history
The first of the three major railway lines in Ecuador was the main line Ferrocarril Transandino, it was completed in 1908.
The second railway line in Ecuador is a branch line of the main line and runs at a length of 145 km from Sibambe via Azogues to Cuenca. It was built between 1915 and 1965 and was used to transport goods; operations were already discontinued towards the end of the last century.
A third railway line in Ecuador is the north line Ferrocarril Norte of Quito from after Ibarra and then San Lorenzo, it was completed in 1957.
Railway lines
Ferrocarril Transandino
The Andean Railway "Ferrocarril Transandino" (main line, south line) between the two largest cities Guayaquil and Quito and over Riobamba is the main route in the country with a length of around 450 kilometers. The construction of the railway line began in the second half of the 19th century and was not only a technical but also a national challenge at the time: when it was completed in 1908, it was the crucial link between the regions on the coast and the highlands, and the journey lasted then two days. On the other hand, there was the previous transport of goods and people on mules and on foot, which until then took 3-4 weeks.
The railway line was built as a narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 1067 mm, the lowest point of the railway line is the sea level at the coastal town of Guayaquil, the highest point is at 3,609 meters at Urbina shortly before Riobamba, the terminus in Quito is about 2850 meters above sea level.
Construction work began in 1873. The greatest technical challenge was the ascent into the Andes. At the time, the railway line was considered the "most difficult railway line in the world" and was built by a US company. Other difficulties were natural disasters such as earthquakes, rockfalls, floods and quicksand and volcanic ash on the mountain routes. On June 25, 1908, the first train reached Chimbacalle station in Quito, the construction work was completed. Coffee, cocoa and bananas were then transported from the highlands to the coast on the new railway line.
With the advent of road transport, the railroad increasingly lost its importance and fell into disrepair from the middle of the last century. After damage as a result of an El Niño storm in 1998, the route could only be used in sections and therefore only for tourist purposes. Riding on the roof of the wagons was particularly popular, but this was then banned due to some serious accidents.
Tren Crucero
From 2011, the entire railway line of the main line between Quito and Guayaquil was extensively renovated for 246 million dollars, and since 2013 it has been possible with the luxury train Tren Crucero can be driven completely again. A total of four days of travel at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour can be expected. The Tren Crucero consists exclusively of passenger trains with historic steam and diesel locomotives from the beginning of the 20th century and with new wagons that are based on the luxurious neo-colonial Spanish style. The passengers are almost exclusively foreign tourists because the fares are too high for most of the locals. There is currently no freight traffic on the route.
- Tren Crucero. Tel.: 593 (0)2 399-2100 ext. 1175..
Various operators offer train journeys in several daily stages, including overnight stays in places on the line, prices for the entire route are around $ 1,000.
Nariz del Diablo
The Devil nose is the technical and tourist highlight of the main route of Ecuador and named after a prominent rock in the Rio Chanchán gorge. The railway line overcomes it in the section between Alausí and Sibambe without cogwheel and with hairpin bends in zigzag with maneuvering forwards and backwards on the valley flank along gradients of up to five and a half percent and a difference in altitude of 500 meters from 2,300 meters down to 1,800 meters below in the valley floor.
This spectacular section of the railway line is variously counted among the most beautiful railway lines in the world. The rock "Nariz del Diablo" was originally called "Nariz de Pistishi" and was renamed because up to 2500 of the 4000 workers recruited from Jamaica were killed due to illnesses and dangerous construction work with pickaxes and dynamite on the steep terrain. The section was put into operation in 1902.
At the valley station in the gorge there is a restaurant and a modern documentation center for the construction of the railroad in Ecuador and especially for the construction of the Nariz del Diablo.
From the railway town Alausi trips (there and back) on the 12-kilometer section are only offered to the valley station in the gorge, the price including a guided tour and tourist program with shopping for handicrafts is $ 20. The train runs three times a day at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., except on Mondays.
Ferrocaril Norte
The section of Ecuador's Northern Railway from Quito from after Ibarra and as far as San Lorenzo on the coast was built from 1917 and put into operation in 1957, the rail connection was planned to transport the oil deposits to the northern Pacific coast. Because the transport of goods was increasingly carried out on the road, the line lost its importance and was initially no longer repaired after being destroyed by the floods after the El Niño storms in 1990.
The tourist train is currently running on the 30 km long and already restored section from Ibarra to Salinas Tren de libertad.
The section of the railway line from Otavalo to Quito is not yet usable.
literature
Web links
- Railway Ecuador: www.ferrocarrilesdelecuador.gob.ec
- Railway company Tren Ecuador (Train operator)
- Ecuador at the Friends of Latin American Railways Association: www.ferrolatino.ch
