Tranvía del Este

Tranvía del Este

Tram in Puerto Madero, 2009.
Overview
Service type Light rail
Status Inactive
Locale Buenos Aires
First service 14 July 2007
Last service October 10, 2012 (2012-10-10) [1]
Current operator(s) Ferrovías
Annual ridership 102,000 (2012) [2]
Website tranviadeleste.com.ar
Route
Start Córdoba
Stops 4
End Independencia
Distance travelled 2 km (1.2 mi)
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification Catenary
Track owner(s) Government of Argentina

The Tranvía del Este, also known as the Puerto Madero Tramway, was a 12-block "demonstration" tram line in the Puerto Madero neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in operation from 2007 to 2012. It used French-built Citadis 302 trams on loan, initially from Mulhouse, France, and later from Madrid, Spain, and was operated by the rail company Ferrovías.

History

With construction of the first section completed,[3] the line was inaugurated on July 14, 2007. Initially, the service was provided by two Citadis 302 model vehicles, manufactured by the French [4] company Alstom, built for the Mulhouse tramway, in France, and temporarily loaned to Buenos Aires. Carrying Mulhouse numbers 04 and 05, the vehicles were double-ended, bi-directional, low-floor, four-section units, each section having 48 fixed seats, another 16 folding seats and standing room for a total of 300 passengers for the whole car. The vehicles, locally known by the name Celeris, ran on an exclusive right-of-way for 2 km (1.2 mi) parallel to Avenida Alicia Moreau de Justo, from Avenida Córdoba to Avenida Independencia. After Mulhouse requested the return of the two trams it loaned, those cars left Buenos Aires in 2008. Replacing them on the Tranvía del Este was another tram of the same type, but loaned from Madrid, Spain, where it was number 153 (a number it also used in Buenos Aires) in the fleet of the Metro Ligero de Madrid light rail system.[5]

The Mulhouse and Madrid trams both wore the paint schemes of their home systems while in Buenos Aires.

Trams ran from Monday through Saturday from 8:00 until 23:20, and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00 until 22:00, every 15 minutes. For tickets there were two Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) installed at each station and guards with portable vending machines were also available. Tickets cost ARS 1.00 (around US$0.26).

Extensions were planned, of 2 km to Retiro railway station and the Intercity Bus Terminal and of 5.2 km from the then-existing terminus at Independencia to Caminito in La Boca.[6]

However, the extension plans did not proceed. By 2012, the scheduled headway was 40 minutes, using one car, and ridership on the line declined to a very low level. In October 2012, the only unit that served the line was broken down therefore services had to be cancelled indefinitely.[7] It was decided to close the line, and 10 October 2012 was the last day of service.[1]

In January 2013, the Government of Argentina transferred the Buenos Aires Metro lines to the Government of Buenos Aires autonomous city, including the Tranvía del Este among its services.[8][9][10]

In May 2013, the defective car still remained, abandoned, in Independencia station.[8]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Tramways & Urban Transit, January 2013, p. 29. UK: LRTA Publishing.
  2. ↑ Estadísticas del transporte ferroviario - Total 2014, CNRT website - Ministry of Transport
  3. ↑ Rocha, Laura (2007). "Comenzaron las obras para el tranvía de Puerto Madero". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  4. ↑ Atta, Carlos (2008). "Francia quiere una red de tranvías en Buenos Aires". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  5. ↑ Tramways & Urban Transit, January 2009, p. 27. UK: LRTA Publishing.
  6. ↑ Rossi, Antonio (2008). "El Tranvía de Puerto Madero será ampliado de Retiro a la Boca". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  7. ↑ "El tranvía de Puerto Madero está a la deriva", Infobae, 9 Jan 2013
  8. 1 2 "El tren de Puerto Madero, ocho meses sin servicio y un futuro incierto", El Cronista, 23 May 2013
  9. ↑ "Es ley el traspaso del subte de la órbita nacional a la porteña", La Nación, 20 Dec 2012
  10. ↑ "La Legislatura aprobó el traspaso del subte", Página/12, 20 Dec 2012

External links

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