 | |
 TecnoTren railbus seen in Tecnopolis | |
| Type | S.A. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transport |
| Founded | 2009 [1] |
| Founder | Jorge Beritich [2] |
| Headquarters | El Talar, , |
| Products | Railbuses |
| Website | tecnotren.com |
TecnoTren is an Argentine manufacturer of railbuses. Its products are designed to be very low-cost vehicles intended for use in rural parts of the country where railway privatisation and the subsequent deterioration of the network left small rural villages isolated.
The TecnoTren units use readily available parts from the Argentine automotive industry, with the 1.7 litre engine being from a Fiat Duna, which doesn't necessarily have to be new. [3] This makes them extremely economical both in price per unit and with regards to its fuel consumption, as well as maintenance costs. [4] As a result, the railbuses are ideal for low-traffic rural lines while being easily adapted to the country's three primary track gauges. [5]
The light weight of the units, as well as their low maximum speed, also mean that they can be used on tracks in very poor condition, making them well suited to parts of the country which have no current plans for track replacement under the recent modernisation efforts following renationalisation. [6]
The TecnoTren is available in 1, 2, and 3 carriage configurations, all of which have disc brakes, automatic gearboxes, and a maximum range of 700 km. [4] All components of the railbus are disc brakes made in Argentina, with the exception of the engine, which is no longer in production. [7]
TecnoTren was established by Jorge Beritich, a former car body manufacturer that conceived and built a vehicle to run on abandoned railway tracks. Beritich designed a prototype named "Microtren" in 2003 but it could not be tested until 2007, when the microtren made short trips in General Mansilla (renamed "Bartolomé Bavio" by its inhabitants), one of the stations of the line that joined La Plata with Las Pipinas in the south-east of Buenos Aires Province. The line had been closed in 1978. [8]
Although Beritich died soon after the prototype was launched, the production of railbuses was continued by Tecnoporte, a factory in the El Talar district of Greater Buenos Aires. [8] The prototype was later modified and improved, resulting in the current TecnoTren. [9]
TecnoTren made its official debut in the Entre Ríos Province, running on the line from Paraná to Colonia Avellaneda since 2010 and being operated by the Unidad Ejecutora Ferroviaria de Entre Ríos (UEFER), a state-owned company of the province. The journey time was 40 minutes with 25 stops along the way. [2] In 2013, those services were transferred to the national company Trenes Argentinos, which runs the trains to the present day. [10]
In 2013, the TecnoTren railbuses inaugurated the 4,6 km-long University train of La Plata service running on Roca Railway tracks along the university campus, joining the La Plata terminus with the polyclinic. [11] They are also used in some specialist cases, such as for transport at the Tecnopolis exposition ground. [12]
It was also announced that TecnoTren is going to run in Santiago del Estero Province under the name "Tren del Desarrollo" on Mitre Railway tracks. The service (meant for tourists) will cross the Puente Negro through Río Dulce. [8]
Transport in Argentina is mainly based on a complex network of routes, crossed by relatively inexpensive long-distance buses and by cargo trucks. The country also has a number of national and international airports. The importance of the long-distance train is minor today, though in the past it was widely used and is now regaining momentum after the re-nationalisation of the country's commuter and freight networks. Fluvial transport is mostly used for cargo.
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed during the 1930s, railbuses have evolved into larger dimensions, with characteristics similar in appearance to a light railcar, with the terms railcar and railbus often used interchangeably. Railbuses designed for use specifically on little-used railway lines were commonly employed in countries such as Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
The Unidad Ejecutora del Plan Ferroviario Provincial (UEPFP) (in English: "Executive Unit of the Provincial Railway Plan"), mostly known under its trade name Ferrobaires, was a public railway company which operated extensive long-distance passenger trains throughout the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. The company was primarily owned and funded by the Buenos Aires provincial government led by Eduardo Duhalde. The name "Ferrobaires" is a combination of the Spanish words for "Rail Buenos Aires."
Federico Lacroze railway station is a passenger railway station in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is located in the city's outlying barrio (neighbourhood) of Chacarita in a predominantly residential area. It is just a short distance north of the Cementerio de la Chacarita, the city's largest cemetery. The station is named after Federico Lacroze, a prominent 19th century Argentine railway and transport pioneer who obtained the concession for building the Buenos Aires Central Railway in 1884. When the Argentine railway network was nationalised in 1948 the station became the Buenos Aires terminus for the lines that became part of the General Urquiza Railway (FCGU).
