Obelisco de Buenos Aires, January 10, 2018
Buenos Aires is often referred to as the “Paris of South America”, and its public transport offerings do little to dispute this claim. Buenos Aires streets follow a grid pattern, and while the density of subway stations is not like that of Paris, especially as one moves away from downtown, the city is very walkable and many porteños use public transportation to get around. The Buenos Aires Underground, known as the Subte, is the oldest subway in the Southern Hemisphere, Latin America, and Spanish speaking world. It opened in 1913 and its original rolling stock remained in service for 100 years, finally being withdrawn in 2013. There are six lines and about 36 miles of track, though most of the lines run east-west, limiting options for those wishing to travel north-south. Several expansions are currently being constructed. The Plaza de los Virreyes on Line E has the distinction of being the southernmost subway station in the entire world.
Buenos Aires used to be known as the “City of Trams” and had the highest tramway to population ratio in the world. In the 1920s, there were 99 different routes using nearly 550 miles of track to crisscross the city. However, the system was dismantled in the 1960s and replaced by a network of buses, known as colectivos. Today, there is one tram line known as the “PreMetro” that feeds Subte Line E and a heritage tramway operated by the Asociación Amigos del Tranvía (Association of Friends of the Tramway) that operates in the Caballito neighborhood on weekends. The Puerto Madero Tramway operated for five years along a 1.2 mile route with four stations and has since been discontinued due to low ridership.
The colectivos that replaced the trams now form the backbone of the Buenos Aires public transit network. Each colectivo line is operated by a private company (some companies operate multiple lines) that receives little support from the government other than subsidized fuel. Most places are within 500 meters of a bus stop and the colectivos provide service to just about every part of the city. This is especially important since the Subte does not operate past 11:30 PM on weekdays, midnight on Saturdays, and 10:30 PM on Sundays and only serves a limited part of the city.
Buenos Aires is also served by seven commuter rail lines operated by Trenes Argentinos. Since these services were renationalized, each line has received new rolling stock and other improvements. Tenes Argentinos also operates the Tren de la Costa between Olivos and Tigre.
The Subte has one of the most varied fleets out of any subway in the world. For 100 years, from the system opening in 1913 until their retirement in 2013, the wooden "La Brugeoise" cars operated on Line A. Today, the system has a mix of cars produced in Argentina, cars bought new from China, and cars acquired secondhand from Madrid and Tokyo. All the lines except Line B operate using overhead catenary. Line B operates using third rail power, though overhead power lines were added in order to accommodate the 6000 Series cars acquired from Madrid to operate on this line.
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The Subte has 86 operating stations as of 2018. Many have distinctive artwork along the length of the platforms or in their mezzanines.
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The Premetro is a 4.6 mile (7.4 kilometer) light rail line that feeds in to Subte Line E. The first segment opened in 1987. Originally, multiple lines were planned but railroad privatization and plans to construct the Metrobus BRT network ultimately shelved these plans.
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The Buenos Aires Heritage Tramway is located in the Caballito neighborhood. The line is operated by the Asociación Amigos del Tranvía on weekends.
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Colectivos, the common name for buses in Buenos Aires, refers to a network of about 200 privately operated bus lines. The network was founded as shared taxis replaced tram lines as those tram lines were discontinued. Over time, the shared taxis evolved and full size buses began to enter service on each route. The buses on each line have a distinct paint scheme and all lines operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Tren de la Costa is a light rail line in the Buenos Aires suburbs. The line operates between Olivos (where it has a connection to the Mitre Line to Retiro Station) and Tigre, a weekend and holiday resort town. The line was built in the 1890s by the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway. Ownership was transferred between various companies over the years until 1961, when the government closed the line due to low ridership. In 1990, plans to reopen the line were introduced. The line was converted to a new track gauge, the former stations were rebuilt and three new stations were added. Articulated LRVs built by CAF were ordered. The line reopened in 1995 and while ridership has not necessarily remained level since then, the service is popular among tourists traveling to and from Tigre.
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Ferrocarriles Argentinos Sociedad del Estado, more commonly known as Ferrocarriles Argentinos, is a state-owned agency that is responsible for operating all freight and passenger train services in Argentina. The current agency was formed in 2015 after a plan to renationalize all the railroads was announced. The first incarnation of Ferrocarriles Argentinos was founded in 1946 and operated for over 45 years. In 1993, the railroads were privatized. However, economic crises and poor maintenance of infrastructure during this period utlimately led the government to renationalize the railroads. As of 2018, Ferrocarriles Argentinos operates 22,970 miles (36,966 kilometers) of track, making it the 8th largest railway in the world. While this is still quite large, when World War II ended the rail network operated over 29,000 miles (47,000 kilometers) of track.
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There are three colectivo lines within Tigre. As is the case in Buenos Aires, each one is operated by a different company and has its own unique livery on its buses.
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