Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado

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AFE route network; the sections from 25 de Agosto to San José and Florida as well as from Sayago to Victor Sudriers are (as of 2016) again without tourist traffic and in the former case impassable.

The Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado (AFE), in German Administration of the State Railways , is the state railway company of Uruguay . AFE, which was established in 1952 after the nationalization of all railway companies, operates all rail transport in Uruguay, South America. Apart from a few regional trains in the greater Montevideo area , this is almost exclusively limited to freight traffic . The rail network currently operated by AFE is 1640.9 kilometers long.

history

Overview

The first railway line in Uruguay was opened on January 1, 1869 between the two stations of Las Piedras and Bella Vista (today Lorenzo Carnelli station, now incorporated into Montevideo). In 1871 the line was extended to Montevideo.

On December 31, 1948, the Uruguayan parliament decided from January 31, 1949 to merge all private and state railway companies in Uruguay and put them under the direction of the Ministry of Transport. The private railway companies Central Uruguay Railway Limited (CUR; 1574 kilometers long rail network), Midland Uruguay Railway (506 kilometers rail network), North Western Uruguay Railway (182 kilometers rail network) and North Uruguay Railway (114 kilometers rail network) were gradually nationalized . which were initially summarized under the name Ferrocarril Central de Uruguay . On September 19, 1952, the Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado , in which the previous state railways and trams and the Ferrocarril Central de Uruguay were incorporated, was founded.

In 1963, the AFE officially ended steam locomotive operations in Uruguay after 25 diesel locomotives were imported from Alsthom and put into operation. As early as 1939, a dozen new diesel multiple units had gone into operation for passenger transport. These were the motocars of the Hungarian company Ganz . Nevertheless, due to the low maintenance of the new diesel locomotives and the resulting damage, steam locomotives were repeatedly used temporarily.

After the redemocratization of Uruguay in 1985, the AFE commissioned the Ferroplán consortium to conduct a study on the future of rail transport in Uruguay. Ferroplán worked out a total of five alternatives, ranging from maintaining the network at that time of a good 3,000 kilometers to a sharp reduction to around 500 kilometers. Nevertheless, the Uruguayan Ministry of Transport drew up an alternative study which revealed the unprofitable nature of the entire rail network and - in accordance with the advice of the World Bank - provided for a complete cessation of operations. Ultimately, in 1988, all passenger and general cargo traffic was discontinued, from now on AFE only operated goods traffic. Much of the fleet was very dilapidated at the time and was scrapped.

In the nineties, the AFE repeatedly operated individual connections in passenger traffic, but these were discontinued. After the first special trains ran to different parts of the country in 1991 , a suburban railway service began again in 1993 between the old Montevideos main station and 25 de Agosto , which was gradually expanded to include the following routes:

A total of 8 pairs of trains ran on weekdays, but only 5 on Saturdays and only one pair of trains to 25 de Agosto on Sundays. The newly refurbished Uerdingen rail buses , which were first painted in the AFE corporate colors (blue-beige), diesel locomotives with modernized passenger cars and some of the almost 70-year-old Brill diesel railcars were used. The previously ailing rail network was also repaired in many places along the lines with passenger traffic.

The AFE is also supported by the URUTREN and AIFFLA cooperatives. B. take care of the repair of railway vehicles (e.g. on behalf of the AFE) and, together with the AFE, the organization of passenger transport. After purchasing five used diesel multiple units from the Netherlands, URUTREN wanted to carry out passenger transport in the middle of Uruguay again. This project could not be realized because it was not possible to get a loan anywhere to buy the vehicles.

In 2006, tenders for the reprivatisation of the Uruguayan rail network were already running, but they failed. Therefore, the rail network is still owned by AFE for the time being. The rail network remains state-owned and is managed and modernized by the state-owned Corporación Ferroviaria del Uruguay CFU. The laws forbid the privatization of the infrastructure, but plans were made to privatize freight transport, which is hardly possible given the relatively low volume of goods and the imperfect infrastructure.

Source: Own research as part of the LFU project.

At the time, the extension of scheduled passenger traffic from Sudriers to the city of Minas was under discussion . The citizens of Minas have already collected signatures for the extension of passenger traffic to Minas.

In 2007 the AFE carried a total of 606,000 passengers on the only three suburban routes.

