Tren de la Costa

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Tren de la Costa
Locale	Greater Buenos Aires
Dates of operation	1995 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	San Isidro, Buenos Aires

The Tren de la Costa is a 15.5 km-long 11-station light rail line in Greater Buenos Aires, between Maipú station in the northern suburb of Olivos and Delta station in Tigre, on the Río de la Plata. It is primarily a tourist service.

The line is served by nine trains, each of two cars. Each train has a capacity of 200 passengers and travels at an average speed of 35 km/h. The journey time is 30 minutes, with a frequency of about 20 minutes.

The line opened in 1891-96 as part of the Tren del Bajo railway connecting the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Belgrano with the port of Tigre. It was electrified in 1931. In 1961 part of the system was abandoned and left to decay for 30 years. In 1990 plans were formulated for reopening the line and in 1992 the Tren de la Costa company was formed, part of the Sociedad Comercial del Plata. In 1994, the first train carried the President of Argentina and public services and the related commercial operations began in April 1995.

The Tren de la Costa

The line and its stations were designed to be of tourist as well as commuter value. Each station, seven of which are original stations refurbished in a thoughtful manner, has history and art displays, and the stations at Maipú, Libertador and San Isidro have substantial shopping areas. Borges station by the marina of Olivos is 'the station of the arts' and has an art café with open-air sculptures, and is next to the Juan Carlos Altavista Cinema, one of the oldest still operating in the world. Anchorena station is the 'Tango station' with a cultural centre, and Barrancas station hosts an antique fair. The route between Libertador and San Isidro has been adapted for use by walkers, joggers and cyclists. Delta station serves the Parque de la Costa, an amusement park, as well as Tigre's other important tourist destinations - the casino, crafts fair, riverside restaurants and boat trips.

The line has not been wholly successful and has seen a large drop in passenger numbers since its opening. In 1995 there were around 100,000 journeys each weekend, but by 2005 there were just 150,000 a month, a third of which are foreign tourists. There was a 3.1% drop from 2004 to 2005 and many of the shopfronts are empty, further compounding the financial problems of the company and compromising its attraction to tourists. The company approached the four municipalities served by the line for financial assistance, but was refused [1].