The

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a Communes of Chile, commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The ...

–

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

railway or Ferrocarril de Arica–La Paz (FCALP) was built by the Chilean government under the

Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904 between Chile and Bolivia The Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904 between Chile and Bolivia was signed in Santiago de Chile on October 20, 1904, to delineate the boundary through 96 specified points between Cerro Zapaleri and Cerro Chipe and to regulate the relations ...

. The railway line was inaugurated on 13 May 1913 and is the shortest line from the Pacific Coast to Bolivia. It is long, of which is in Bolivian territory. The Railway is meter gauged. However, until 1968, it was rack worked over a 43 km section, on the Chilean side, between Central and Puquios. The line reaches a height of 4257 meters above sea level at

General Lagos General Lagos (indigenous name: Takura) is Chile's northernmost commune in Parinacota Province, Arica and Parinacota Region. Its capital is Visviri. The area, once part of Peru, was captured by Chilean forces in the War of the Pacific by its name ...

. The Chile - Bolivia border is crossed between the stations of

Visviri Visviri is a Chilean hamlet at the northern end of the country and the capital of the General Lagos commune in Parinacota Province, Arica and Parinacota Region. It is notable for being Chile's northernmost populated area. Pop. 265 (2002), and for b ...

and

Charaña Charaña is a high elevation town in the altiplano of the La Paz Department in Bolivia. It is the seat of the Charaña Municipality, the fifth municipal section of the Pacajes Province. Charaña is east of the border with Chile. History Ch ...

. When the railway is in operation, it is used for the export of Bolivian minerals and some agricultural production as well as the import of merchandise into Bolivia. Construction was started by the Chilean Sindicato de Obras Públicas, then continued under direct Chilean government supervision and was completed by the British company Sir John Jackson (Chile) Ltd., which carried out the major part of the work. It has 7 tunnels. The length of the Arica–La Paz railway is shorter than the other two alternatives: * from La Paz via

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water and by surface area, ...

Mollendo Mollendo is a town bordering the Pacific Ocean in southern Peru. It is located in the Arequipa Region and is the capital of both the Islay Province and the Mollendo District. Mollendo was the main port in the Peruvian southern coast until Matar ...

in Peru is , including a

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train f ...

journey across Lake Titicaca. * from La Paz to

Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. After the Spanish American wars ...

is . Apart from some 18 months in 2001 and 2002, when the line was cut by damage to bridges, the railway was in service until 2005 when the company operating it filed for bankruptcy. Between 2010 and 2012, the contractor

Comsa COMSA Corporación is a Spanish global group focused on infrastructure development, industrial engineering and services, whose main business historically has been railway infrastructure work. History Comsa The groups beginnings can be trac ...

, hired by the Arica port authority EPA, rehabilitated the infrastructure and removed soil contaminated by lead and other mineral residues from land surrounding the railway in Arica, especially in the Chinchorro freight yard. Work undertaken by Comsa has included laying 67 km of rail on 73 000 timber sleepers to enable freight trains to operate at up to 40 km/h. The total cost of the rehabilitation was estimated at $US 45m. By the Railway's centenary, 13 May 2013, the line was in operational order all the way up to the frontier with Bolivia; the Bolivian section had remained in a serviceable condition, being used by a local rail-bus service. Trial trains have been run over the line. In 2013 it was not clear when the Arica–La Paz railway might reopen to regular train services. The passenger service closed in 1996 due to a lack of demand and trucks rather than trains carry most of the cargo traffic along paved highways. Political relations between Chile and Bolivia are poor. The Chilean State Railways' original plan was to tender the operation of the line, but this relied on the success of a tender to repair the best of the existing locomotives. In 2013, Chilean State Railways did not have any operable locomotives on the line. As a result, the revised proposal was to allow technically qualified operators to run trains over the railway, using their own equipment. The most likely interested party was supposed to be Bolivia's Andina Railway (EFASA), which connects with Arica–La Paz railway at the border between the stations of Visviri and Charaña and has well-equipped workshop facilities at

Viacha Viacha is a city in Bolivia, situated in the Ingavi Province in the La Paz Department. Viacha lies in the Altiplano, 22 km southwest of La Paz. Transportation to and from the city includes cars, buses, and a train. Economy Viacha is hom ...

, not far from La Paz. Efasa is administered by Bolivian Railway Investors, a subsidiary of

Antofagasta PLC Antofagasta plc is a Chilean multinational. It is one of the most important conglomerates of Chile with equity participation in ''Antofagasta Minerals'', the railroad from Antofagasta to Bolivia, Twin Metals in Minnesota and other exploration j ...

, which owns the railway from the frontier between Abaroa and

Ollagüe Ollagüe () or Ullawi () is a massive andesite stratovolcano in the Andes on the border between Bolivia and Chile, within the Antofagasta Region of Chile and the Potosi Department of Bolivia. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, i ...

down to the Chilean Pacific coast ports of

and

Mejillones Mejillones is a Chilean port city and commune in Antofagasta Province in the Antofagasta Region. Its name is the plural form of the Spanish meaning "mussel", referring to a particularly abundant species and preferred staple food of its indigeno ...

. A further proposal to reopen the railway was made in 2017, and passenger service offered on a short stretch of 38 km. In May 2021 freight traffic operated again from the Chilean coast until the terminal near La Paz in Bolivia.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arica-La Paz Railway War of the Pacific Railway lines in Chile Metre gauge railways in Chile Metre gauge railways in Bolivia Transport in Arica y Parinacota Region

See also

References