General Manuel Belgrano Railway
| Company type | State-owned enterprise |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Compañía General de Buenos Aires, Central Norte, Argentino del Norte, Midland, Provincial de Santa Fe, Córdoba Central, North Argentine Railway (absorbed 1909) |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Government of Argentina |
| Fate | Nationalised railway network reorganised under Ferrocarriles Argentinos; later privatisation in 1991 |
| Successor | Ferrocarriles Argentinos (management until 1991) |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires , Argentina |
Area served | Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Salta, Jujuy, Formosa, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan) |
| Products | Passenger and freight rail transport services |
| Owner | Government of Argentina |
| Parent | Ferrocarriles Argentinos (until 1991) |
General Manuel Belgrano Railway
The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named in honor of the Argentine patriot Manuel Belgrano, represents the most extensive railway line within Argentina's rail infrastructure. It emerged as one of six government-owned railway enterprises established following President Juan Perón's 1948 nationalisation of the country’s railways.
Its primary terminal is located at Retiro in Buenos Aires, with routes extending into significant provinces such as Santa Fe, Córdoba, Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Salta, and Jujuy.
Inside Buenos Aires, the system branches into two principal corridors: the Belgrano Norte and the Belgrano Sur. The Norte branch is operated by the private firm Ferrovías, whereas the Sur branch along with regional services are overseen by the state-owned company Trenes Argentinos Operaciones.
Passenger transit on the Norte Line extends only up to Villa Rosa in Pilar Partido, beyond which freight transport predominates under the management of state entity Belgrano Cargas. Moreover, short-distance passenger trains run within Chaco Province, administered by state-owned Trenes Argentinos Operadora Ferroviaria.
Historically, the Ferrocarril Belgrano provided passenger connections reaching as far as La Quiaca and across the border into Bolivia, although these services were discontinued by the late 1900s. Presently, projects are underway to reinstate passenger operations between La Quiaca and San Salvador de Jujuy in Jujuy Province.
The railway’s principal lines extend northwards from Retiro, traversing provinces including Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Chaco, Formosa, Salta, Jujuy, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, and Catamarca.
Background
The inception of metre gauge railways in Argentina dates back to 1876 when the Ferrocarril Central Norte commenced service connecting Córdoba and Tucumán. This line was constructed by the Argentine State primarily for economic development purposes and served to complement the British-owned Central Argentine Railway network between Rosario and Córdoba. This initiative marked the beginning of further expansion of metre gauge tracks.
By the early decades of the 20th century, multiple metre gauge lines had been developed under national government control, particularly across northern Argentina. The Argentine State Railway managed a network spanning approximately 3,490 km, with prominent lines such as the Ferrocarril Central Norte and Ferrocarril Argentino del Norte extending their reach into Patagonia and the Littoral areas.
In 1905, legislative approval was granted by the Congress of Argentina for constructing a railway from Cerrillos to Rosario de Lerma within Salta Province to facilitate access to the resource-rich region of the Puna de Atacama. A competing proposal in 1906 suggested a route through the Quebrada de Humahuaca, but this alternative was never realized.
Construction efforts recommenced in 1921 under American engineer Richard Maury. However, progress was interrupted in 1930 due to political instability and Maury’s subsequent removal from his position. Work resumed again in 1936 and by 1945 had extended to Tolar Grande, with strong backing from President Juan Perón, who assumed office that same year.
The project reached completion in January 1948 when the line established a connection between Argentina and Chile at Socompa. The route included engineering feats such as 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, along with two zig-zags and two spiral sections. In 1972, this line was repurposed primarily for tourism under the name Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds).
Nationalisation
Following the conclusion of World War II, British and French railway enterprises operating in Argentina encountered severe financial challenges, prompting them to divest their assets. On March 1, 1948, during Juan Perón's government, the Argentine state undertook the nationalisation of all foreign-owned railway companies, establishing the state-run Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado Argentino (EFEA), which was subsequently renamed Ferrocarriles Argentinos. This organisation assumed control over the entire Argentine rail network, encompassing both passenger and freight operations.
A thorough reorganisation ensued, involving the renaming of railway lines in honor of national heroes. Numerous former British and French firms—such as Compañía General de Buenos Aires, Central Norte, Argentino del Norte, Midland, and Provincial de Santa Fe—were merged into the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano system, commemorating the independence figure Manuel Belgrano.
