Tren Estación Central - Chillan (previously known as EFE Chillán or TerraSur) is a Chilean Inter-city rail service, opened in 2001 between Santiago and Chillán, on the Chilean Central Valley. It is operated by the Trenes Regionales Terra S.A., a subsidiary of the Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE). Covering almost 400 km in less than 5 hours, it is the fastest public transportation between the two cities.
| Tren Estación Central - Chillan | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Tren Estación Central - Chillan in Chillán | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Santiago, Ñuble |
| Termini | |
| Service | |
| Type | Inter-city rail |
| Operator(s) | Trenes Metropolitanos S.A. |
| Rolling stock | UTS-444 series (601-610) 6 SFB-500 series |
| History | |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 397.6 km (247.06 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | Overhead catenary |
| Operating speed | 160 km/h (99 mph) |
Currently it is one of the only inter-city services that still operates in the country, (the other intercity rail service is the Alameda-Temuco train, a seasonal train) and is the fastest rail service in South America,[1] with an operational speed reaching 160 km/h.
Since June 2012, TerraSur has two daily services on each direction, between Santiago and Chillán, increasing to three on Mondays.
Upgrade
editIn 2019, EFE announced its intention to launch a tender for the supply of six new rolling stock units capable of maximum speeds of 160 km/h. These new vehicles, along with the automation and upgrade of 74 level crossings will allow a journey time of 2 hours 40 minutes for express services between Santiago and Chillán, with intermediate stops at San Bernardo, Rancagua and Talca, and will allow the service to meet the international definition of Higher-speed rail, making it the first in South America. Along with a standard service consisting of ten intermediate stops, EFE plans to operate 12 daily round trips.[2] The Electro-diesel trains are manufactured by CRRC Sifang. They consist of four cars and have 238 seats in one class.[3]
In April 2023, the government and EFE presented two of the six trains that will be incorporated into the fleet shortening the five-hour trip to three hours and 40 minutes.[4]
In January 20, 2024, Chilean authorities inaugurated the South American country's first high-speed train service initially connecting Santiago with Curicó in two hours and three minutes.[5] Four months later, the service was extended to Chillán.[6]
Rolling Stock
editTerraSur uses the Spanish made EMU UTS-444 series RENFE, that hold the driver's cabin and the pantograph, with one RENFE 10000 Series passenger coach in the middle of each convoy.
Accommodations
editThe trains consist of 2 types of accommodations;
- Coach Class (standard class) (reserved seating): Car with 74 passenger capacity, sliding seats, arranged in rows (2+2), with a central aisle, facing each other at the centre, in a way that 50% of the seats are arranged to be facing to the rear of the train.
- Business Class (first class) (reserved seating): Car with 35 passenger capacity, reclining booths to 140°, arranged in rows (2+1), with an aisle at the centre and facing each other, 50% of the seats are facing the front of the train and the other 50% are facing the rear of the train.
Stations
edit| Station | City | Distance (km) (from Alameda) |
Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda | Estación Central, Santiago | 0.0 | Santiago Metro:
|
| San Bernardo | San Bernardo, Santiago | 16.0 | Metrotrén Nos and Metrotrén Rancagua |
| Rancagua | Rancagua, O'Higgins | 81.8 | (none) |
| San Fernando | San Fernando, O'Higgins | 133.8 | (none) |
| Curicó | Curicó, Maule | 185.8 | (none) |
| Molina | Molina, Maule | 199.8 | (none) |
| Talca | Talca, Maule | 249.3 | Ramal Talca-Constitución
|
| San Javier | San Javier, Maule | 269.4 | (none) |
| Linares | Linares, Maule | 299.9 | (none) |
| Parral | Parral, Maule | 339.2 | (none) |
| San Carlos | San Carlos, Ñuble | 373.2 | (none) |
| Chillán | Chillán, Ñuble | 397.6 | (none) |
References
edit- ^ "Ticket sales begin for fastest train in South America: Find out how to get them -". Government of Chile. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Chile to upgrade Santiago – Chillán service". International Railway Journal. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Conoce el nuevo Tren" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ Laborde, Antonia (2023-04-26). "Why Chile is home to the fastest trains in South America". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Chile launches new fast train service". MercoPress. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ Medina, Ruth Cárcamo,Nicolás (2024-04-17). "Presidente Boric reinaugura tramo Santiago-Chillán: ¿Cuánto tiempo dura el viaje con los "trenes más rápidos de Sudamérica"?". ADN Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-20.
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