Suburban railways from Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires suburban rail network (as of 2008)

The Argentine capital Buenos Aires is surrounded by an extensive system of suburban and regional railways . The railway lines are operated by different carriers, whose networks are largely independent of one another. The carrier companies operate one or more of the traditional Argentine route networks with different gauges . The system is partially electrified with overhead lines or busbars . Diesel multiple units and locomotive-hauled passenger trains operate on the remaining routes. The trains run in close proximity to the city and form a real S-Bahn system, although it lacks a connecting trunk line. This task must be taken over by the subway , which connects most of the terminal stations and also some other access points.

Until the railway system was privatized in 1992, the system was operated by the state railway company Ferrocarriles Argentinos . Today's operating companies are Metrovías , which also operates the subway , Ferrovías and Trenes de Buenos Aires .

Subsystems

The traditional rail networks go back to the railway system of the 19th century, in which different (mostly English) companies each set up their own network, which was also built in three different gauges ( meter gauge 1000 mm, standard gauge 1435 mm and broad gauge 1676 mm). When the network was nationalized in the 1940s under Juan Perón , each of these systems was named after a “national hero” of the country. After 1990, each system was operated by one or more operating companies. End-to-end processing between the systems was not possible, in most cases there was not even a sign of the transfer options, and there was no route network map at the stations with the entire route network of all companies. With the establishment of the new state company SOFSE, which appears in public under the name »Trenes Argentinos« and with reference to the predecessor company »Nuevos Ferrocarriles Argentinos«, that changed. A route plan that included the underground and suburban rail lines of the remaining contains three operators Trenes Argentinos, Ferrovías and Metrovías, has existed since 2018. Continuous handling between the subnetworks still does not exist, but is not absolutely necessary due to the network structure without a connecting trunk line. However, the »Tarjeta Sube«, a rechargeable prepaid card, can be used on all subnets. Their use leads to a noticeable price reduction.

The terminal stations of Buenos Aires ( Retiro , Constitución , Once , Federico Lacroze and Buenos Aires ) are divided between the lines and are directly connected to the subway network with the exception of the smaller Buenos Aires train station.

The following subsystems are operated:

• Ferrocarril Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (FCDFS, broad gauge)
• Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Miter (FCGBM, broad gauge)
• Ferrocarril General Belgrano (FCGB, meter gauge)
• Ferrocarril General Roca (FCGR, broad gauge)
• Ferrocarril General San Martín (FCGSM, broad gauge)
• Ferrocarril General Urquiza (FCGU, standard gauge)

Línea Sarmiento

The Línea Sarmiento starts at the Once in Balvanera terminus at Plaza Miserere. It serves suburbs in the western part of Gran Buenos Aires. The main line Once – Moreno, electrified with conductor rails according to the same system as the lines of the Línea Miter, has the densest timetable of all suburban lines and also has the longest trains with nine car units.

In addition to the normal suburban trains, there was a special train, the Tren a Puerto Madero , which drove directly from the Castelar station in air-conditioned cars to the port of Puerto Madero , sometimes using a tunnel that was not part of the subway system. This train has stopped running since December 2008.

Lines - No.	route	operator	Operating mode	particularities
no	Buenos Aires ( Once ) - Merlo - Moreno	Trenes Argentinos	electrical, busbars painted from below	The most heavily used suburban route, served all day by nine-car trains at approximately ten-minute intervals.
no	Moreno - Luján - Mercedes	Trenes Argentinos	diesel	Continuation of the main line from Moreno, not electrified. 18 train pairs per day on weekends
no	Merlo - Las Heras - Lobos	Trenes Argentinos	diesel	Branch line, 18, on Sundays and public holidays 14 pairs of trains to Las Heras. In addition, only every second train runs.
no	Puerto Madero - Castelar	TBA	electric	Special train with its own tariff (until 2009)

In Haedo, there is also a connection to the broad-gauge, non-electrified line via De Elía to Temperley. This belongs to the Roca subnet.

Linea Miter

The routes of the broad-gauge Linea Miter have their starting point at the terminal station Retiro Miter in Retiro near the port of Buenos Aires and serve suburbs in the northwest of the metropolitan area. They are operated by the state operating company Trenes Argentinos Operaciones formed in 2008 . The comparatively short routes to Tigre, Bartolomé Miter and José León Suárez are electrified with lateral busbars and are served every 20 minutes, but without a rigid timetable. The connecting routes Villa Ballester – Zárate and Victoria – Capilla del Señor, which extend far into the surrounding area, are also served without a regular schedule. As part of the Buenos Aires – Rosario long-distance route, the line to Zárate is in good condition, with trains reaching speeds of 120 km / h. The route to Capilla del Señor, on the other hand, is in need of renovation, the condition of the superstructure only allows a speed of 30 km / h. The end section Matheu – Capilla del Señor will be out of service at the beginning of 2019. The renovation is planned.