Montevideo Estación Central General Artigas

The old, now vacant Montevideo Estación Central General Artigas
The new main train station in Montevideos

The Estación Central General Artigas was Montevideo's big terminus. This is on the northern edge of the center and is now very run down. After various, smaller train stations in the area, today's building, designed by the Italian architect Luis Andreoni, went into operation on July 15, 1897. The architectural style of the terminus station was influenced by European architectural styles. On December 14, 1891, the previous station building was completely destroyed by fire. As a result, the then railway company Ferrocarril Central decided to build a new central station at the same location. The railway company commissioned the architect Luis Andreoni with the construction. Work on this began in 1892, and on August 27, 1893, the foundation stone for the new station building was laid. Andreoni designed a terminal station based on the European model in an eclectic style with a crossbar and two station wings parallel to the tracks. The 47 meter by 120 meter hall roof of the station was not completely glazed, but mostly covered with zinc plates. On June 23, 1897, the Ferrocarril Central ceremoniously opened the station, and the railway company started operating on July 15 of the same year. After all passenger trains were discontinued on January 2, 1988, AFE used the platform hall for various exhibitions, while the administration offices and the freight terminal continued to be used as usual. In the further course of 1998, the state sold the Montevideo Estación Central General Artigas , which had been reactivated since 1993 for the reactivated suburban trains Montevideo , to Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay , which provided for a development into a cultural shopping center ( urbanization concept "Plan Fénix"). Some parts of the existing freight terminals were also to be converted into a large supermarket. As early as 1999, the railway administration began building a new 3-track Montevideo main station 500 meters further north (popularly known as "El Apeadero"). The new central station is difficult to access on a hidden side street and its 2 platforms are only designed for a few passengers. After numerous construction defects and delays, operations began on March 1, 2003. Since then, the old main station has been out of service and has no siding, as the Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay withdrew AFE's permission to use it in 2003. As a result, the AFE administration had to move out and the goods terminal also had to be closed. Part of the AFE administration has moved to premises provided by Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay, the rest to AFE's own offices near the Peñarol repair shop .

Since then, the listed station has been vacant, as the “Plan Fénix” has not yet been implemented due to the Uruguayan banking crisis in 2002. It is rotting more and more and for many people in Uruguay it is representative of the continuing decline of the Uruguayan rail network until a few years ago.

At the beginning of 2008, the AFE railway administration reconnected the shunting tracks of the old station area with the mainline tracks (to the port). Now one hopes that the terminus can be reopened.

Current traffic

passenger traffic

The currently only passenger trains in Uruguay run on the connection Montevideo - Las Piedras - 25 de Agosto (63 km), after passenger traffic had already been completely stopped and in 1993 it was resumed with three lines. To this end, the routes were repaired in many places. In 2007, the AFE carried 606,000 passengers again on only 3 suburban routes.

Passenger trains begin and end today in the new Montevideos central station. The kilometers correspond to those from the old main station. The reconditioned Uerdingen rail buses and diesel locomotives with modernized passenger cars as well as some of the 70-year-old diesel railcars from the manufacturer Brill were used. This fleet was supplemented in 2013 by 5 diesel railcars of the Y1 series bought second-hand in Sweden .

Freight transport

Due to the poorly developed road network, AFE still operates part of the freight traffic in Uruguay, especially bulk goods. For example, wood is removed from the forests, and bulk goods and container traffic is carried out on flat wagons. Other important tasks are the transport of goods such as clinker, fuel, rice, corn and barley. The transport of goods from the north of the country and inland to the ports and the transport to neighboring countries such as Argentina also play an important role. However, there is often a lack of the necessary infrastructure to increase the volume of transport, because the required track infrastructure, warehouses, cranes for handling goods and loading ramps are lacking, especially at many small train stations. Due to the poor condition of the line, the maximum speed of freight trains is usually 20 km / h today, but often they can only travel at 10 km / h. In 2007, AFE transported a total of 1,377,250 tons of goods by rail. The following routes are still in operation today:

The rest of the network has been shut down.

vehicles

Modern diesel locomotive of the AFE in the train station of Rio Branco
The diesel locomotive Alsthom Nº 803 of the AFE

