# SOUTH AMERICA | Inter Country Railways



## islandtransit (Feb 28, 2007)

Does anyone think rail between different South American countries is a good idea? Something like Buenos Aires-Santiago/Valpariso via Mendoza, or Buenos Aires/Montevideo-Asuncion. It can reach Bolivia and Brazil too.


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## Pavlov's Dog (Aug 2, 2007)

The Andes are a major impediment to anything crossing them. Rail doesn't like steep grades and the Andes are nothing but. Their was a rail line between Mendoza and Valparaiso but it was abandoned in 1984. With tunneling costs decreasing it will probably be rebuilt with a really long tunnel at some point. I imagine passengers won't be thrilled with travelling in such a long tunnel in a such a tectonically active area.

What South America lacks is a trans-Amazonian railway connecting Brasil/Bolivia/Peru with Colombia/Venezuela.


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## AR1182 (Jan 10, 2006)

Pavlov's Dog said:


> The Andes are a major impediment to anything crossing them. Rail doesn't like steep grades and the Andes are nothing but. Their was a rail line between Mendoza and Valparaiso but it was abandoned in 1984. With tunneling costs decreasing it will probably be rebuilt with a really long tunnel at some point.


In late 2006 both governments jointly launched a bidding process for the reconstruction of that railway line (connecting Mendoza, in Argentina, with Los Andes, in Chile). The intention was to run freight trains powered by diesel engines on narrow gauge tracks (1,000 mm), which required an investment of just about 350 million dollars. While this only offered limited capacity, especially due to steep grades, it also seemed difficult to find bidders and the respective calls for bids had to be postponed several times. 

In the meantime a new project was presented by an Argentine corporation specialized in construction and operation of infrastructure (mainly airports). The new project consists of running electric freight and shuttle trains (for cars, buses and trucks) through a low altitude tunnel of 20 to 30 Km. The investment (which is supposed to be entirely private) would be about ten times higher and construction is expected to take about ten years. The company and its regional partners seem to be very determined, but their proyect is still in the early design stages and no decission has been made by the authorities yet.


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## islandtransit (Feb 28, 2007)

I'm aware that the Andes are an obstacle. However, if that track is restored from Mendoza through the mountains, then what would you say to a cross-border passenger rail service? And yes, a line across the amazons to Venezuela would be great. Colombia might be out of reach though b/c of more mountains


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## AR1182 (Jan 10, 2006)

islandtransit said:


> I'm aware that the Andes are an obstacle. However, if that track is restored from Mendoza through the mountains, then what would you say to a cross-border passenger rail service?


There might be potential, but it's not just a matter of putting some passenger trains on the tracks. There has to be huge investment in infrastructure first because right now it's just impossible to offer a decent and competitive rail service for passengers even where railway lines already exist. A project for 160 Km/h diesel trains between Buenos Aires and Mendoza is in the works. Assuming this and the tunnel will be built and connected with each other, a passenger train between both capitals would seem to be feasible.


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## islandtransit (Feb 28, 2007)

Then forget about that line for now. How about Buenos Aires to Asuncion(Paraguay)? I know they'd have to do a reverse move as soon as the train crosses the bridge into Paraguay, but so what?


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## jamesinclair (Mar 21, 2006)

The only realistic connections would involve Paraguay, or Uruguay/Brazil.

Nothing else would ever work, besides very small, local crossing at borders.


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## AR1182 (Jan 10, 2006)

islandtransit said:


> Then forget about that line for now. How about Buenos Aires to Asuncion(Paraguay)? I know they'd have to do a reverse move as soon as the train crosses the bridge into Paraguay, but so what?


There are two rail lines to Corrientes and Resistencia (only separated by a river), using 1.435 mm and 1.000 mm tracks, respectively. You'd only have to build a new line from there to Asunción, about 300 Km, which wouldn't be too difficult. Of course you'd also have to upgrade existing tracks, being that they don't allow speeds beyond 30 or 40 Km/h right now.


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## AR1182 (Jan 10, 2006)

There's also a railway line between Posadas and Asunción, but it hasn't seen any train operations for years.


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## islandtransit (Feb 28, 2007)

Yeah, the bridge connects Posadas with the track to Asuncion. I think that with track upgrades, passenger rail would get great ridership. Hell, the bus industry is booming down there.


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## AR1182 (Jan 10, 2006)

islandtransit said:


> Yeah, the bridge connects Posadas with the track to Asuncion. I think that with track upgrades, passenger rail would get great ridership. Hell, the bus industry is booming down there.


Yes, I agree. If the infrastructure was in good conditions there would be huge potential for a passenger train connecting Asunción and Buenos Aires.


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## Frank IBC (Jan 14, 2008)

*South America Does Have Transcontinental Rail*

From Arica, Chile to Rio de Janeiro and Santos, Brazil. There is a rack section through the Andes between Arica and La Paz, Bolivia. And since the line across Bolivia has a gap between Aiquile (east of Cochabamba) and Santa Cruz, it is necessary to go south (from La Paz) down to Salta, Argentina, and from there, north (by northeast) to Santa Cruz, and from there, across eastern Bolivia and Brazil to the Atlantic coast of Brazil. The lines are meter gauge througout.

It's a shame that there is no continuous north-south line, from Colombia down to Argentina or Chile. The lines in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru are short and disconnected, and various gauges - standard, meter, and 914 mm. Bolivia is all meter gauge, Chile is mostly 1676 mm gauge, Argentina is a mix of 1676 mm and meter gauge, with a handful of standard guage lines in the northeastern part of the country.

Medellin, Colombia, to Quito, Ecuador, to La Oroya, Peru, to Lake Titicaca to La Paz, Bolivia, would be a nice (pipe-dream) line.


