At Patagonian Trains they are optimistic. As detailed, there were already meetings with National officials and representatives of the Ferrosur company, the concessionaire of the roads, which would not hinder the creation of the passenger branch.
“We are evaluating what the population of the area needs today. The transportation service through the routes is collapsed,” said López about the origin of the project. In the province They contemplate that the service could be used by about 25 thousand peoplebetween students and workers, as an alternative to groups.
López assured that the next step is the signing of an agreement with Ferrosur, but this requires the endorsement of the national government. “The roads, in general, are good. There are sectors that have to be worked on” because the urbanizations in the Alto Valle caused sections of the roads to flood and “they were very loose.”
The Patagonian Trains representative explained, in the same way, that the tracks are passable throughout the entire section. “The passage of a freight train is at a very low speed, while the passenger train would do so with a little more speed, so many things must be worked on: crossings, signage and a maintenance plan that will be drawn up with the Ferrosur concessionaire,” he explained.
In the work plan that the Province provided to the Nation, it was detailed that the railway crossings will be operated with flaggers, but “later” automatic barriers could be used. “Between Chichinales and Cipolletti today we have around 11 stations and we are passing through many places that have interior crossings in each city,” said López.
The Rio Negro government hopes that the Nation will provide a quick response to the request for the use of the roads to advance the discussion of technical issues with Ferrosur. One of the central aspects to determine is what training will be used in the service. Patagonian Trains could have units with motor cars, but the possibility of sending a locomotive car by SOFSE, the State Railway Operator, to cover the route is not ruled out.
No news on the Cipolletti-Neuquén train
In Cipolletti they are waiting for the restitution of the interurban branch to Neuquén. In the Municipality they affirmed that there is a commitment from Ferrosur to enable the tracks for passenger trains, but so far no details have been provided about the reimplementation of the service.
The company Trenes Argentinos, which operated the passenger service between Cipolletti and Neuquén, has not circulated since 2022. The ban on the passenger train was adopted preventively in the face of constant crashes against the train tracks.
