Ferrocarriles Patagónicos

Ferrocarriles Patagónicos
Railcar by Ganz near Bariloche, 1945.
Overview
Type	Inter-city
Status	Company defunct; some lines active
Locale	Chubut Río Negro Santa Cruz
Operation
Opened	1908
Closed	1948; 69 years ago (1948)
Owner	Argentine State Railway
Technical
Track gauge	750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Route map

Ferrocarriles Patagónicos was an Argentine State-owned railway company that built and operated several rail lines in Patagonia region. FP were part of the Argentine State Railway created in 1909 during the presidency of José Figueroa Alcorta.

In 1900 two British-owned companies were operating railways in Patagonia; the Central Chubut metre gauge, 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge, line between Puerto Madryn and Trelew and the Buenos Aires Great Southern broad gauge line between Bahía Blanca and Neuquén. During the presidency of José Figueroa Alcorta, the Argentine government devised a plan in 1908 to populate Patagonia by constructing two additional broad gauge, 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm), railway lines in that part of the country. The first line one was to run from San Antonio Oeste, in Rio Negro Territory (later to become Rio Negro Province), via Valcheta to Nahuel Huapi Lake, and the second from Puerto Deseado via Colonia San Martín to a junction with the first line. The second line was to have branches to Comodoro Rivadavia, via Sarmiento, to Colonia 16 de Octubre and to Buenos Aires Lake.