The Central Northern Railway (Spanish: ''Ferrocarril Central Norte'', FCCN) was the first ( metre gauge) railway built by the
Argentine State Railway
Argentine State Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarriles del Estado) was a State-owned railway company of Argentina, established by Law N° 6.757 in October 1909, when José Figueroa Alcorta was the President of Argentina. The company built and oper ...
A Law promulgated in October 1868 destinated money collected from foreign trade and import taxes to the construction of a railway line between the Provinces of Córdoba and
Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...
. The construction and subsequent operation of the line was entrusted to "Compañía Telfner", who began to work on the line in 1873, reaching the city of Recreo ( Catamarca) on 1 May 1875, San Antonio, Jujuy in July that same year and finally reaching
San Miguel de Tucumán
San Miguel de Tucumán (; usually called simply Tucumán) is the capital and largest city of Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Argentina, ...
on 30 October 1876, being formally inaugurated by then President of Argentina,
Nicolás Avellaneda
Nicolás Remigio Aurelio Avellaneda Silva (3 October 1837 – 24 November 1885) was an Argentine politician and journalist, and President of Argentina from 1874 to 1880. Avellaneda's main projects while in office were banking and education ...
.
On 28 December 1876 the national government took over the running of the line and appointed Rafaél Aranda as General Manager of the FCCN. The line was the longest in South America with 547 km.
A branch line from Frías to the city of Santiago del Estero was opened on 23 August 1884, and one from
Recreo
Recreo is a city in Catamarca Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the La Paz Department. Recreo is also referred to the name of the Carts Recreo (''Recreo de las Carretas'' in Spanish).
It is located about 8 km north of the Salinas ...
to
Chumbicha
Chumbicha is a town and municipality in Catamarca Province in northwestern Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina cover ...
(both in Catamarca Province) was opened on 17 February 1886. Construction of the line north from Tucumán towards
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
and
Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...
reached Vipos on 1 April 1885, later that year in June the section from Ruiz de los Llanos to Juramento was completed and in March 1888 the section Vipos to Ruiz de los Llanos was opened.
On 28 October 1887 the line from Alta Córdoba to Tucumán, together with the branch lines from Frías to Santiago del Estero, and from Recreo to Chumbicha, 884 km of track in total, were sold to the British-owned Córdoba Central Railway. This left the FCCN with only the 226 km section from Tucumán to Juramento which was then extended to Güemes and from there branch lines were completed to Salta and Jujuy by 1891.
Expansion continues
The Central Northern only owned the Tucumán - Juramento section (226 km length). The line continued expanding to North, first reaching Güemes with branches to
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
and
Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...
on January 31, 1891. On 14 January 1896 the State bought the French-owned Ferrocarril de San Cristóbal a Tucumán (that had been inaugurated 4 years before by the "Compañía Francesa de Ferrocarriles") and changed its name to "Ferrocarril Central Norte" Sección Sud whilst the line from Tucumán to Salta and Jujuy became known as "Ferrocarril Central Norte - Sección Norte". The acquisition included Colombres - Guzmán and Pacará - Río Salí branches.
The company opened the Salta - Zuviría branch on October 8, 1898. Two years later Pacará - Finca Elisa branch in
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero (), also known simply as Santiago, is a province in the north of Argentina. Neighboring provinces, clockwise from the north, are Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.
History
The indigenous inhabita ...
was opened. In August 1901 the Finca Elisa - El Bracho line was opened in
Tucumán Province
Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina.
Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...
. The FCCN also began to build a branch from
Embarcación (Salta)
Embarcación (Salta) is a town and municipality in Salta Province in northwestern Argentina.Ledesma in 1904 and its extension to Yuto in 1909.
The section from Zubiría to Talapampa on the line from Salta to Alemania was opened on 18 August 1906 and the section from Jujuy to Humahuaca on the line to
La Quiaca
La Quiaca is a small city in the north of the , on the southern bank of the La Quiaca River, opposite the town of Villazón, Bolivia. It lies at the end of National Route 9, from San Salvador de Jujuy (the provincial capital), and at an altitude ...
on the border with Bolivia was opened later that year on 2 September and was extended to La Quiaca on 25 May 1908.
The first section of the line to
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
via
Socompa
Socompa is a large stratovolcano at the border of Argentina and Chile with an elevation of metres. Part of the Chilean and Argentine Andean Volcanic Belt (AVB), it is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the various segments of the AVB. Th ...
from Empalme Cerrillos to
Rosario de Lerma
Rosario de Lerma is a town in the center of the province of Salta, Argentina.
