Line(s) Belgrano Owner Government of Argentina | Opened 1891 | |
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Location Gerónimo Cabrera 320, Córdoba
Argentina Owned by Government of Argentina Distance 700 km (430 mi) from Buenos Aires Train operators Trenes Argentinos (passenger)
Trenes Argentinos Cargas y Logística (freight) Address Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera 250, Alta Córdoba, X5000GVF Córdoba, Argentina Province Córdoba Province, Argentina Similar Estación Rodríguez del Busto, Córdoba Mitre railway st, Estacion Thea, Museum Emilio Caraffa, Museo de la Industria | ||
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Alta Córdoba is a railway station located in the Alta Córdoba neighborhood of Córdoba in the province of the same name, Argentina. The station is terminus of the Tren de las Sierras service operated by state-owned Trenes Argentinos. Likewise, another state company, Trenes Argentinos Cargas y Logística, operates freight services there.
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History
The station was originally built by the Córdoba North Western Railway that operated a line between the cities of Córdoba and Cruz del Eje, opening the first section in 1891. Nevertheless, the CNRW only operated until 1901 when it was acquired by the Córdoba Central Railway due to financial problems. The CCR continued services for a short period so in 1909 the line was definitely taken over by state-owned Argentine State Railway.
When the Juan Perón's administration nationalised the whole railway network in 1948, the CNR (and therefore the Alta Córdoba station) 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 led 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.
As part of a national railway privatisation plan, carried out under the presidency of Carlos Menem, a concession to operate the line was granted to local consortium Grupo Alcázar, which operated the line (also naming it Tren de las Sierras) from Córdoba to Capilla del Monte (100-km length) but services suddenly stopped in 2001. Three years later the Government of Córdoba revoked the contract of concession (by Provincial Decree n° 1274) blaming the concessionary for the bad conditions of the service and poor maintenance.
In 2007 the Province transferred the line to the National Government. On August 10, 2007, the service was partially re-opened, only between cities of Rodríguez del Busto and La Calera, with concession granted to private consortium Ferrocentral 2 the Alta Córdoba station with no services operating.
On June 22, 2009, Alta Córdoba was set up as terminus, but the concessionary decided to move terminus to Rodríguez del Busto due to people from poor neighborhoods around the station used to throw stones to the trains. In March 2015, this section of the railway was re-opened by the Minister of the Interior and Transport, Florencio Randazzo
With Alta Córdoba station virtually abandoned, the Municipality of Córdoba requested the National Government permission to move the City Council to the station building.
In September 2013 state-owned company Trenes Argentinos took over the Tren de las Sierras. In March 2015, Alta Córdoba was set up as terminus again.