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51-508: In 1948, the railways of Argentina were nationalised, the BAM becoming part of Belgrano Sur Line ; the company closed as a result. Today services on the line are operated by the state-owned company Trenes Argentinos , the concessionary of Puente Alsina -Marinos del Crucero General Belgrano branch. In 1904, the Buenos Aires Province granted entrepreneur Enrique Lavalle a concession to build

102-556: A metre gauge railway line between Puente Alsina and Carhué . The company and line were named "Buenos Aires Midland Railway", so the Lacroze Brothers registered the Spanish form "Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires". Works were led by ideologue Eduardo Casey , who had founded the city of Venado Tuerto some time before. Construction of the line began in 1907, with works carried out by Argentine company Hume Hnos. By November that year

153-448: A large network reaching cities in the west of Buenos Aires province and branches to cities such as La Plata and Rosario, Although most of the line was closed and only a few services are active nowadays. The railway line was originally built and operated by two companies, British -owned Buenos Aires Midland Railway (BA Midland) and Franco - Belgian -owned Compañía General de Buenos Aires (CGBA) (established in 1908). The first train on

204-533: A station (named Intercambio Midland) that allowed Midland railway passengers to change for Western Railway trains to Sola station in the Parque Patricios district of Buenos Aires. However, this situation did not last long, Puente Alsina becoming the terminus again soon after. The first locomotive was a 21- ton class A built by Vulcan Iron Works . The second one was the Orenstein & Koppel locomotive that made

255-463: A total extension of 4.2 km. Projects also include the construction of a new "Buenos Aires" station, which will be elevated over Avenida Vélez Sársfield. In December 2019, the branch "G" was extended 9 km from González Catán to 20 de Junio in La Matanza Partido . Passenger trains had not stopped in 20 de Junio since 1993, when services were reduced to reduce costs. In July 2021,

306-521: A variety of diesel locomotives pulling carriages in a number of different combinations. The introduction of the new rolling stock has doubled the line's passenger capacity. The Belgrano Sur line operates the following DMU services: Railway nationalisation in Argentina The railway natinalisation in Argentina occurred on 1 March 1948, during President Juan Perón 's first term of office, when

357-654: The BA Western ; the standard gauge companies Entre Ríos and Argentine North Eastern ; and the Buenos Aires Midland Railway the only metre gauge company. The official transfer of ownership, on 1 March, of some 24,458 km (15,197 mi) of British-owned railways (57% of the total railway network) to the Argentine government took place amidst widespread celebrations including a mass demonstration in its support on Buenos Aires ' Plaza Británica , in front of

408-740: The Greater Buenos Aires area, currently operated by state-owned enterprise Trenes Argentinos . The Belgrano Sur runs over tracks and through stations built by the Franco – Belgian -owned Compañía General de Buenos Aires and British Midland companies at the beginning of the 20th century. The termini is Dr. A. Sáenz in the Nueva Pompeya district of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires , with two branches, one to Lozano in General Las Heras Partido (departing from González Catán ) and

459-565: The Retiro railway terminus . British shareholders were compensated with the rescision of their US$ 500 million debt to the Central Bank of Argentina and US$ 100 million, cash. The cash figure proved controversial, as it had not previously been reported during the negotiations. Pressed on the issue, President Perón explained that the premium was for "sentimental reasons." Later in 1948 the three French-owned railway companies were also nationalised:

510-546: The 1950s, the increasing population in Greater Buenos Aires led the company to add more services. By December 1955, the Belgrano Railway ran more than 40 services per day along the Puente Alsina−Aldo Bonzi section. Nevertheless, the rolling stock had not been renewed since the 1930s and as a result, some railcars that had been damaged or destroyed in accidents were put out of service and were never replaced due to

561-465: The 19th century British and French-owned railway companies had played an important role in the economic development of Argentina . Between 1856 and 1914 the nation's railway network grew to become the largest in Latin America. The foreign investment provided by these companies had helped to transform Argentina from a relatively underdeveloped, rural country, with many isolated communities, into one which

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612-637: The BA Midland became part of the Belgrano Sur line division of the General Belgrano Railway . Furthermore, the newly nationalised companies added to Ferrocarril Belgrano network were renamed, being known as "G" ( Cía. Gral. de Buenos Aires ), "M" (Midland) and "P( Province of Buenos Aires Railway ). After the nationalisation, several improvements were carried out on the line, including an additional rail track between Aldo Bonzi and Libertad to increase

663-545: The BAM line terminated at Puente Alsina, the company could not reach the capital city of Buenos Aires , which was part of its strategy to increase business. Extending the line to the capital was not legally possible, since the concession had been granted by a Provincial body and the capital city was under the jurisdiction of the National Government. In 1912, an agreement was signed with the Western Railway, which opened