The General Roca Railway (FCGR) is a 5 ft 6 in broad gauge railway in Argentina which runs from Constitución station in Buenos Aires to the south of the country through the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Neuquén and Río Negro. It was also one of the six state-owned Argentine railway divisions formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948, being named after former president Julio Argentino Roca. The six companies were managed by Ferrocarriles Argentinos which was later broken up during the process of railway privatisation beginning in 1991 during Carlos Menem's presidency.
The General Urquiza Railway (FCGU), named after the Argentine general and politician Justo José de Urquiza, is a standard gauge railway of Argentina which runs approximately northwards from Buenos Aires to Posadas, with several branches in between. It was also one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948. The six companies were managed by Ferrocarriles Argentinos which was later broken up during the process of railway privatisation beginning in 1991 during Carlos Menem's presidency.
The Mitre line is an Argentine broad gauge commuter rail service in Buenos Aires Province and is part of the Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre division. The service is currently operated by the State-owned company Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado after the Government of Argentina rescinded its contract with Corredores Ferroviarios in March 2015.
The Roca line is a 1,676 mm gauge commuter rail service in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, part of General Roca Railway network. The service is currently operated by State-owned company Trenes Argentinos, from the city-centre terminus of Constitución south to Ezeiza, Alejandro Korn, La Plata, Cañuelas, Chascomús, Gutiérrez and Lobos, and west to Sarmiento Line's station Haedo. The transfer stations between the branch lines are Avellaneda, Temperley, Bosques and Berazategui.
The Belgrano Sur line is an Argentine 1,000 mmmetre gauge commuter rail service in the Greater Buenos Aires area, currently operated by state-owned enterprise Trenes Argentinos. The Belgrano Sur runs over tracks and through stations built by the Franco–Belgian-owned Compañía General de Buenos Aires and British Midland companies at the beginning of the 20th century.
Railway privatisation in Argentina was a process which began in 1993 under the presidency of Carlos Menem, following a series of neoliberal economic reforms. This primarily consisted of breaking up the state-owned railway company Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA) and allowing the former lines to be operated by private companies instead of the state. This policy was met with widespread criticism and proved catastrophic for the Argentine railways whose service worsened significantly in the years that followed, with entire lines closing and infrastructure deteriorating beyond repair. Privatisation was ultimately reversed in 2015 with the creation of Nuevos Ferrocarriles Argentinos.
The Argentine railway network consisted of a 47,000 km (29,204 mi) network at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in the world. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up in 1993 of Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA), the state railroad corporation. During the period following privatisation, private and provincial railway companies were created and resurrected some of the major passenger routes that FA once operated.
Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado (SOFSE), trading as Trenes Argentinos Operaciones, is an Argentine state-owned company created in 2008 to operate passenger services in Argentina. It is a subsidiary of Trenes Argentinos.
The University train of La Plata is a commuter rail service part of Roca Line, currently being operated by State-owned company Trenes Argentinos. Trains run within La Plata city of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina.
Chascomús is a railway station and bus terminus in the homonymous city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Construction began on his station in 1983 when Raúl Alfonsín was President of Argentina but works were interrupted and finally cancelled until they were resumed in 2014 and the station was finished and opened to public on December 19. Station's facilities and services include railway platforms, bus garages, accessible toilets and a coffeehouse.
Mar del Plata is a railway and bus terminus in the homonymous city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Opened in 2009 as a bus terminus only, the railway tracks from the old "Norte" station were extended to connect both terminals in 2011 by architect Claudio Luis Lucarelli, adding new platforms to receive trains from Buenos Aires.
Materfer is an Argentine manufacturer of railway and road vehicles, located in the city of Ferreyra in Córdoba Province. The company was established by Fiat Concord in the late 1950s, being its subsidiary until 1980 when Sevel Argentina took over Fiat vehicles.
The Posadas–Encarnación International Train is a 8 km (5.0 mi) commuter rail international service operated between Posadas in Argentina and Encarnación in Paraguay, running on the Urquiza Railway standard gauge tracks. The service was opened in January 2014.
Tren al Desarrollo is an elevated commuter rail service between the cities of Santiago del Estero and La Banda in Santiago del Estero Province. Trains run on 1,676 mm Mitre Railway tracks were disused. The line also crosses the Puente Negro, a bridge that had been closed for over 40 years.
The CMM 400-2 is a diesel multiple unit produced by Materfer in Córdoba Province, Argentina. The units are produced in Argentina's three primary track gauges and the standard gauge variants were the first to be produced for General Urquiza Railway services in Entre Ríos Province.
Divisadero de Pinamar is a railway station in General Madariaga Partido of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The station was opened in 1996 as an extension of the General Guido – General Madariaga branch of General Roca Railway.
| Local manufacturers |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Products | |||||