Railway lines of the Línea Miter:

Lines - No.	route	operator	Operating mode	particularities
no	Buenos Aires ( Retiro ) - José León Suárez ( General San Martín )	Trenes Argentinos	lateral busbars coated from below	Part of the long-distance route to Rosario and Córdoba
no	Villa Ballester - Zárate	Trenes Argentinos	not electrified	Medium-haul connection using the long-distance route towards Rosario. The trains run from and to Villa Ballester, where there is a transition to the trains to and from Retiro. Joint operation between Villa Ballester and José León Suárez without traffic. Eight pairs of trains per day and six on weekends.
no	Buenos Aires ( Retiro ) - Bartolomé Miter ( Vicente López )	Trenes Argentinos	busbars painted from below	Branch line, branching off from the line to J. L. Suárez at Belgrano R station ; in Bartolomé Miter there is a connection to the regular »Tren de la Costa«
no	Maipú (Bartolomé Miter) - Delta ( Tigre )	Trenes Argentinos (since 2013)	Contact line, control lane	Tram-like route with special tariff, island operation. Maipú station is identical to Bartolomé Miter station.
no	Buenos Aires ( Retiro ) - Virreyes - Tigre	Trenes Argentinos	busbars painted from below	In Virreyes connection towards Matheu and Capilla del Señor
no	Virreyes - Matheu - (Capilla del Señor)	Trenes Argentinos	not electrified	Connection to the Retiro - Tigre route, 13 on weekdays and 10 train pairs on weekends between Virreyes and Matheu. Before the interruption, five pairs of trains ran to and from Capilla del Señor.

Líneas Belgrano, San Martín and Roca

The meter-gauge lines of the Línea Belgrano begin in the terminal stations of Retiro Belgrano, Buenos Aires and Puente Alsina, they lead to suburbs in the northwest, southwest and southeast of Gran Buenos Aires. They are divided into the Belgrano Norte and Belgrano Sur sections.

The starting point of the Línea (General) Roca is the Plaza Constitución train station. The lines starting here are electrified with overhead lines and a voltage of 25 kV and 50 Hz.

All three lines, with the exception of the Belgrano Norte, were operated by the Metropolitano company until 2006 and therefore had a uniform numbering system. However, due to poor management, the Metropolitano government withdrew the concession for Belgrano Sur, San Martín and Roca and temporarily managed the network through the UGOFE company , which consisted of the Ferrovías, Trenes de Buenos Aires and Metrovías companies. Since 2014, the routes have been operated by the newly founded and state-owned company "Trenes Argentinos" . This no longer uses the Metropolitano line numbers.

Lines - No.	route	operator	Operating mode	particularities
no	Buenos Aires ( Retiro Belgrano ) - Villa Rosa	Ferrovías	Meter gauge, not electrified	so-called Belgrano Norte line
1	Buenos Aires ( Retiro San Martín ) - Pilar - Dr. Cabred	Trenes Argentinos	not electrified	Línea San Martín, formerly part of an alternative connection from Buenos Aires to Rosario, possibly part of the planned high-speed train TAVe
2	Buenos Aires - Aldo Bonzi - Marinos del Cruzero General Belgrano	Trenes Argentinos	Meter gauge, not electrified	In Aldo Bonzi, transfer option to line 4, since 2018 for integration into the Constitución station between Doctor Antonio Sáenz and Buenos Aires out of service.
3	Buenos Aires - González Catán ( La Matanza )	Trenes Argentinos	Meter gauge, not electrified	The lines to González Catán and Marinos del Cruzero General Belgrano separate at Tapiales station. Out of service since 2018 between Doctor Antonio Sáenz and Buenos Aires.
4th	Puente Alsina (Avellaneda) - Aldo Bonzi	Trenes Argentinos	Meter gauge, not electrified	Parallel line to line 2, only served every two hours, between Kilómetro 12 and Puente Alsina since the end of 2017 for renovation out of service
5	Buenos Aires ( Constitución ) - La Plata	Trenes Argentinos	Contact line 25 kV, 50 Hz	electric from the end of 2008
6th	Buenos Aires ( Constitución ) - Temperley - Ezeiza - Cañuelas	Trenes Argentinos	Contact line 25 kV, 50 Hz / diesel	electrified to Ezeiza. Feeder to Buenos Aires-Ezeiza airport in planning, implementation, however, so far uncertain
7th	Buenos Aires ( Constitución ) - Temperley - Alejandro Korn	Trenes Argentinos	Contact line 25 kV, 50 Hz	Part of the long-distance route to Mar del Plata
8th	Buenos Aires ( Constitución ) - Berazategui - Bosques - Temperley - Constitución	Trenes Argentinos	electric / diesel	Circuit, electric to Claypole, completely electric from 2008
9	Temperley - Haedo	Trenes Argentinos	diesel	Cross connection between the Líneas Sarmiento, Belgrano Sur and Roca
10	Temperley - Bosques (- Gutiérrez - La Plata)	Trenes Argentinos	Contact line 25 kV, 50 Hz	electric since 2008

Línea General Urquiza

The line General Urquiza begins in the station Federico Lacroze , located in the district of Chacarita is. It connects the capital with its western suburbs and was the southernmost part of the route network of the Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires (FFCC) and later the Ferrocarril General Urquiza , whose regular gauge network opened up the provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes with connections to Paraguay and Uruguay. Alongside the “Tren de la Costa” line, it is the second regular gauge line in the greater Buenos Aires area. Power is supplied via busbars coated from above, comparable to line B of the subway , to which there is also a track connection at Federico Lacroze station. The continuous double-track line, which never went beyond the end point of General Lemos, has been an island operation since the former main line from Ruben Dário to Zárate was shut down in 2012 due to the gauge .

Lines - No.	route	operator	Operating mode	particularities
no	Buenos Aires (F. Lacroze) - General Lemos	Metrovías	electrified	Standard track, busbars painted from above

credentials

1. ↑ Source: TBA ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ Article in the Clarín newspaper
3. ↑ Source: Clarín
4. ↑ Source: Clarín

Web links

• Argentine railroad plans