Belgrano Railway | |||
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Overview | |||
Status | Active | ||
Owner | Government of Argentina | ||
Locale | Argentina | ||
Termini | |||
Stations | |||
Service | |||
Type | Commuter rail Regional rail | ||
Operator(s) | Ferrovías (Norte line) Trenes Argentinos (Sur line and regional services) Belgrano Cargas (Freight) | ||
History | |||
Opened | 1948 | ||
Technical | |||
Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||
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The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge railway and the longest of the Argentine system. It was one of the six State-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948.
Retiro station is the railway's terminus in Buenos Aires, from which the railway runs to many provinces in the Centre and North of Argentina, such as Santa Fe, Córdoba, Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Salta and Jujuy.[1]
In the metropolitan section of the city of Buenos Aires, Ferrocarril Belgrano is divided into two lines, Belgrano Norte and Belgrano Sur, currently operated by Private company Ferrovías and state-owned company Trenes Argentinos Operaciones respectively.
Passenger trains of Norte Line are only run to Villa Rosa in Pilar Partido. From then on, freight services run to the rest of the network, operated by State-owned company Belgrano Cargas. Some short-distance passenger services are also operated by another State company, Trenes Argentinos Operadora Ferroviaria, in Chaco Province.[2][3][4][5]
Ferrocarril Belgrano ran passenger services to La Quiaca and even to Bolivia although those branches were closed in the 1980s or early 1990s. There are projects to run passenger services between La Quiaca and San Salvador de Jujuy, both cities in Jujuy Province.
The main lines departed from Retiro station in Buenos Aires to the north through the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Chaco, Formosa, Salta, Jujuy, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja and Catamarca.