714-486: The British owned line made its inaugural trip in 1909 joining Puente Alsina and Carhué . CGBA built and operated a large network reaching cities in the west of Buenos Aires Province and branches to cities such as La Plata and Rosario , although most of the line has since been closed and only a few services still operate. When the entire Argentine railway network was nationalised in 1948 during Juan Perón 's presidency,

765-517: The Buenos Aires station was closed in May 2018, leaving Dr. Sáenz as new terminus of the line. The viaduct was built between Sáenz and Villa Soldati to avoid level crossings. A second stage of the project included to extend the viaduct to Plaza Constitución, connecting both lines, Belgrano Sur and Roca . As of September 2022, 35% of the works were completed, at a cost of US$ 119 million. The viaduct will have

816-585: The broad gauge Rosario & Puerto Belgrano and the metre gauge Compañía General de Buenos Aires and Provincial de Santa Fe . After the nationalisation all the Argentine network was grouped into six railway divisions named after distinguished Argentine presidents and national heroes (such as José de San Martín , Manuel Belgrano , Domingo Sarmiento , Justo José de Urquiza , Bartolomé Mitre and Julio A. Roca ) according to their track gauge and locality. Apart from former British and French companies, Argentine ones also became part of "Ferrocarriles Argentinos",

867-455: The case to the Supreme Court of Justice. Eventually an understanding was reached between the two companies, establishing joint use of Plomer station, among other issues. The BAM lost several embankments because of the deal, so the company requested financial compensation, alleging that they had invested too much money in the construction. In mid 1908, works had to be suspended as the company

918-676: The concession could be cancelled with no right to claim compensation. The agreements had been signed in February 2014, committing Argentren and Corredores Ferroviarios to operate the lines. In September 2013, the Government of Argentina announced that 23 brand-new railcars were to be acquired from the Chinese company CNR Dalian . The first batch of the new rolling stock was expected to be available from May 2015 but only arrived in Buenos Aires in July. It

969-515: The first diesel multiple units (DMUs) acquired from CNR Tangshan were put into service. This rolling stock consists of 81 cars, which make up a total of 27 DMUs composed of three cars each and were to be phased-in throughout the year until all the railcars were the Chinese-made DMUs. Prior to the complete replacement of the existing rolling stock by the Chinese DMUs, the line consisted of

1020-553: The first trip from Puente Alsina to Puenta La Noria. The latter is now exhibited at the Once railway station in Buenos Aires, while some accounts state that it was sold in 1913 is currently exhibited at a Brazilian museum. Another early locomotive was a Kerr, Stuart and Company , manufactured in 1901 exclusively for the Government of Argentina, and sold in 1935 to another company in Buenos Aires Province. Another Kerr, Stuart machine

1071-485: The foreign-owned railways had become symbols of the control of the country's economy by foreign powers. Between 1936 and 1939 the once British-owned metre gauge Córdoba Central , Transandine and Central Chubut had already been nationalised. As from 1 March 1948 the remaining British-owned railway companies in Argentina also became the property of the government. These were the four broad gauge companies: BA Great Southern , Central Argentine , BA & Pacific and

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1122-529: The former Compañía Gral. de Buenos Aires terminus. The Ganz railcars ran services until 1977 when the line was definitively closed. When the Libertad−Plomer section was closed, the ex-CGBA Buenos Aires station was made the terminus. Trains ran without passengers from Puente Alsina to Aldo Bonzi, running back to the Tapiales junction where they then went to the Buenos Aires station. Passengers waited and took

1173-656: The frequency of the services. The modernisation included the purchase of brand-new diesel locomotives manufactured by the American company Whitcomb in 1951 (with the addition of 15 new locomotives from the Dutch company Werkspoor in 1955) and the construction of junctions at the Tapiales and Aldo Bonzi stations that allowed the ex-BA Midland line to connect with the Sarmiento Railway near Haedo in Greater Buenos Aires . During

1224-528: The influence of foreign capital. Nationalisation of the railways, the central bank, the telephone system and the docks were part of Perón's economic recovery scheme for postwar Argentina and had formed part of the first Five-Year Plan, announced in October 1946. Later in mass rallies he would refer to railway nationalisation as a victory over foreign imperialism. At the time there was little local opposition, although later it became apparent that, far from stimulating

1275-592: The lack of investment in purchasing new railcars. In the late 1960s and early 1970s railcars manufactured by the Hungarian company Ganz Works were allocated to the Belgrano Sur. They had been acquired by the Argentine State Railway decades earlier and had been running on the northern Argentine railways since 1936. Some of them were used for local services to Libertad and the rest for the long-distance service to Carhué , departing from Buenos Aires station ,

