Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado

Metrotrén in the Alameda Station (UT 440)

Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE) is the national railway of Chile.

Track gauge

The track gauge is Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) in the south and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge in the north.

History

The company was created on January 4, 1884 by means of the purchase of the companies that exploited the longitudinal routes and the Santiago – Valparaíso route. Since then, the company acquired the railways of the sodium nitrate mining companies in the north of Chile. From 1913 on the network of the EFE extends from Iquique to Puerto Montt. Apart from the company, Chilean Army also built a 60 kilometres (37 mi) small rail line, known to be Puente Alto-El Volcan Railway for Military purpose to safeguard from Argentina attacks, which were opened in 1914 and closed during 1985.^[1][2][3][4] (more translation from es:Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado#Historia to come)

A stable political and economic climate allowed EFE to complete its largest-ever investment programme in December 2005. This involved spending US$1bn in 2003-05 to increase capacity on commuter networks and improved long-distance services.^[5]

Railway Station, Quillota, Chile.

Subsidiaries

Passenger rail

• Metro Regional de Valparaíso (MERVAL S.A.): Commuter rail on the Valparaíso Region
  • Operates the Valparaíso Metro, the commuter service trains between Puerto Station in Valparaiso and Limache Station on the Valparaíso Region.
• Ferrocarriles Suburbanos de Concepción (Fesub Concepción S.A.): Commuter rail on the Biobío Region and Araucanía Region
  • Operates the Biotren, the commuter service trains between Talcahuano's Mercado Station and Hualqui, and from Concepción Station to "Lomas Coloradas" Station in San Pedro de La Paz on the Biobío Region.
  • Operates the Corto del Laja, the commuter service trains between Talcahuano and Laja, on the Biobío Region.
  • Operates the Regional Train Victoria - Temuco, the commuter service train on the Araucanía Region.
• Trenes Metropolitanos: Commuter rail between the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the O'Higgins Region.
  • Operates the Metrotrén, the commuter service trains between Santiago and San Fernando.
• Servicio de Trenes Regionales Terra: Inter-city rail between the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the Biobío Region.
  • Operates the TerraSur, the Inter-city rail service between Santiago and Chillán.
  • Operates the Regional Train Constitution-Talca Ramal between Constitución and Talca, in the Maule Region

Freight services

High above Tocopilla, Chile, one of SQMs Boxcabs coasts downhill to the Reverso switchback.

• Ferrocarril del Pacífico (FEPASA): Cargo between the Valparaíso Region and the Los Lagos Region.
• Transporte Ferroviario Andrés Pirazolli (TRANSAP): Cargo on the Santiago Metropolitan Region, O'Higgins Region and the Biobío Region.
• Ferronor: Metre gauge cargo line in the northern part of the country
• Ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz

Special tourist services

• Tren de la Araucanía

Rail links with adjacent countries

• Bolivia - same gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) - from Arica to La Paz, Bolivia and from Antofagasta to Uyuni, Bolivia
• Argentina - Transandine Railway - abandoned 1984 – 100 km of mountain railway of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) gauge with rack railway sections - break of gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)/1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) at either end. Concession planned to re-open line.^[5][6]
• Another line connecting two countries is the Salta-Antofagasta, single 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) gauge.
• Peru - a single 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge connection between the northern Chilean city of Arica and Tacna in Southern Peru. The line closed in 2012, but As of June 2014, there were plans to reopen it.^[7]

See also

• Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia
• Transportation in Chile
• Santiago Metro

References

1. "Historia del Ferrocarril en Chile" de Ian Thomson y Dietrich Angerstein, DIBAM, 2000.
2. Article "Trenes de Ciudad" by Marco Sandoval O., Magazine "En Tren" nº 9, ACCPF, 2001
3. "Reglamento Interno del Ferrocarril Militar de Puente Alto al Volcán", Instituto Geográfico Militar, 1934
4. Apuntes de la Historia del Ferrocarril de Puente Alto a El Volcán, de Gonzalo Iglesias
5. John Kolodziejski (April 1, 2006). "Record investment boosts EFE's passenger business". Railway Gazette International. London.
6. Thomas Salt (April 1, 2006). "Automation gets the most out of mining railway infrastructure". Railway Gazette International. London.
7. "Tacna – Arica reopening studies". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 3 July 2014.

External links

• EFE official website (in Spanish)