China To Back Argentina Rail Renaissance

The Belgrano Cargas line connects BA with 13 of Argentina's richest commodity-producing provinces.

With close to 30,000 miles of functioning tracks, Argentina’s rail network was one of the world’s most extensive and profitable by the middle of the last century, but you wouldn’t know it by visiting the country today.

Sixty years of neglect have left the once robust freight and passenger railroads a rusting shell of their former selves. For example the train connecting Buenos Aires and Cordoba was suspended in 1993, reinstated in 2005, but today the tracks are so dilapidated the 385-mile trip can take as long as two days.

The most recent glimmer of hope for a rail renaissance was the 2008 announcement of a Bullet Train (Tren Bala) connecting Buenos Aires and Cordoba, but there has been no progress on that front for two years.

Now it seems an Argentina rail renaissance may actually begin with backing and financial support from the world’s largest importer of just about everything: China. No stranger to infrastructure development projects in Africa and the Americas to expedite the flow of commodities she craves, China has committed to work on Argentina rail projects valued at roughly $10 billion.

According to Bloomberg, the rail upgrades will take place on the The Belgrano Cargas line, a freight network connecting BA with 13 provinces, and the Ferrocarril Belgrano. Future Chinese-backed infrastructure enhancements in Argentina may also include a $1.8-billion subway system for Cordoba and a rail line extension connecting BA with Ezeiza International Airport.