Arica–La Paz railway
| Arica–La Paz railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Locale | Chile, Bolivia |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Closed | 2005 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 440 km (273 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Single track with passing loops |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge |
| Highest elevation | 4,257 m (13,967 ft) |
The Arica–La Paz railway or Ferrocarril de Arica–La Paz (FCALP) was built by the Chilean government under the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904 between Chile and Bolivia. The railway line was inaugurated on 13 May 1913 and is the shortest line from the Pacific Coast to Bolivia. It is 440 km (273 mi) long, of which 233 km (145 mi) is in Bolivian territory. The Railway is meter gauged. However, until 1968, it was rack worked over a 43 km section, on the Chilean side, between Central and Puquios. The line reaches a height of 4257 meters above sea level at General Lagos. The Chile - Bolivia border is crossed between the stations of Visviri and Charaña. When the railway is in operation, it is used for the export of Bolivian minerals and some agricultural production as well as the import of merchandise into Bolivia.
Construction was started by the Chilean Sindicato de Obras Públicas, then continued under direct Chilean government supervision and was completed by the British company Sir John Jackson (Chile) Ltd., which carried out the major part of the work. It has 7 tunnels.
The length of the Arica–La Paz railway is shorter than the other two alternatives:
Apart from some 18 months in 2001 and 2002, when the line was cut by damage to bridges, the railway was in service until 2005 when the company operating it filed for bankruptcy. Between 2010 and 2012, the contractor Comsa, hired by the Arica port authority EPA, rehabilitated the infrastructure and removed soil contaminated by lead and other mineral residues from land surrounding the railway in Arica, especially in the Chinchorro freight yard. Work undertaken by Comsa has included laying 67 km of rail on 73 000 timber sleepers to enable freight trains to operate at up to 40 km/h. The total cost of the rehabilitation was estimated at $US 45m. By the Railway´s centenary, i.e.13 May 2013, the line was in operational order all the way up to the frontier with Bolivia; the Bolivian section had remained in a serviceable condition, being used by a local rail-bus service. Trial trains have been run over the line.
It is not clear when the Arica–La Paz railway may reopen to regular train services. The passenger service closed in 1996 due to a lack of demand and trucks rather than trains carry most of the cargo traffic along paved highways. Political relations between Chile and Bolivia are poor.
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