The Patagonian railways were incorporated into the General Roca Railway, while lines from the Littoral region became part of the General Urquiza Railway. The Provincial de Buenos Aires railway retained its independence until 1953, when it was absorbed into the Ferrocarril Belgrano network.
These six railway companies remained under the management of Ferrocarriles Argentinos until the onset of railway privatisation in 1991 under President Carlos Menem's administration.
The metre gauge railways listed below were integrated into the Ferrocarril Belgrano system following nationalisation:
Note:
- (1) The Central Northern had previously absorbed the North Argentine Railway in 1909.
Eastern Bolivian line
During the 1937 Chaco War period, Argentina and Brazil vied to extend their railway networks into Bolivia. The proposed branch connecting Yacuiba to Santa Cruz de la Sierra was impeded by occupation from Paraguayan forces. On February 25, 1938, Bolivia and Brazil reached an agreement to construct a rail line linking Santa Cruz with Corumbá in Brazil, thereby providing Bolivia with access to the Atlantic coast. That same year, Juan Rivero Torres was appointed head of Bolivia’s delegation for the Mixed Bolivian-Brazilian Railway Commission; he directed efforts until 1951 overseeing construction of the Santa Cruz–Corumbá line, which created a strategic corridor between South America’s Pacific and Atlantic ports. For Brazil, this railway improved connectivity to Bolivia’s oil-producing eastern territories. Bolivia ratified this accord on March 15, terminating its earlier contract with Argentina. Indigenous Chiquitano workers contributed significantly to segments of this railway’s construction.
Although both Argentina and Bolivia ratified their agreement concerning railway development, Brazil initiated construction work in 1948 and completed the 625-kilometer Santa Cruz–Corumbá track by 1955.
In 1949, Argentina funded and built a railway traversing eastern Bolivia to Santa Cruz, linking watersheds of both the Amazonas and Río de la Plata basins. This extension of the Yacuiba branch connected Argentine rail systems with those in Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia. The Yacuiba–Santa Cruz de la Sierra segment officially opened in 1958.
Rosario rail networks
Following the integration of metre gauge lines into the Ferrocarril Belgrano system, the government discontinued passenger operations at the terminal stations of the Córdoba Central Railway, Provincial de Santa Fe, and Compañía Gral. de Buenos Aires in Rosario. The CGBA route linking Buenos Aires Province with Rosario through Pergamino was permanently shut down, and its terminal was reassigned to the Argentine National Gendarmerie. Passenger train services were redirected to Rosario Oeste station.
In the late 1950s, the Provincial de Santa Fe terminal underwent transformation into a bus station named "Coronel Juan D. Perón," honoring the former Argentine president; this facility was subsequently renamed "Mariano Moreno".
Tucumán rail services
The Belgrano Railway operated two Córdoba Central stations: one originally constructed by the Argentine North Western Railway (ANWR), also called El Provincial for its line in Tucumán Province acquired in 1899, and another built by Córdoba Central itself, known as Tucumán Belgrano railway station. The Provincial station catered to both passenger and freight traffic until passenger operations transitioned to the Central Northern Railway station ("El Bajo") in the late 1960s.
After rail nationalization under Juan Perón, Córdoba Central came under management of the newly established Ferrocarriles Argentinos, serving as an intermediate stop on Belgrano Railway routes heading to La Quiaca in Jujuy Province. The ANWR station ceased operations in 1978.
During the early 1990s privatisation period under Carlos Menem, freight services on Belgrano Railway remained government-run due to limited private sector interest. Long-distance passenger trains were discontinued in March 1993, leaving the station active solely for freight transport, currently managed by state-owned Trenes Argentinos Cargas y Logística.
Development of ex-Midland line
This railway stretched across Buenos Aires Province from Puente Alsina in Lanús Partido to Carhué, a prominent tourist destination at the time.
Following nationalization, enhancements included adding a second track between Aldo Bonzi and Libertad to increase service frequency, acquiring new diesel locomotives from American manufacturer Whitcomb in 1951 and an additional 15 units from Werkspoor in 1955, as well as establishing a connection at Tapiales and Aldo Bonzi stations linking the former Midland line with the Ferrocarril Sarmiento near Haedo.
By December 1955, Ferrocarril Belgrano operated more than 40 daily trips along Puente Alsina−Aldo Bonzi. Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company railcars dating from 1939 were replaced in 1971 by Ganz units previously used by Argentine State Railway since 1936. These Ganz railcars continued service until the line's closure in 1977.