AFE has a large stock of diesel locomotives and railcars / rail buses as well as passenger and freight cars. Most of the railcars and the operational rail buses are painted blue and beige and the diesel locomotives are painted blue and yellow. All railcars have a yellow-black warning paint on the front and the (side) windows are barred to protect against stone throwers. In the 1970s, the AFE used US railcars from the manufacturer Brill and Hungarian railcars from the manufacturer Ganz as railcars , when between 1980 and 1982 a total of 57 German Uerdingen railbuses were purchased as used vehicles by the Deutsche Bundesbahn at that time, with the red Bundesbahn paintwork, however, was retained (with yellow-black warning paint on the front sides). The current trains consist either of a diesel locomotive with attached passenger cars or of the last operational railcars. However, due to the low maintenance and the overloading of the vehicles, especially with the mostly older diesel locomotives, there are often many repairs and the resulting lack of locomotives.

1 to 2 Brill multiple units (of 4 in stock, of which at least 2 are always being repaired) from 1936 are currently in use in passenger transport. Two of the Uerdingen rail buses with two sidecars are still in stock, but only one rail bus is operational. In addition, Fiat Argentina passenger cars from the 1960s are in use on trains from Montevideo to 25 de Agosto, Florida and San José. On days with particularly high demand, usually on Saturdays, trains from Ganz-Mávag wagons (built in 1977) are also used. Since there are no longer any suitable Ganz-Mávag locomotives, a diesel locomotive is pre-tensioned with an intermediate car (flat car with container or steam locomotive tender). During the Semana del Turismo in (southern) autumn, numerous special trains are often run to San Ramón, Cerro Colorado, Minas or Durazno. These trips are very popular. In 2013, 5 used diesel multiple units of the Y1 series were purchased in Sweden.

Track condition

The repair of the Uruguayan rail network, which has been underway for several years (note the sometimes heavily damaged sleepers )
The new sleepers

Many of the routes are in mediocre condition. The routes are often exposed to excessive growth and have been neglected in maintenance in recent years. In addition, the flooding often causes problems for the AFE as it damages bridges and tracks. Above all, the reception buildings of the lines closed for passenger traffic are in a very poor condition, but so are the tracks themselves (many tracks are no longer needed). However, the Uruguayan rail network has been modernized again for several years.

The modest plan for the second term of the Frente Amplio (2010-2015) is to reach a speed of 40 km / h for freight trains.

The AFE has now made it up to spend a few dollars on new sleepers, and several thousand sleepers are currently being replaced in the Pintado-Rivera section (422 km). Obviously the main line Montevideo-Rivera via Tres Arboles and Piedra Sola should be preferred to the technically in somewhat better condition via Churchill. The route should be ready in early 2011. Another 1,000 kilometers of track are planned, a pile of rails that Russia once used to pay its agricultural debts. This has been in stock for decades and is now finally being used. The lapacho wood for the sleepers comes from Paraguay and the nails are no longer smooth, but spiral-shaped. So they will no longer pop out from the vibration caused by the trains. The work is carried out under the direction of AFE. It is now a little younger and has been expanded with new employees. As a first step, AFE is now planning the repair of a further 431 kilometers of rails. As a test, a small section of 10 kilometers will be modernized, on which the modernization with the new rails and sleepers can be tried out. Then the repair work begins on the route that runs from the Pintado station to Rivera, where the junction with the greatest traffic volume is. This conversion should take a total of 30 months. A GPS system is also to be installed to monitor the locomotives and freight cars.

AFE has acquired 10 rail tractors in Argentina near Materfer ( Córdoba ) for the renovation of the rail network , two of which operate together. These are used to transport the railway workers and their tools and have air cooling, a Deutz diesel engine and a transport capacity of up to 10 railway workers.

future

After the government was already thinking out loud about the future of the AFE, various AFE leaders have already taken action. The former President of Uruguay, José Mujica , is also convinced of the important role the railroad plays for Uruguay, mainly for freight traffic, but also for passenger traffic. On the part of the AFE, among other things, a proposal for a further reduction of the network with the complete closure of the rather battered lines 25 de Agosto - San José ; Algorta - Fray Bentos and Sudriers - Rocha proposed. With a smaller route network, AFE would be able to maintain the remaining routes better and operate them more profitably. Of course, the beginning, extensive transport of eucalyptus wood is repeatedly pointed out. This even requires reactivation of the Florida - Blanquillo route .

