Status Active | ||
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First service January 11, 2016; 14 months ago (2016-01-11) Former operator(s) Ferrocarriles Argentinos | ||
The Santa Fe Urban Train (in Spanish: "Tren Urbano de Santa Fe") is 3.7 km (2.3 mi) commuter rail serving the metropolitan area of Santa Fe city in Argentina. It has 8 stops, extending from El Molino to Don Bosco stations, running on the Belgrano Railway Ramal F tracks at a speed of 40 km/h (25 mph).
The Tren Urbano complements other forms of public transportation on the city such as buses and cycling. Rolling stock are railbuses by local manufacturer TecnoTren and already used in the University train of La Plata.
History
The first project of an urban railway had been featured in 2010, with two routes suggested, the first connecting Guadalupe station with the port of Santa Fe and the second joining both stations, Belgrano and Mitre railways. The project also planned an estimated journey time of 30 minutes and a frequency of one service per hour. The train only would run during the day because tracks were used by freight services (currently operated by Trenes Argentinos Cargas y Logística) by night.
Due to the Government of Argentina did not approve the original project, the provincial government had to change it to a shorter path running on tracks not used by freight concessionaires. That was the main condition required by the Nation to allow passenger trains running in the city.
Therefore, the route was set from former Molino Franchino (a former flour mill, currently an exhibition centre named "El Molino Fábrica Cultural") in the corner of Pedro Vittori and Boulevard Gálvez, where a bus stop already existed, remodeling it to make connections with train and cycling transport. Initial costs of the works were estimated at A$ 8 million. Departing from Molino Franchino, the train will run to the north, crossing Parque Federal, Puente Negro and finishing in Esquina Encendida (with a new station named "Don Bosco"), on the corner of Zeballos and Zuviría streets.
Works also included the construction of the intermediate stops, segregated cycle facilities along the way, the installation of traffic lights in all the level crossings. and the reconditioning of the existing tracks. The total costs of the works increased to over A$25 million.
By July 2015, all the electronic warning devives had been installed in the 22 level crossings of the line.
The service was put into operation on January 11, 2016, but it only run for three days because of a motor breakdown. The service continued undefinitely interrumpted since February to July 2016, when it was put into operation again.