After shutting down the Libertad−Plomer segment, ex-CGBA's Buenos Aires terminal became the endpoint. Trains ran empty from Puente Alsina to Aldo Bonzi, reversed direction to Tapiales junction, then proceeded to Buenos Aires station where passengers boarded for Carhué via Plomer. Due to worsening conditions of equipment and stations, full closure occurred in September 1977; Libertad workshops were dismantled. The shutdown had minimal economic consequences given the sparse population along the route and availability of alternative rail connections to Buenos Aires.
Ex-Compañía General development
This railway provided transportation from the Buenos Aires station located in Parque Patricios to various eastern cities within Buenos Aires Province as well as to the ports of La Plata and Rosario. Following its incorporation into Ferrocarril Belgrano, the network experienced significant reorganization.
In Rosario, the CGBA terminal was shut down and its branch lines discontinued. Within Buenos Aires, the CGBA workshops situated along the Riachuelo were closed, with rolling stock relocated to the Libertad workshops of Midland Railway. At La Plata, a collaborative connection with the former Ferrocarril Provincial (FPBA) was established at Etcheverry station to facilitate freight operations serving La Plata port; meanwhile, much of the original CGBA line was abandoned and dismantled.
By 1961, several branches—including those extending from Patricios to General Villegas, Victorino de la Plaza, and Vedia to Pergamino—had been discontinued. The milk train, which carried fresh dairy products, ceased operations following a governmental prohibition on bulk product sales within Buenos Aires.
In August 1977, National Decree N° 2294 mandated the closure of the 225-kilometer Patricios–Victorino de la Plaza route. Since then, both stations and tracks have fallen into disrepair without any official plans for reactivation.
Ex-F.C. Provincial development
The Ferrocarril Provincial was the final railway to be integrated into Ferrocarril Belgrano. Since the removal of CGBA tracks between La Plata port and the FC Provincial crossing near Etcheverry in the 1950s, a joint track arrangement enabled González Catán trains to utilize former FCPBA lines leading to La Plata.
In October 1961, the national government ordered closure of the Etcheverry−Mira Pampa and Carlos Beguerie−Azul−Olavarría branches. Freight services partially resumed on the Olavarría−La Plata segment in 1964 but were discontinued by 1968.
A cooperative link connecting former Midland, Provincial lines, and the Port of Buenos Aires was created to reach Avellaneda. Tracks between Carlos Beguerie and Mira Pampa were dismantled in 1974. Passenger service ended on July 5, 1977; freight operations continued until a truck collision damaged a bridge near Gobernador Monteverde, resulting in suspension of traffic. Subsequently, Avellaneda station reopened as a railway museum.
Ex-FC Provincial de Santa Fe development
The French-owned Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe operated routes across Santa Fe Province, Chaco Province, and Córdoba, becoming part of Ferrocarril Belgrano following nationalization in 1948.
In Rosario, passenger services at former French-owned terminals—including Córdoba Central Railway, Compañía General de Buenos Aires, and Provincial de Santa Fe—were terminated; traffic was redirected to Rosario Oeste. The ex-Provincial terminal was converted into a bus station initially named "Coronel Perón" and later renamed "Mariano Moreno" in honor of a prominent figure from the 1810 Revolution. Freight warehouses remained operational until their closure in 1987; subsequently, tracks were removed and replaced by Rosario's Convention Center ("Patrio de la Madera").
The FCPSF's Central Station in Santa Fe was demolished in 1962 to make way for a bus terminal that opened in 1968.
Following the privatization of Argentine railways under President Carlos Menem, numerous lines were closed, disrupting regional public transportation links. In response, Chaco province launched a state-owned company called "Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco (SEFECHA)" to operate regional rail services on Ferrocarril Belgrano infrastructure using railcars. Control was transferred to the national government in May 2010,[1] with operations managed by state-owned Trenes Argentinos.
Privatisation
By the early 1990s, Ferrocarriles Argentinos was grappling with a critical financial downturn, leading the national administration under Carlos Menem to undertake a major restructuring. This resulted in the establishment of Ferrocarriles Metropolitanos S.A. (FEMESA) to oversee urban passenger rail services in Buenos Aires, while FA continued managing long-distance passenger and freight transport. Nevertheless, a 1993 decree curtailed most of FA’s passenger operations, leaving only a handful of provincial routes outside Buenos Aires Province still active.