1326-469: The last train ran to that city. Nevertheless, the closure of services in the region did not have a negative impact on the economy of the Province since the rail tracks ran through low-populated regions. Furthermore, most of that region was already served by other railway lines with better access to the city of Buenos Aires . With the railway privatisation in Argentina in the early 1990s, the Belgrano Sur line

1377-502: The line had extended to Puente de la Noria (now Ingeniero Budge station). The service was operated initially using a Koppel steam locomotive and a unique coach. The BAM soon entered into conflict with the French -owned company, Compañía General de Ferrocarriles en la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CGBA), which was also building railways in the same part of the Province, a situation with potential to bankrupt both BAM and CGBA. The legal situation

1428-485: The line were closed with stations and infrastructure abandoned. In spite of the large government subsidies received by TMB (the Metropolitano 's subsidiary that operated the line) a serious decline in the standard of rail services led to the original concession being revoked. In 2007, the service was given in concession to the consortium Unidad de Gestión Operativa Ferroviaria de Emergencia ( UGOFE ). The UGOFE took over

1479-468: The line, and were hired to Ferrocarril Santa Fe and other companies. Sentinel-Cammell locomotives, constructed jointly by Sentinel Waggon Works and Metro-Cammell , operated suburban services on the main line. By 1936, railways in Argentina faced increasing competition from road transport . Some British owned companies (such as Great Southern Railway ) responded by acquiring railcars from Drewry Car Co . By this time, BAM carried very few passengers, and

1530-472: The national economy, nationalisation of the railways together with other foreign companies, contributed to the economic crises that Argentina suffered from the 1950s onwards by adding substantially to national budget deficits (which the Central Bank was forced to finance largely by " printing money ", leading to inflation). Argentine Railways, in particular, became the most deficit ridden State enterprise among

1581-607: The other one to Marinos del Crucero Gral. Belgrano in Merlo partido. The line also has a touristic service between Tomás Jofré and Mercedes . Carrying just under 11 million passengers per year, the line is the least used of the Buenos Aires commuter rail network. The railway line was originally built and operated by two companies, British-owned Buenos Aires Midland Railway that made its inaugural trip in 1909 joining Puente Alsina and Carhue, and Franco-Belgian-owned Compañía General de Buenos Aires (Established in 1908), that built and operated

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1632-405: The provinces to European markets. The lack of interlinking between the many radial lines meant that the integration of the country’s interior was probably slower than it would have been had domestic needs been a priority. During World War II it had not been possible to import railway equipment or materials which meant that there was an urgent need for track, locomotive and rolling stock renewal by

1683-537: The same journey took 14 hours on the Great Southern Railway. When the entire Argentine railway network was nationalised in 1948 during Juan Perón 's presidency, the BAM line became part of Belgrano Railway , one of the six divisions of State-owned company Ferrocarriles Argentinos . Belgrano Sur Line The Belgrano Sur line is an Argentine 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge commuter rail service in

1734-696: The service has not been re-established. Because of that, the National Government ceded the lands occupied by the line to the Municipality of Lanús with the purpose of building a park there. In 2015, it was announced that the Belgrano Sur Line would reach Roca Line 's Constitución station through a viaduct that would connect both lines. The project, named "Centro de Trasbordo Constitución" ( Constitución layover center ), will allow near 65,000 Belgrano Sur passengers to access not only Roca Line trains but Buenos Aires Underground 's Line C For that purpose,

1785-563: The service until 12 February 2014, when it was announced that the Belgrano Sur and Roca lines would be granted to Argentren S.A., a company that was part of the Emepa Group and UGOFE was immediately dissolved. The State-owned company Trenes Argentinos took over Belgrano Sur line (operated by Argentren ) after the Government of Argentina rescinded the contracts signed with the company on 2 March 2015. The contract terms specified that

1836-631: The service was extended from González Catán to Marcos Paz in the Buenos Aires Province . Trains resumed operations to Villars, a small town with 3,000 inhabitants in General Las Heras Partido , in December 2022, after the Government extended the service from Marcos Paz to that city. The service had been closed in 1993. In May 2023, Trenes Argentinos announced a tourist train which would run from Mercedes to Tomás Jofré (with an intermediate stop in Altamira), all of them part of Mercedes Partido . The train

1887-462: The seven British - and three French -owned railway companies then operating in Argentina were purchased by the state . These companies, together with those that were already state-owned, where grouped, according to their track gauge and locality, into a total of six state-owned companies which later became divisions of the state-owned holding company Ferrocarriles Argentinos . In the latter half of

1938-567: The southwest, the section from González Catán to Marcos Paz (closed at the time of privatisation) to be restored and reopened, extending that branch of the line after its 20-year closure whilst adding new overpasses and connecting the line with the Merlo – Lobos branch of the Sarmiento Line . In August 2017, Trenes Argentinos suspended the Puente Alsina–Aldo Bonzi service due to a derailment near Puente Alsina station. Since then,

