The Transandine railway – the first and now lost international railway of South America.
Railway systems are largely underdeveloped in the entirety of South America for various reasons, one of the main factors being finances. With road travel becoming more and more popular it was difficult for many countries to keep up with the cost of building and maintaining both railways and roads.
History of the Transandine Railway
The first train line in South America was built in Peru in 1849 connecting the capital city of Lima with its main port. But the first international railway in south America was built right here connecting Mendoza in Argentina with Santa Rosa de Los Andes in Chile.
The 248 km railway started construction in the 1870’s and opened in 1910 but only ran for 74 years with several temporary closers before finally closing on 1984. The railway was built to provide a fast and efficient connection between the atlantic and pacific coasts of south america, just as the Panama Canal will later do.
Though the Panamá Canal didn’t have much of an effect on the railway when it opened in 1914, it did shrink any further chances of using the route in connection with Chiles trading relationship with Europe.
The Transandine railway runs through the Andes mountains and passes the highest peak in south America, Aconcagua, standing at nearly 7,000ft above sea level. Which was not only a costly pursuit but one of great engineering and architecture to cross such a rugged terrain.
Through out the years the railway suffered many major setbacks including avalanches that destroyed the tracks and a worldwide economic recession causing traffic to plummet. From 37,500 tons in 1930 to 5,600 tons in 1932, just two years later, the Transandine was forced to close for 9 months.
Purpose of the Transandine
The railway wasn’t solely used for International travel and with the high freight rates charged on the Argentinian section of the railway meant traffic there chose to travel by road instead. Between 1920 and 1922 the Railway earnt 50% more from passengers wanting to avoid a long and arduous journey via the Magellan Straight or the perilous mountain pass that it did for its initial freight purpose.
International traffic on the railway between Argentina and Chile did peak once again in the late 1960’s due to a shortage of cement in Argentina. However with the improvement of Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, the railway suffered greatly. A once dangerous single track gravel mountain pass snaking through the Andes connecting the two countries was paved and widened to accommodate safer passage and more frequent use. The paving of this road was detrimental to the Transandine, with trucks on the road carrying 1000% more than the train by the 1980’s. Meaning no one was willing to invest in the railway after a damaging avalanche in 1984 causing the railway to close permanently.
Today
There is still evidence of the Transandine railway along Route 7 in Argentina and Chile with the track visible and accessible in many places. Many towns and villages had been built and grew along the track side but have long since been abandoned. These settlements though empty still stand and make a great place to explore.
You can check out our Youtube video on this abandoned railway here or all our other videos can be found on our videos page:
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