Overview
It has 21,592 inhabitants as per the , and is the head town of the Rosario de Lerma Department
Rosario de Lerma is a department located in Salta Province, ...
was completed on 27 August 1907. The section from Finca Elisa to El Bracho in
Tucumán Province
Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina.
Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...
was opened in August 1901. In
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero (), also known simply as Santiago, is a province in the north of Argentina. Neighboring provinces, clockwise from the north, are Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.
History
The indigenous inhabita ...
branch lines were opened from Empalme Añatuya to Tintina on 11 October 1904, from Clodomira to La Banda on 2 March 1906 and from Puna to Santa Justina on 27 August 1907. On 17 January 1908 the section from Santa Fe to San Cristobal was opened and on 16 September 1909 the section from Las Cejas to Antilla was completed.
The line from Bracho to Palá Palá was opened on 6 December 1909 and extended to Leales on 20 June 1915. In 1911 the service between Bandera and Los Juríes was opened and in 1912 between Quilmili to Gancedo and extended to Puerto Vilelas and to Tintina and Campo Gallo in 1914. The line from Rapelli to Betbeder was opened on 15 April 1915, from Naré a San Javier on 30 June 1915 and from Empalme Añatuya to Los Linares on 28 September 1916. The section from Formosa to Kilometre 100 was opened on 22 September 1910 and extended to Las Lomitas on 20 July 1915. The line from Yuto to Embarcación was opened on 28 November 1911 and Embarcación and Las Lomitas were finally joined in 1931, thereby establishing a rail link across
Formosa Province
Formosa Province () is a province in northeastern Argentina, part of the Gran Chaco Region. Formosa's northeast end touches Asunción, Paraguay, and the province borders the provinces of Chaco and Salta to its south and west, respectively. Th ...
between the city of Formosa and the cities of Salta and Jujuy. The branch line from Pichanal to Orán was opened on 30 June 1915 and another from Empalme Metán to El Tunal was opened on 21 December 1916. The section between Talapampa and Alemania was opened on 7 October 1919."Las Mikado del Central Norte Argentino" on Laguna Paiva website /ref>
Final years
On 11 October 1909 the rail network built by the state-owned company
Ferrocarril Argentino del Norte
The North Argentine Railway (native name: Ferrocarril Argentino del Norte) was a Government-owned corporation, State-owned railway company which built a (metre gauge) railway network in the Argentina, Argentine provinces of Catamarca Province, C ...
was taken over by the CNR. A branch line between Cebollar and Andalgalá was added on 27 April 1910 and a section from Empalme Sarrezuela to San Juan was opened on 7 August of the same year thereby providing a rail link between Córdoba and San Juan. A branch line from Dean Funes to Laguna Paiva was completed on 21 December 1912.
Branch from La Puerta to Alta Córdoba (120 km) was opened in 1931. During those years more than 112 km of tracks were built. The
Argentine State Railway
Argentine State Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarriles del Estado) was a State-owned railway company of Argentina, established by Law N° 6.757 in October 1909, when José Figueroa Alcorta was the President of Argentina. The company built and oper ...
opened 1,027 km else, consisting on the following lines: Costado - General Pinedo ( Chaco, 214 km), Joaquín V. González - Pichinal (
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
, 219 km), Milagro - Quines ( San Luis, 139 km), Roque S. Peña - Campo del Cielo (Chaco, 100 km), Lorenzo Winter - Gral. Conesa ( Río Negro, 108 km), Pedro Vargas - Malargüe ( Mendoza, 186 km).
After the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Juan Quijano encouraged the creation of a 0,750 mm railway for forest and agricultural commerce in the North of Argentina. The line was built by the Argentine State for the "Compañía Ganadera y Forestal". It was named "ramal El Zapallar" with a junction in Lapachito on the Resistencia -
Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...
line. The company bought some
Henschel & Son
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehic ...
locomotives for the line, that had an extension of 75 km. This line would be taken over by the
Argentine State Railway
Argentine State Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarriles del Estado) was a State-owned railway company of Argentina, established by Law N° 6.757 in October 1909, when José Figueroa Alcorta was the President of Argentina. The company built and oper ...
in 1944. In 1938, the Córdoba Central Railway (with some financial problems) was taken over by the Argentine state, being added to the FCCN network.
When the entire Argentine railway network was nationalised in 1948, during Juan Peron's presidency, the CNR became part of the state-owned company
General Belgrano Railway
The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a railway and the longest of the Argentine system. It was one of the six ...
.
See also
*
Argentine State Railway
Argentine State Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarriles del Estado) was a State-owned railway company of Argentina, established by Law N° 6.757 in October 1909, when José Figueroa Alcorta was the President of Argentina. The company built and oper ...
*
General Belgrano Railway
The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a railway and the longest of the Argentine system. It was one of the six ...