tracks had been lifted for a bus terminal. The line to Linstead needed only minor repairs because freight traffic was still running there. 

Early in June 2011 scheduled services may commence with three pairs every Weekday serving Spanish Town, Angel, Bog Walk and Linstead (20 km); Linstead will get a new station. September 2011 will see reopening of the 66 km line from Spanish Town via Bushy Park, May Pen, Clarendon Park and Porus to Williamsfield when track works will be completed. 

In December 2011 passenger traffic may resume from Spanish Town to Grange Lane and Gregory Park, another 8 km of track which requires relatively substancial track works. By mid-2012 the final section of 11 km from Gregory Park to Kingston may open after complete reconstruction of a larger bridge crossing a river. The whole project foresees also public freight transport, the use of car carriers and the opening of more sections of the network.

State president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner inaugurated rehabilitation works on a total of 2332 km of metre gauge lines of the Ferrocarril Belgrano Cargas network. A total of ARS10,7billion (Arg. Pesos) will be spent, of which about 10 pct. from the national treasury; the remainder will be paid by credits from China and the Andine Development Corporation. Lines to be rehabilitated are in Formosa, Salta, Chaco, Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe provinces.

On April 23, 2011 extremely strong winds derailed an Esquel  Nahuel Pan train of the Old Patagonia Express. The train was heavily damaged, thus services will be withdrawn until further notice.

Due to bad track conditions Ferrobaires can not use the Talgo trains on the route to Mar del Plata, so these trains will not be put into service in the near future.

The Tourist train Trem da Vale Mariana - Ouro Preto introduced an observation car as an additional attraction.
 

Reconstruction of the Otavalo - Ibarra - Salinas section in the North of the country started in May 2011. This section of 56,4 Kilometres requires an investment of USD21 million and may be opened for regular passenger services during 2013.

Since March 2011 rehabilitation and reconstruction works are going ahead on the sections Latacunga - Ambato - Urbina - Riobamba - Palmira and Yaguachi - Bucay. Near Chanchán a section formerly often damaged by landslides will be put inside an 800 Metres long tunnel.

State Railways FNH are currently rehabilitating a further section from San Pedro Sula to the neighbouring city of Chamelecón and is hoping to inaugurate this new service by mid 2011.

The State Secretary for Transport announced that in a Private Public Partnership 200 km of tracks, several bridges and 16 stations may be rehabilitated to run freight and passenger trains from San Pedro Sula to Puerto Cortez, Tela and La Ceiba. Investments may reach about USD100 million. 

Opening of the Barquisimeto - Yaritagua line will be delayed again. According to a technician the Chinese trains are not compatible to the American track standard to which the line was initially built in 1959. Very bizarre!