Within FEMESA’s remit, Ferrocarril Belgrano’s urban services were divided into two segments: the Belgrano Norte running from Retiro to Villa Rosa, and the Belgrano Sur, connecting Buenos Aires to González Catán–Marinos del Crucero General Belgrano and Puente Alsina–Aldo Bonzi. Both lines experienced lower ridership compared to more heavily used lines such as Sarmiento and Mitre.
The Belgrano Sur route, operating on former Compañía General and Midland railway tracks, was granted as a concession in 1994 to the private firm Metropolitano through its TMB division. In 1999, Metropolitano briefly introduced a special railcar service between González Catán and Villars, though this initiative was soon discontinued.
Concession of the Belgrano Norte line went to Ferrovías, which owns the EMEPA railway workshop near Chascomús. By 1994, passenger traffic had increased to 14.8 million. Ferrovías invested in acquiring new diesel locomotives and passenger coaches, along with upgrading infrastructure such as track replacement, improved signalling systems, and bridge refurbishments. These improvements led to a rise in ridership reaching 36 million.
Out of the 14,000 km freight network formerly operated by Ferrocarriles Argentinos, 10,800 km were transferred in 1993 to the state-owned Ferrocarril General Belgrano S.A., as no private bids were submitted. This company functioned under Unión Ferroviaria—the national railway union—until 1997 and carried approximately 1.5 million tons annually, a steep drop from the 4 million tons transported during the 1970s. The freight mainly comprised oil products, fuels, grains, minerals, and construction supplies.
In November 1999, freight operations were concessioned to Ferrocarril Belgrano Cargas S.A., a consortium formed by Unión Ferroviaria and the local cooperative Laguna Paiva. The Argentine government maintained a minority stake of 1%, retaining rights to appoint directors. The company underwent re-privatisation in 2004 but continued with government minority ownership.
State interventions
As part of Argentina’s railway privatisation process under President Carlos Menem, a concession was awarded to Chaco Province in 1992 that led to the creation of the state-owned enterprise "Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco" (SEFECHA) in August 1999.
SEFECHA revitalised numerous passenger routes throughout the province, reconnecting major urban centers such as Resistencia and Sáenz Peña with the broader regional rail network.
In May 2010, control over these services reverted to the national government following SEFECHA’s dissolution. Presently, these operations together with those of Tren de las Sierras in Córdoba Province represent the sole remaining passenger services of the former General Manuel Belgrano Railway functioning within Argentina’s interior regions.
Belgrano Norte
Within the metropolitan region of Buenos Aires, a diesel-powered commuter rail line runs from the Retiro terminus to Villa Rosa in Pilar Partido. This service has been operated by the private company Ferrovías since 1994.
The number of passengers utilizing this route increased substantially, rising from 11.8 million in 1993 to nearly 30.5 million by 2012.
Belgrano Sur
In the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires, two diesel commuter rail lines provide transportation services. The line connecting Buenos Aires–González Catán traces its origins to the French-owned Compañía General de Ferrocarriles en la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CGBA), which extended southwestward to towns such as General Villegas and Victorino de la Plaza. Additional CGBA routes linked Buenos Aires with the ports of La Plata and Rosario.
The other lines derive from the British-owned Buenos Aires Midland Railway, which has been in operation since 1906 and stretches as far as Carhué in the southwestern part of Buenos Aires Province. One branch travels from Puente Alsina to Aldo Bonzi, while another branch, approximately 15 kilometers long, runs from Tapiales station to Marinos del Crucero Gral. Belgrano located in Merlo Partido.
See also
Bibliography
- British Railways in Argentina 1860–1948, H. R. Stones, edited by P. E. Waters & Associates, Bromley, Kent, England, 1993.
References
- ↑ "SEFECHA pasó a la Nación", Diaro Norte
- Articles with short description
- Railway companies of Argentina
- Metre-gauge railways in Argentina
- Rail transport in Buenos Aires Province
- Rail transport in Santa Fe Province
- Rail transport in Rosario, Santa Fe
- Rail transport in Córdoba Province, Argentina
- Transport in Tucumán Province
- Transport in Santiago del Estero Province
- Transport in La Rioja Province, Argentina
- Transport in Catamarca Province
- Transport in Chaco Province
- Transport in Formosa Province
- Transport in Mendoza Province