1989-445: The state-owned company specifically created after the nationalisation to manage the entire railway network. The list of companies taken over by each division was as follows: After the nationalisation, maps of the six railway divisions managed by state-owned Ferrocarriles Argentinos were as follows: Argentines saw railway nationalisation as a major step towards the economic independence of their country which had for so long been under

2040-438: The stations would be elevated to match the height of the new rolling stock, while the track was being refurbished on the line, with the Buenos Aires - Tapiales segment receiving completely new rails on concrete sleepers. Twnty-four of the stations would be completely replaced using modular designs, while some single-track segments would be made into double-track segments. In 2015, two important extension works were considered. To

2091-406: The time nationalisation took place in 1948. Also railways were beginning to face stiff competition from road transport as improvements in the national road network were made. By the time the railways were nationalised in 1948, during President Perón's first term in office, the growth in economic nationalism in the country had reached a point where, for many Argentines in search of self-determination,

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2142-639: The train in Buenos Aires, being carried to Carhué via Plomer. The lack of maintenance caused a progressive deterioration in the rolling stock and stations of the line. The line was closed in September 1977 and the workshops at Libertad were demolished. On 2 March 1977, Decree N° 547 by de facto President of Argentina, Jorge Rafael Videla ordered the closure and dismantlement of more than 4,000 km of rail tracks. Several General Belgrano Railway lines were closed on 1 May 1977, although long-distance services to Carhué continued operating until August of that year when

2193-407: Was granted in concession to the private company Metropolitano which started operations in 1994. However, the Government of Argentina revoked the contract of concession in 2007 due to poor service standards and increasing complaints from users. Until then, the concessionary had been receiving near $ 30 million in subsidies per month. In the first years of private operation, many kilometres of

2244-478: Was also complicated: while National Law 2.793 gave priority to the company that had been granted concession first, BAM in this case, the concession granted to BAM had been given by a Province; therefore the CGBA also had rights to claim. Both companies initially continued expanding their lines across the Province, the conflict reaching such a stage that BAM asked CGBA to cease construction work, while CGBA threatened to take

2295-405: Was becoming an increasingly prosperous agricultural producer and exporter. The foreign-owned railway companies had developed under the protection of the Argentine's strong property rights of the time. The rail networks of the various companies generally radiated inland from the major ports of Buenos Aires and Rosario and were primarily designed to speed the export of agricultural products from

2346-413: Was losing money. In order to increase the number of passengers carried and to compete against Southern, Western and GCBA railways, BAM acquired 10 railcars from Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company , powered with Gardner engines. The railcars entered service on 1 January 1939, replacing old steam locomotives on all services passenger. The railcars reduced the journey time to Carhué to 8 hours;

2397-567: Was planned to run two services on Sundays, with an estimated time of 45'. For that purpose, Jofré and Altamira stations were completely refurbished, adding toilets and access ramps for disabled people. The service was officially inaugurated on May 27, and served by Emepa Alerce diesel railcars. In October 2023, the González Catán–Villars branch was extended to Lozano, a locality in General Las Heras Partido. The service

2448-415: Was re-opened only for weekends although Trenes Argentinos stated it could be extended to weekdays in a near future. The station had been closed in 1976. There are plans to extend the service to other towns of the region that were served by train in the past, such as Navarro . Companies that have operated the Belgrano Sur Line since it was established after the 1948 nationalisation are: In August 2015,

2499-510: Was then announced that the new rolling stock had been would begin running on the Buenos Aires - Gonzalez Catán route in August. The other parts of the line received the new rolling stock before the end of 2015, as the railcars arrived in the country. It was also announced that all the 28 stations of the line would be remodelled. The cost of the investment was estimated in A$ 1,200 million. The platforms of

2550-450: Was unable to raise capital from Europe. Other companies such as Great Southern and Western Railways took over BAM and committed to finish the line. Some of the changes made by the consortium were the replacement of contractor Hume Hnos by Clarke, Bradbury and Co. (owned by Great Southern's manager's brother). The Puente Alsina - San Sebastián section was finally opened on 15 June 1909, the complete line to Carhué opening on 1 July 1911. As

2601-563: Was used on short trips until the 1930s. Once the entire line had been inaugurated, the company acquired six Kerr, Stuart class Es that served until 1948 when the railway was nationalised , at which time these locomotives were sold. The company bought 20 class Fs by the same company, which were operated until the 1970s (latterly by Ferrocarriles Argentinos ). The BA Midland also used Hunslet class G locomotives until they were replaced by railcars in 1939, being cascaded to other services. The Beyer Peacock H class locomotives proved too big for

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