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Tren del Valle

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Tren del Valle
Train crossing a bridge in July 2015
Overview
Service typeCommuter rail
StatusActive
LocaleRío Negro
Neuquén
First service21 July 2015; 9 years ago (2015-07-21)[1]
Current operator(s)Trenes Argentinos[2]
Former operator(s)BA Great Southern (1901-48)
Ferrocarriles Argentinos (1948-93)
Ridership1,500 per day [3]
Websitetrenesargentinos/regionalneuquen
Route
TerminiPlottier
Cipolletti
Distance travelled10 km (6.2 mi)
Average journey time25 minutes[4]
Service frequency10 services a day[4]
Line(s) usedRoca
On-board services
Class(es)Unique
Technical
Rolling stockMaterfer CMM 400-2
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

Tren del Valle is a 10 km (6.2 mi) commuter rail service that connects cities of Plottier, Neuquén and Cipolletti, in the Río Negro and Neuquén Provinces of Argentina, running on Roca Railway tracks. In a future stage, the line could be extended west to Senillosa and east to General Roca.[5]

The Tren del Valle is named after "Alto valle del Río Negro", a valley located at the north west of Río Negro Province, crossing cities of General Roca, Cipolletti, Villa Regina, Cinco Saltos, among others. It extends from the confluence of Limay and Neuquén rivers to Chichinales.[6] The region is about 52,000 m2 (560,000 sq ft) in size, and is also notable for its production of apples as well as its vast Vaca Muerta oil field, whose freight lines will share some tracks with the Tren del Valle.[7][8][9]

The service, after preliminary tests,[9][10] was opened on 21 July 2015,[1] being operated by state-owned Trenes Argentinos.[2]

In 2022[11] two new stops opened at the Neuquén Bus Terminal and the Neuquén Presidente Perón Airport.

History

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Bridge over the Neuquén River, 1902
The Neuquén station in 1913

The railway was originally built and operated by British-owned Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, that reached the city of Zapala in 1908, expanding its network to 6,082 km (3,779 mi) by then. After the railways were nationalised in 1948, the BAGSR became part of General Roca Railway, one of the six divisions of recently created state-owned Ferrocarriles Argentinos.

In 2014, several railway projects were approved for the Río Negro and Neuquén provinces to reactivate passenger services in the region, they were Estrella del Valle, Tren del Valle, and Tren del Dique, running on Roca Railway tracks. The first step of the project will be to open the "Tren del Valle" that will connect cities of Neuquén (of the homonymous province) and Cipolletti in Río Negro Province.[12] Rolling stock used will be provided by local company Materfer, that was committed to build 20 CMM 400-2 railcars to run on the line. There is no time limit for the reopening.[13]

Works for the reopening included repair of the bridge that crosses the river and the remodelling of Neuquén station,[14] a part of the installation of six warning devices on six level crossings along the route.[10]

During the first days of July 2015, the train made its first preliminary tests, running between both cities before being officially inaugurated on 20 of July.[15] The first expansion was made in 2021 to the city of Plottier, around 15 km west of Neuquén.[16]

Other projects plan to extend the service to the end of the valley, reaching cities such as Senillosa and Chichinales.[17]

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  • A CMM 400-2 railcar by Materfer
    A CMM 400-2 railcar by Materfer
  • Train at Cipolleti
    Train at Cipolleti
  • Train running on the Neuquén River bridge
    Train running on the Neuquén River bridge
  • A train in Neuquén station, 2015
    A train in Neuquén station, 2015

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Cristina Kirchner inaugurará el tren interurbano que unirá Neuquén con Cipolletti". Minuto Uno (in Spanish). 21 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b Ministry of Transport (16 July 2015). "Resolución 1281/2015". Official Bulletin (in Spanish).
  3. ^ "Pocos usan el tren, que depende de la ayuda del Estado" by Ana Laura Calducci, La Mañana de Neuquén, 21 Feb 2016
  4. ^ a b "Nuevo tren: el primer viaje saldrá desde Cipolletti a las 6:15". LMNeuquén (in Spanish). 13 July 2015.
  5. ^ "El Tren del Valle se extenderá desde Roca hasta Senillosa" (in Spanish). 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Alto Valle". Edu.ar (in Spanish).
  7. ^ "Valle de Río Negro". Argentour (in Spanish).
  8. ^ "La ruta de la manzana". Patagonia.com.ar (in Spanish).
  9. ^ a b "Randazzo anunció que el tren del valle entre Cipolletti y Neuquén comenzará a funcionar el 20 de julio". Télam (in Spanish). 2 June 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Preparan todo para el regreso del tren". La Mañana (in Spanish). 17 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Los horarios de las nuevas paradas del Tren del Valle en el aeropuerto de Neuquén y la terminal de colectivos". Diario Rio Negro (in Spanish). 11 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Con el aval de Nación, avanza la reactivación del Tren del Valle". Rieles (in Spanish). 19 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Randazzo visitó, junto a Accastello, la planta de Materfer donde supervisó la construcción de los trenes para Neuquén y Cipolletti". Ministry of Transport of Argentina (in Spanish). 22 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Comenzaron las obras para la llegada del Tren del Valle". www.noticiasnet.com.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Finalizaron las primeras pruebas del tren 0Km que unirá Neuquén y Cipolletti". Prensa Argentina (in Spanish). 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015.
  16. ^ "Después de 28 años el tren vuelve a Plottier". Argentina's Official Site (in Spanish). 19 March 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Proponen ampliar servicio del tren del Alto Valle". ADN Rio Negro (in Spanish). 10 April 2015.
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