Tren de la Costa

Tren de la Costa
Background
Locale	Greater Buenos Aires
Transit type	Light rail
Number of stations	11
Daily ridership	2,500
Operation
Began operation	April 21, 1995
Operator(s)	Sociedad Comercial del Plata
Technical
System length	15.5 km (9.6 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Tren de la Costa

Tren de la Costa (Train of the Coast) is a suburban 15.5 km (9.6 mi), 11-station light rail line in Greater Buenos Aires, between Maipú Avenue station in the northern suburb of Olivos and Delta station in Tigre, on the Río de la Plata. The line connects directly to the Mitre line at Maipú–Bartolomé Mitre station for direct access to Retiro terminus in the centre of the city.

Tren de la Costa is served by nine two-car trains sets. Each train has a capacity of 200 passengers and travels at an average speed of 35 km/h. The journey time is 30 minutes, with a frequency of about 20 minutes.

History

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 reopening 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.

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.

Concept

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.

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 upturn did not reverse this trend, and ridership declined to around 70,000 a month by 2010.

Stations

• Maipú (Olivos)
  

  

  Train arriving at station
• Borges (Olivos)
• Libertador
• Anchorena
• Barrancas (San Isidro)
• San Isidro R (San Isidro)
• Punta Chica (Béccar)
• Marina Nueva
• San Fernando R (San Fernando)
• Canal
• Delta (Tigre)

External links

• Tren de la Costa official website
• Parque de la Costa official website
• Ride on Tren de la Costa up to Tigre
• Tren de la Costa | Buenos Aires | WCities Destination Guide
• Tram-Train Mulhouse