Tren de las Sierras

Tren de las Sierras

A train unit in Cosquín, 2009.
Overview
Service type	Regional
Status	Active
Locale	Córdoba Province (Argentina)
First service	1889-1977, 1993-2001 (Last reactivated in 2007; 10 years ago (2007))
Current operator(s)	Trenes Argentinos
Former operator(s)	Ferrocentral
Route
Start	Alta Córdoba
End	Cosquín
Distance travelled	150,8 km.
Service frequency	Daily
Line used	General Belgrano Railway (A-1 branch)
Technical
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Track owner(s)	Government of Argentina
Route map

Route map

Tren de las Sierras (technically known as the "A-1" branch of the General Belgrano Railway) is a regional 150.8 km (93.7 mi) regional rail line in Córdoba Province of Argentina. The line runs from Alta Córdoba to Cosquín, being currently operated by state-owned company Trenes Argentinos.

The rail line was opened on July 2, 1889 to carry both, freight and passengers from Córdoba to Cruz del Eje, operated by British-owned company Córdoba North Western Railway. In 1901 it was taken over by Córdoba Central Railway which operated the branch until 1909 when the company was acquired by the Argentine State Railway.

When the Juan Perón's administration nationalised the whole railway network in 1948, the CNR became part of General Belgrano Railway, one of the six divisions of recently formed Ferrocarriles Argentinos.

By the 1960s the line had its golden age when it carried a big amount of passengers of Valle de Punilla, as well as tourists coming from the cities of Córdoba, Rosario and Buenos Aires at attractive prices. Nevertheless, the railway was closed in 1977. When the Government of Argentina leadered by Carlos Menem privatized all the railway lines in the early 1990s, the Córdoba-Cruz del Eje line was transferred to Córdoba Province. The Government of Córdoba stated that they could not finance the service.