Tren al Desarrollo (in English: "Train to Development") is an elevated commuter rail service between the cities of Santiago del Estero (from the "Forum" station) and La Banda (with also a new building) in Santiago del Estero Province. Trains run on a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge track on a viaduct generally following the former Mitre Railway alignment. The line also crosses the Puente Negro, a bridge that had been closed for over 40 years.[2]
 | |
 La Banda Trenos Argentinos station, near the terminus of the line. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Commuter rail |
| Status | Active |
| Locale | Santiago del Estero |
| First service | September 19, 2016 |
| Current operator(s) | Government of Santiago del Estero |
| Former operator(s) | Ferrocarriles Argentinos |
| Route | |
| Termini | Santiago del Estero La Banda |
| Stops | 4 |
| Distance travelled | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
| Average journey time | 25 min |
| Service frequency | 30 min [1] |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Unique |
| Seating arrangements | Yes |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) |
| Track owner(s) | Government of Argentina |
In the beginning, the project only planned a 4 km-long line, then extended to 8 km. length to reach La Banda.[3][4]
The rolling stock used is railbuses made by Argentine company TecnoTren.[5] Each unit has a capacity of 100 passengers (70 seated). The journey time is about 25 minutes.[6] Santiago Centro terminus station was inaugurated in May 2015.[7]
Thr route has a total of four stations, with three of them having been specially built for the occasion, Forum (terminus), Botánico (with access to the botanical garden and Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades), and Nodo Tecnológico (in the industrial park of the city). The path finishes in La Banda, which was refurbished for that purpose.[8] The total path from Forum to Banda stations is a 5,10 metre-high viaduct to avoid interfering with road traffic.[9][10]
In September 2016, the first section of 4-km length (from Santiago to Nodo Tecnológico) was inaugurated. The next section of La Banda was opened in March 2017.[11]
There were also plans to reach Termas de Río Hondo, one of the main attractions of the Province,[12] and another extension to San Miguel de Tucumán,[13] although it has not been carried out.
References
edit- ^ "Mirá los horarios en los que puedes viajar en el Tren al Desarrollo a Tecnópolis", Nuevo Diario, 20 Sep 2016
- ^ "Tren al Desarrollo, obra pronto a ser inaugurada", SDE Government
- ^ "Randazzo visitó la futura estación del "Tren al Desarrollo" en Santiago del Estero", Telam, 17 Jun 2014
- ^ "Randazzo visitó la futura estación del "Tren al Desarrollo", en Santiago del Estero", La Gaceta, 18 Jun 2014
- ^ "Santiago del Estero: La estación Fórum del Tren del Desarrollo impacta por su diseño" on Crónica Ferroviaria, 11 May 2015
- ^ "Iniciarán pruebas del Tren al Desarrollo en la estación Fórum", El Liberal, 12 May 2015
- ^ "La gobernadora y Randazzo inauguraron el Tren al Desarrollo", Government of Santiago del Estero, 14 May 2015
- ^ "Difunden cómo será el Tren al Desarrollo que tendrá Santiago del Estero", Noroeste Santafesino website
- ^ "Visita oficial al Tren del Desarrollo", Rieles.com, 13 May 2015
- ^ "En un año estaría concluido y listo para inaugurar Tren al Desarrollo", Nuevo Diario web, 13 May 2015
- ^ "Claudia de Zamora inauguró el primer tramo del Tren al Desarrollo", El Liberal, 19 Sep 2016
- ^ "El tren al desarrollo unirá Santiago, Banda y Las Termas", El Liberal, 18 Jun 2014
- ^ "El Tren al Desarrollo unirá Santiago del Estero y Tucumán", Cadena3, 20 Jun 2014
External links
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