A CSR electric multiple unit that runs the line.
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Overview | |
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Service type | Commuter rail |
Status | Active |
Locale | Buenos Aires Province |
Predecessor | BA Western Railway |
First service | 1948 |
Current operator(s) | SOFSE |
Former operator(s) | TBA |
Ridership | 39,664,000 (2014) |
Website | Sarmiento Line |
Route | |
Start | Once |
Stops | 40 |
End |
Moreno Lobos Mercedes |
Distance travelled | 174 km |
Average journey time |
List
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Service frequency |
List
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Technical | |
CSR EMUs | |
Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
Electrification |
Third rail 800 V (DC) |
Track owner(s) | Government of Argentina |
The Sarmiento line is a broad gauge commuter rail service in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, run by the state-owned Trenes Argentinos since 11 Sep 2013.
This line had previously been run by the state-owned company Ferrocarriles Argentinos since nationalisation of the Argentine railways in 1948. FA operated the trains until 1991 when residual company FEMESA temporarily took over all the urban services prior to be privatized. After the Government of Carlos Menem privatized the urban railways services private company Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA) took over Mitre Line.
TBA operated the line until the 2012 Once station rail disaster happened. As a result, the National Government revoked the concession granted to TBA and gave the Mitre and Sarmiento to UGOMS, that operated the line until 2014 when it was re-privatised and given under concession to "Corredores Ferroviarios S.A."
In 2014 the Government announced the acquisition of new trains to replace the existing Sarmiento Line rolling stock. The cars were manufactured by Chinese company CSR Corporation Limited, with the first arriving in June 2014. The incorporation of the rolling stock was also accompanied by the replacement of rails between Once and Moreno.
During 2015 a series of improvement works were conducted and completed on the line. These included remodelling stations, new signaling and other infrastructure improvements such as replacing track and third rail segments, as well as the refurbishing of workshops. The works, which also included the installation of a communications-based train control system, meant that the line was closed on Sundays from February to June of that year on its electrified segment, with replacement bus services operating during that time.