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## islandtransit (Feb 28, 2007)

I said INTERNATIONAL, not transcontinental. I'm talking about having a service similar to what the buses do. You get on the train in one country and you can get off in another. Obviously, they'd run only between major cities.


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## debiolley (Feb 11, 2011)

a high speed rail train connecting the CONO SUR region is more ideal because their all in close proximity (parallel). 
from: Santiago, Chile (Pacific coast)- to Buenos Aires, Argentina (Parana river)- Montevideo (Atlantic coast)- and finally up to Porto Alegre or Cuitaba Brazil 

These capital cities are all ideal because their economically stable and growing middle class, and good governments. 

CONO SUR EXPRESS 
(Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo)


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Porto Alegre and Curitiba are not capitals of Brazil!

In any case, I don't actually see the need for multi-billion investments for high-speed rail over the Andes. Freight rail - ok, might be interesting, but passenger rail?

Distances are way too far to justify the investment. The few road links don't see that much traffic. So I don't think that will happen anytime soon.


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## Luli Pop (Jun 14, 2010)

in Argentina there are 2 railways crossing to Bolivia, 2 to Uruguay, 1 to Paraguay, 1 to Brazil, 2 to Chile (one under reconstruccion), and a 3rd one under eternal construction, the "Transpatagonico".

there are 8 international railways today (some of them partially closed) and another U/C.


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## Maipo Valley (Feb 3, 2008)

chile is conected with bolivia by 2 lines. arica-la paz and antofagasta-cochabamba and is conected to peru with 1 line. arica-tacna. plus antofagasta is conected to salta in argentina. for many years the onliest contact of bolivian capital la paz with the rest of the world was the arica-la paz line.


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## intelligentBG (Jun 10, 2008)

Maipo Valley said:


> chile is conected with bolivia by 2 lines. arica-la paz and antofagasta-cochabamba and is conected to peru with 1 line. arica-tacna. plus antofagasta is conected to salta in argentina. for many years the onliest contact of bolivian capital la paz with the rest of the world was the arica-la paz line.


Are there passenger services on these lines?


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## memaggro (Jan 3, 2009)

intelligentBG said:


> Are there passenger services on these lines?


actually no.

but it will restart a passenger service between arica and la paz soon.

in 2000's the passenger service in that line stopped working.


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

connect with the south of SA???....hno: i prefer connections with Colombia, Trinidad and Panama :happy:


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## tgva325 (Jul 4, 2007)

Suburbanist said:


> IT's absolutely ridiculous to run a Buenos Aires-Montevideo train!!! It just takes a lot at the map. Unless they build a billionaire bridge of the La Plata estuary, such route is completely wasteful. If they are planning the service as catering most for intermediate station, there there is ZERO need to make a U-shaped route like that. Break the service in three points, just one of them being international, and offer connections if possible.


The route NEVER was planned to be Buenos Aires-Montevideo (despite press delirant projections) and in fact all the service was not planned to transport passengers but another intent of TBA (the private company that operated the service) to obtain subsidies from Argentinian goverment, from Uruguayan goverment, try to repair tracks in Uruguay at a very expensive price or lease railcars for Montevideo suburban service. In fact, a deal was being worked but was cut when an electric train operated by TBA crashed in Buenos Aires Once station. The last train from Uruguay into Argentina ran at the last days of May, 2012 and at present the railcars are abandoned at Pilar station.

The international train started running from Pilar (at 60 km from Buenos Aires city center) to Paso de los Toros and only once a week. After 5 services to Paso de los Toros it was cut at Paysandú, and after other services (I really will need to check how many time) it was cut again to Salto in the border with Argentina. In Uruguay, as it ran only once a week, and in one way one day and two days later in the other way, was not useful for people between stations. Take into account also that tracks between Salto (km 591) and Paso de los Toros (km 273) are really in bad condition and the trip took 12 h 30. The only section with good track was that one between the international bridge and the Salto station. In Uruguay, by unknown reasons, TBA NEVER sell tickets and they ran for free... 

Oh, by the way, only to the end one of the railcar was refurbished with comfortable seats and air conditioning and food machines, because before they ran with the hard regional seats of NS, so...


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## hammersklavier (Jan 29, 2010)

Doesn't South America also have an Australian-scale gauge standard problem? IIRC the Argentinian gauge is close to Iberian gauge while the Brazilian gauge is close to Cape gauge, for example...That can't exactly make international intercity service easy.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

hammersklavier said:


> Doesn't South America also have an Australian-scale gauge standard problem? IIRC the Argentinian gauge is close to Iberian gauge while the Brazilian gauge is close to Cape gauge, for example...That can't exactly make international intercity service easy.


It's worse than that.

Brazil has 2 haphzardly connected networks of 1000 and 1600mm, with some short dual-gauge sectors.


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

*Bi-Oceanic Railway Corridor*

Bolivia, Spain Sign Three Cooperation Agreements Telesurtv, today.


> Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Bolivian President Evo Morales signed three agreements on the Bi-Oceanic Railway Corridor.


Spanish Prime Minister and Bolivian President have signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday, which guarantees legal security in a country with a history of rather the opposite. "Any investment is guaranteed," said Evo Morales after signing that agreement.

This memorandum can be the safe-conduct for companies interested in participating in the bioceanic train project, which will link the Peruvian port of Ilo, in the Pacific Ocean with the Brazilian port of Santos, in the Atlantic. The railway line that is to be built, of 3,755 kilometers in length, would cost about 12 billion euros in works. These have already begun in Bolivian territory, with a first phase of 150 kilometers in which an investment of close to 188 million euros is planned.

The investment in this line would be very inferior to another similar project sponsored by China, of 60 billion dollars, but excluding Bolivia.

Source


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