Salta–Antofagasta railway
| Salta–Antofagasta railway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Antofagasta station building.
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| Overview | |||
| Other name(s) | Huaytiquina | ||
| Native name | Ramal Salta–Antofagasta | ||
| Type | Inter-city and Commuter | ||
| Status | Active | ||
| Locale | Argentina, Chile | ||
| Termini |
Salta, Argentina Antofagasta, Chile |
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| Line number | |||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 20 February 1948 | ||
| Owner | |||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 941 km (585 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||
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The Salta–Antofagasta railway, also named Huaytiquina, is a non-electrified single track railway line that links Argentina and Chile passing through the Andes. It is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge railway with a total length of 941 km (571 in Argentina and 330 in Chile), connecting the city of Salta (Argentina) to the one of Antofagasta (Chile), on the Pacific Ocean, passing through the Puna de Atacama and Atacama Desert.
The Argentine track (a brief portion -Salta-Cerrillos- of Ramal C-13, and mainly the Ramal C-14Cerrillos-Socompa) is part of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano and 217 km of it are served by a touristic train named Tren a las Nubes. The Chilean track (Socompa-Antofagasta) is part of the Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB). The "Huaytiquina", along with the Transandine (Mendoza-Los Andes to Santiago, closed since 1984 and pending reconstruction), represent the only railway links between the two countries.
With the highest point (La Polvorilla) at 4,220 metres (13,850 ft) amsl, the Huaytiquina is the fifth highest railway in the world and the third highest in South America.
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Wikipedia