Puerto Deseado Railway
| Company type | Government-owned company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway transport |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Fate | Closed and dismantled |
| Successor | Part of Ferrocarril General Roca after 1948 nationalization |
| Headquarters | Puerto Deseado , Argentina |
Area served | Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina |
Key people | Engineer Juan Briano (supervisor of construction) |
| Products | Passenger and freight rail services (sheep, wool, minerals, agricultural goods) |
| Owner | Government of Argentina |
| Parent | State-owned Ferrocarril General Roca (after 1948) |
Background
The Puerto Deseado and Colonia Las Heras Railway (Ferrocarril Puerto Deseado a Colonia Las Heras) was a government-owned broad gauge rail line extending 283 km between Puerto Deseado and Colonia Las Heras in Argentina's Santa Cruz Province. Its primary purpose was to promote settlement in the scarcely inhabited Patagonian region, while also supporting the local wool trade.
Authorized by Law N° 5559 in 1908 during President José Figueroa Alcorta’s administration, the initiative included plans for multiple routes such as Puerto San Antonio to Nahuel Huapi Lake, and a connection from Puerto Deseado to Nahuel Huapi with branches reaching Comodoro Rivadavia and Buenos Aires. The vision was to create a railway traversing Patagonia diagonally northwest to link with the San Antonio Oeste–Bariloche line.
Despite these ambitions, the railway was never extended beyond its original scope. Some historians suggest British settlers opposed expansion to maintain Patagonia’s suitability for sheep ranching, while others point to the La Argentina Southern Land Company’s refusal to back construction due to poor land conditions. The outbreak of World War I, political resistance favoring investment in the Pampas, and the 1914 death of Roque Sáenz Peña further hindered progress.
Development
Work on the line commenced in Puerto Deseado in May 1909 under engineer Juan Briano’s supervision. By late 1911, train services reached Pico Truncado, marking the first terminal point. During its inaugural year, the railway carried 1,235 passengers and transported 1,950 tons of freight; these figures rose to 2,370 passengers and 4,208 tons by 1912.
The railway extended to Las Heras in 1912, establishing its final endpoint. Nevertheless, national funding cuts limited further expansion despite local calls for continuation. The route ran close to the coastline, competing with ports like Caleta Olivia, Cabo Blanco, and Mazaredo due to lower shipping expenses for wool transport by sea.
In 1927, deputy Guillermo Fonrouge proposed linking Holdich station with Las Heras and connecting it to the Comodoro Rivadavia Railway, but this plan did not come to fruition. Subsequent efforts to connect the line with oil fields in Cañadón Seco also failed.
Fourteen stations were constructed roughly apart along the route; however, only a few evolved into populated settlements. Following Argentina’s railway nationalization in 1948, this line became part of the state-owned Ferrocarril General Roca network.
By the 1940s, freight volumes had declined significantly. Key cargo included sheep, wool, agricultural goods, limestone, and lead. Additionally, minerals such as zinc, iron, and copper were transported from Chile via Buenos Aires Lake and trucked onwards to Las Heras.
In 1949, new railcars were introduced to increase passenger capacity. Services operated three times weekly from Puerto Deseado using railcars seating 42 passengers. The government also constructed housing facilities for railway workers.
Decline and closure
During the 1950s, trains carried oil for private companies other than YPF. Passenger numbers and freight volumes dropped sharply throughout the 1960s; between 1961 and 1967 annual passenger counts fell below 10,000 and freight shipments remained under 10 tons annually, except for a brief rise during 1962-63. In later years, lead shipments from Lago Carreras (Chile) became the main freight commodity.
Insufficient government investment resulted in outdated rolling stock. By the 1970s, only two aging Drewry railcars remained in service at , while freight operations were reduced to monthly frequency. In 1978, under dictator Jorge Videla’s regime, economic losses prompted the military government to shut down the railway.
The infrastructure was dismantled; wagons, locomotives, and workshops were either sold or scrapped, although some equipment was preserved. Unlike the Comodoro Rivadavia Railway where tracks were removed, this line's rails remained but gradually fell into disrepair.
On December 1, 1996, a fire destroyed the historic "Km. 200" station located in Pico Truncado.
In recognition of its centenary in 2009, Correo Argentino released a commemorative stamp depicting a steam locomotive alongside Puerto Deseado station circa 1930.
Remaining Equipment
The entirety of PD&CLH's rolling stock was dismantled and sold at auction, with the sole exception of a single wooden railcar that was preserved. In December 1980, coach number 502, manufactured by the British firm Lancaster in 1898, received designation as provincial cultural heritage and was safeguarded. This coach had previously operated on the Ferrocarril Andino line and was utilized both as a first-class carriage and to transport troops during the 1921 Patagonia rebelde labor conflict.
Currently, coach 502 serves as a tourist information center located in Puerto Deseado. Another railcar, built domestically in Argentina with a seating capacity of 12, remains neglected and abandoned. In July 2014, the historically significant first-class P-111 coach, also constructed in 1898 and weighing 26 tons, was transferred from the backyard of Rawson hospital to Jaramillo for restoration under the direction of the Santa Cruz Secretary of Culture. This relocation involved a four-day journey by truck, carefully planned to avoid narrow bridges due to the vehicle’s dimensions.
Reopening Initiatives
Since the railway's closure in 1978, numerous attempts to revive the line have been unsuccessful. In 1996, legislators from Chubut proposed the "Ferrocarril Transpatagónico," intended to link San Antonio Oeste (Río Negro) with Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz). This plan included constructing a bridge between Punta Loyola and La Misión (Tierra del Fuego), as well as reopening the Ferrocarril Puerto Deseado-Colonia Las Heras and Central Chubut Railway lines; however, this proposal was ultimately rejected.
During Argentina’s railway privatization process in 1992, the Argentine Railway Institute offered to reactivate various lines. The province of Santa Cruz suggested establishing a Puerto Deseado–Puerto Chacabuco route, but negotiations did not come to fruition. In 2007, concessions were awarded to UTE (Herso-Sonis) for refurbishment efforts, with work commencing in November 2010.
By January 2013, plans were confirmed to reopen the Puerto Deseado–Tellier segment (20 km), which involved replacing approximately 40,000 metric tons of rail profiles and 10,000 metric tons of wooden sleepers. Engineering students from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) participated in clearing the tracks and acquired a draisine in 2013 to assist with maintenance. By August 2014, track clearance had reached Pico Truncado.
Additionally, UCA students developed a tourist train initiative called "Tren Deseado," receiving two passenger wagons and a locomotive from state-owned Ferrobaires for restoration purposes. The proposed service would operate along an 8 km stretch featuring six stops highlighting local attractions.
In October 2015, the Argentine Government announced plans to reopen the Puerto Deseado–Colonia Las Heras line, including refurbishing 285 km of track and renovating stations within an estimated timeframe of ninety days. Despite this announcement, no actual work was carried out.