The Algorta - Fray Bentos line is to be rehabilitated, as a lot of wood is transported to Fray Bentos for processing. Since there are many passenger trains between 25 de Agosto and San José and some level crossings have also been renovated in San José, closing this line is not up for discussion. The Victor Sudriers - Rocha - La Paloma line is currently closed and is no longer passable east of La Floresta. However, since there are projects to build a new deep sea port in La Paloma, the route will be retained for a later reactivation. There are also considerations to bring the Salto - Cuareim line back into operation, as it opens up a region with high production of agricultural goods. A reactivation of the Nico Pérez - Valentines section of the Nico Pérez - Melo route is also being considered, as a large wood processor is to be located in Valentines. The investments planned for the coming years could reach 400Mio. Costs US $ if all projects are implemented.

With the help of an investment of around 50 million dollars so far, the Uruguayan railway system is to be upgraded. The investment provides for the procurement of at least 10 to 12 and a maximum of 20 new mainline diesel locomotives and equipping the diesel locomotives with the GPS system. This means that the currently around 1,400,000 tons of freight transported in freight traffic can be tripled by the end of Uruguay's five-year period. A combined ticket is to be introduced for passengers, which is valid on the passenger trains on the routes to 25 de Agosto and Estación Sudriers as well as on the connecting buses.

Private railways

Every private company is allowed to use the rail network in Uruguay for a fee if it has its own vehicles.

The LFU ( Líneas Férreas Uruguayas ) project, supported by the AIFFLA organization , is taking on ever more concrete forms. A small Cockerill diesel locomotive from Ferrocarriles Argentinos has already been auctioned and refurbished. The locomotive is currently in use, leased to a company from Buenos Aires ; this can be used to settle any outstanding invoices for the repair work. The locomotive now bears the number D401 and is painted blue at the top and bottom and orange in the middle. The LFU also has a passenger car, a Uerdinger rail bus (ex. AFE No. 165) and some freight cars. The wagons are still on the standard gauge network of the former Ferrocarriles Argentinos and, like the rail bus, have to be transferred to Buenos Aires, where they have to undergo a thorough repair. Due to the economic crisis in Argentina in 2001, it is now much cheaper to carry out this work in Argentina than in Uruguay.

The freight traffic required for the concession (only then may a company also carry out passenger traffic) will be carried out with the diesel locomotive, probably on the currently closed Florida - Kilómetro 329 route . The diesel railcar and the other vehicles are then repaired, and these are then also transferred to Uruguay.

Operating facilities

In the vicinity of the new Montevideo main train station there is a large depot with a small wagon hall and a large outdoor parking area. There is also a small depot at Sudriers station. The AFE freight car repair shop is located in Peñarol (north of Montevideo). Some of the AFE offices have been located near the Peñarol repair shop since the old main station was closed.

In many large (former) passenger stations and in all railway depots there are turntables at the end of butt tracks, these were used to turn the steam locomotives and Brill powered rail cars.

Railway Museum

The historic steam locomotive No. 120 on a special trip in Las Piedras station

A railway museum with a roundhouse and turntable about the railway (history) of Uruguay is directly adjacent to the Peñarol freight car repair shop . In the museum there are many (historical) railway vehicles from Uruguay such as B. various operational steam locomotives (including locomotive no. 120). The museum is open every Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The museum can be reached both by train (from the new Peñarol train station) and by bus. Special trips are also carried out with the operational steam locomotives.

swell

Web links

Commons : Rail Transport in Uruguay  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lengths of the routes of the Uruguayan rail network ( Memento of November 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ History of rail transport in Uruguay on ferropedia.es (Spanish)
  3. ↑ Official timetable for Uruguay, as of May 2009 ( Memento from January 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ a b c Official data on rail traffic in Uruguay. (Microsoft Excel file) Dirección Nacional de Transporte, November 2008, archived from the original ; accessed on September 28, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b c d jst: Swedish railcars operate in Uruguay. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International. 1/2013, p. 578.
  6. ↑ a b VOLTA O TREM: Information organ of the FLB association. ferrolatino.ch, accessed on May 17, 2011 .