Argentina & Trains, a love story…

Argentinean Trains, a love story…



By the end of the 19th century Argentina was one of the world’s most important grain and meat producers. Many said back then that this was a gifted country, that God had given us a great opportunity, because of the fertile of our lands, and the appealing of our culture to immigrants, this would be an outstanding place if we could handle one little disadvantage: distances. Located in the southern part of the southern hemisphere, Argentina is the second biggest country in Latin America after the immense Brazil. Our national territory runs from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean, from the warmth north at the Capricorn’s tropic to the last stop before that long journey to the Antarctic, Tierra del Fuego, throughout all those 3,761,274 square kilometers this amazing land offers all weathers’ variations expressed in one eclectic geography.

Just by looking at a map, it appears very evident the importance of communications to this country. Back then, when telephones, cars, planes, email and videophone didn’t exist, trains and ships were indispensable to every nation in progress.

Looking back in time, re reading our history in this code, 1857 was a key year to our history, may be as important as 1810 –the year of our independence-, because it was then when, for the first time, Argentina began to trace it railway system, within the province of Buenos Aires, the rails connected 10 km, nowadays one can walk over those lines traced by our forefathers that began in what nowadays is our national Opera House, Teatro Colón, and went all the way to the neighborhood of Floresta, some 20 minutes car ride.

Only 29 years latter, there were trains all along the country, that connected more than 5826 km. This was the beginning of the nations’ growth in terms of society and economy. All those trains were not produced locally, they came from Great Britain with which we had a fluent commercial relationship. However the management of those lines was indeed run by Argentineans. This rapidly changed. As the grain and meat exportation grew, and more and more trains connected the country, the necessary inversion and maintains escalated. So, many British began to see with good eyes management possibilities in Argentina, they seemed to foresee a brighter future that local businessmen. And they were absolutely right. During the last years of the 19th century all our national rails system was being managed by British capitals. Apart of the evident influences in the trace of the rails all through the country –British engineers were the top of the top at that time and did an amazing job that still remains to our days, eg. The main train service that connects the northern part of the city to the outskirts in the north of the Grater Buenos Aires are very nearby the river, and although it too governmental authorities many years to avoid those areas from flooding every time the Rio de la Plata tide comes up, the rails have never been flooded, ever!- the British companies left also very important trade marks in every station they built, perfect examples of this are the Retiro and Constitución main train terminals in the city of Buenos Aires. Their architectual style very much reminds us to Victoria Station in London, as well as many other important British buildings, with impressive domes, and excellent use of light and windows all through the place, as well as very elaborated steel works.

When tracing the rail system, the most important matter to take into consideration was that of production, and the need to arrive to port areas. So that was the main interest while constructing them, all productive centers were connected to Buenos Aires, from which those products would be shipped to other countries world wide.

After the huge economic crisis of the 1930s, British capitals decided the business was becoming more and more unstable and began to transfer their trains to the Argentinean State, this process would only be completed during the government of Juan Domingo Perón by the end of the 40s.

It was also back then when, because of the economic crisis, businessmen began to look for more efficient ways of powering, diesel engines were the solution to that big crisis.

The boom of automobiles began in the mid 40s in Argentina. Therefore many unproductive areas that had been connected by trains, were left aside, and the rails were converted into roads, highways and routs.

As the car/trucks industry evolved, trains were more and more left aside. During the 1990s, under Menem’s presidency all the Argentinean rail system was managed once again by private companies, who took control of very unstable companies and put them back to work.

Nowadays, the government is working very hard to put back into life those 19th century rails, many of which are no longer integrated to products transportation but are a great input for tourism, for they appear to all travelers (locals and foreigners) as a great way to travel around for not much money and enjoy one amazing train trip through a variety of geographies and weathers with the necessary comfort and speed.



There’s no doubt there have been ups and downs in the history of trains in Argentina, at the same time, this has been for a long time the best rail system of Latin America, and has offered both productors –the best possible way to export and transport their products- as well as those adventurous travelers who wish to experience the world, the possibility of witnessing many of Nature’s gifts such as seeing the Patagonian glaciars, entering rain forest in the National Park of Iguazú, a ride through the clouds in the northen Jujuy and of course travelling by train to the end of the world: Ushuaia. These trains have help us build our nation, put us in contact with those far way beloved ones and touched our hearts and souls in amazing journeys through this wonderful lands, all of which many grateful artists have portrayed in songs, paintings and stories. When visiting our country this travelling experience is a must!