Tren de la Costa

A wonderful day trip out of the city centre is to take the "Tren de la costa" to Tigre.   For a fee of $16 (pesos) one way you can enjoy the river route that travels along and stops at all the 'old' stations en-route.  One trip I did recently was out to San Fernando to sample the newly established organic weekend market.

A little history about the line.....

The line was developed during the period between 1891 and 1896 as part of the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway (BA&R) connecting Coghlan junction in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Belgrano with the port of Tigre and was known as the Tren del Bajo. The line served as an alternative route to Tigre already served by the Buenos Aires Northern Railway. The line was later absorbed by the Central Argentine Railway when this company took over the (BA&R) in 1908. It was electrified in 1931, nationalised in 1948 when it became part of F.C. Mitre; but in 1961 part of the system was abandoned and left to decay for 30 years.

In 1990 plans were formulated for re-opening the line and with railway privatisation in 1992, the Tren de la Costa company (part of Sociedad Comercial del Plata, controlled by local businessman Santiago Soldati) was formed to take over the concession for the service.

Organic herbs for sale at San Fernando Station

The track was converted from 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) Standard gauge, and electrified in 1994. Public services and the related commercial operations began in April 1995, and the maiden ride, on April 21, was shared by Soldati, company and government officials, and President Carlos Menem.

The line and its stations offer various forms of entertainment and enjoyment for both adults and children and is used by both tourists and commuters. Each station, seven of which are original stations refurbished, has history and art displays, and the stations at Maipú Avenue (Vicente López), Avenida del Libertador (Olivos), and San Isidro have substantial shopping areas. Borges Station, by the Olivos marina, is 'the station of the arts' and has an art café with open-air sculptures. Located nearby is the Juan Carlos Altavista Cinema, one of the oldest still operating in the world. Anchorena station is the 'Tango station' with a cultural centre, and Barrancas station hosts an antiques fair.  Recently, the station at San Fernando hosts an organic food market every weekend.

The Collectibles Fair at Barrancas Station

The route between Libertador and San Isidro has been adapted for use by walkers, joggers and cyclists. Delta station serves the Parque de la Costa, an amusement park, as well as Tigre's other important tourist attractions including the casino, a crafts fair, riverside restaurants and boat trips.

The line has not been wholly successful and has seen a large drop in passenger numbers since its opening in 1995. Around 100,000 journeys were made each weekend initially; but, by 2005 there were just 150,000 a month, a third of which were foreign tourists. The coinciding economic downturn has resulted in ridership declining to around 70,000 a month by 2010.

 The story of this railway line is indicative of what is happening in Argentina today, the deterioration of everything due to lack of maintenance and upkeep.  A country that at one time had one of the top economies in the world is now regarded as just another corrupt, run down,  South American under-developed country!!