Cobra (train)

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TGV duplex multiple unit

Cobra (project name: TAVe ) is a planned high-speed train system in Argentina . It was originally supposed to be the first system of this kind on the South American continent and from 2010 to connect the three largest cities in Argentina, Buenos Aires , Rosario and Córdoba ; however, the construction was delayed several times. The system is to be operated with double-decker multiple units of the type TGV Duplex with a planned maximum speed of 320 km / h.

The operator of the project is the consortium Veloxia , which consists of the French company Alstom (responsible for the rolling stock ), the Spanish construction company Isolux and the Argentine Iecsa and Emepa for additional infrastructure.

The project has been suspended since 2011, its realization is uncertain.

Route

Map of the planned route

The train is to use the route of Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano between Buenos Aires and Rosario , which is to be completely renovated and converted from narrow gauge to standard gauge. From Rosario to Córdoba, the also retreaded line of Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Miter is to be used, which is to be switched from broad gauge to standard gauge. Between Buenos Aires and Rosario, the line is to be two-lane, between Rosario and Córdoba initially single-lane.

Access points

The train is to start in Buenos Aires from Retiro station and after 85 minutes travel time to the city of Rosario (station east) and after another 90 minutes to the city of Córdoba (station Miter).

History and course of the project

The establishment of a high-speed train in Argentina was announced during the reign of Carlos Menem , without any specific details, which is why it was often viewed as an empty campaign promise. A first concrete project was presented at the end of the 1990s for the important bus route between Buenos Aires and Rosario. It was exclusively of a private nature, and Alstom was to be the operator together with the Argentine company Trenes de Buenos Aires , which already operated the route itself as well as some regional and suburban routes. Because of the Argentina crisis , however, the project was put on hold and not discussed in the media for a long time, only briefly revived during the 2003 election campaign.

The presentation of the Cobra, at that time still under the project name TAVe ( T ren de A lta Ve locidad), came as a relatively surprising result of the then President Néstor Kirchner on April 26, 2006. The state takes over large parts of the construction costs, initially a loan should be provided to be accepted by Société Générale . The cost has been estimated at $ 1.32 billion, but will increase to at least $ 3 billion as a result of interest and other additional charges.

In addition to Alstom, Siemens (with its Velaro concept) and a few smaller competitors were also interested in the project at the beginning . Nevertheless, Alstom was the only company that presented a concrete project plan within the deadline set by the state. On January 16, 2008, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner signed the decree that finalized the construction of the line after some delays related to the availability of the credit.

Because of the difficulties that the finance company Société Générale went through in early 2008, the project was delayed until a new financier was found in April in the bank Netaxis . The final contract was signed on April 29th. Construction should start according to the new scheme at the beginning of 2009, but was delayed by the financial crisis from 2007 , which caused the country risk premium in Argentina to rise and thus made financing much more expensive.

criticism

The project was often criticized in Argentina, especially by the political opposition and the organizations Salvemos al Tren and Amigos del Ferrocarril al Servicio del País (Afesepa), who are aiming for a significantly cheaper reactivation of the route network with low fares. The Afesepa spokesman told the journalism portal Sos Periodista that without an integrative railway policy, the project would be comparable to a poor family who had moved into a new house and would first buy a computer instead of furniture.

The price of the Cobra is said to be higher than the most expensive bus prices to date, the aim is to achieve a level between bus and flight prices, which is why many opponents, including the newspaper La Nación , which is regarded as the mouthpiece of the anti-peronist opposition, also describe it as a train for higher earners the building is overpriced, as the target of 1.32 billion US dollars is expected to be far from being met. In the opinion of the critics, a better alternative would have been to rebuild a conventional rail network, since a high-speed train on the planned route offers little time advantage over trains with a top speed of around 130 km / h, which are much cheaper to realize.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Veloxia se adjudica el tren de alta velocidad  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Hispavista.com, January 17, 2008@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / noticias.hispavista.com  
  2. ^ El Gobierno dice que el tren bala está congelado , Clarín, September 1, 2011
  3. ↑ El tren bala costará 1,320 millones , Clarín.com
  4. ^ Adjudican al tren bala , Página / 12 , April 29, 2008
  5. ↑ El tren de alta velocidad, otra obra demorada. La Nación, March 14, 2009, accessed March 18, 2009 .
  6. ↑ La Capital , January 21, 2008
  7. ↑ El Tren Bala en un país sin trenes ( Memento of the original from May 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Sosperiodista.com.ar  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sosperiodista.com.ar
  8. ↑ a b Sin luz, pero con trenes bala , La Nación , January 13, 2008

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