[ UrbanRail.Net ]     [ Europe ] [ Americas ] [ Asia ] [ Africa ] [ Oceania ]     [ News ] [ Books ] [ Links ] [ Blog ] [ Shop ]

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is one of South America's biggest cities with 3 million inhabitants (Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) and 12 million in the larger metropolitan area (Gran Buenos Aires). For a city of this size the metro network is still very small although it's by far the oldest subway in South America.

After losing many passengers during the 1980's, the Subte was privatised and was then operated by Metrovías which immediately started refurbishing stations and buying new rolling stock to replace older trains, some of which had been running since the Subte opened. On 1 Dec 2021 (until 2033), the new operator became Emova Movilidad, a company formed by Metrovías and Benito Roggio Transporte.

The total network is approx. 54 km (06/2019) and totally underground.

The first line of the metro, Line A, was built and initially operated by a private company called Anglo Argentine Tramway Company and opened already in 1913.

01/12/1913 - Plaza de Mayo - Plaza Miserere
01/04/1914 - Plaza Miserere - Río de Janeiro
01/07/1914 - Río de Janeiro - Primera Junta
23/12/2008 - Primera Junta - Carabobo
27/09/2013 - Carabobo - San Pedrito

More Photos

Line B was built by the Anglo's rival Lacroze. Lacroze operated an interurban line from Chacarita to Campo de Mayo, which later became General Urquiza railroad and is now owned by Metrovías. That is one reason why Urquiza is the only railroad in Buenos Aires that has 1435 mm gauge instead of broad gauge. It originally had a catenary but was later changed to third rail and coaches are the same width than those from broad-gauge railroads. Lacroze designed and built Subte Line B to feed their suburban railroad. Since the only other Subte line at the time was a competitor, compatibility wasn't an issue, so Line B cars are wider and they use third rail, while all other lines use catenary.

17/10/1930 - Federico Lacroze - Callao
22/07/1931 - Callao - Pellegrini
xx/12/1931 - Pellegrini - L.N.Alem
09/08/2003 - Federico Lacroze - Los Incas
26/07/2013 - De Los Incas/Parque Chas - Juan Manuel de Rosas (1.6 km)

More Photos

Line C was built by Chadopyf (Compañía Hispano Argentina de Obras Públicas y Finanzas) in 1933. The first section was opened in 1934 and it went from Constitución to Diagonal Norte. In 1936, it was stretched to Retiro and in 1937 San Martín station was opened. It currently uses Siemens cars.

09/11/1934 - Constitución - Diagonal Norte
06/02/1936 - Diagonal Norte - Retiro (General San Martín opened 17/08/1937)

More Photos

Line D was began in 1936 and the first section (Catedral - Tribunales) was opened in 1937. In 1940, it was extended to Palermo. This line was also built by Chadopyf. In 1987, it was extended to Ministro Carranza, and during the late 1990s it reached its current terminus Congreso de Tucumán. Line D has three different types of rolling stock: Fiat-Materfer (which are maroon and white), Nagoya (the city that owned them previously) and Alstom Metropolis (which were meant for Line A, which has to be upgraded before they can be used there).

03/06/1937 - Catedral - Tribunales (1.7 km)
23/02/1940 - Tribunales - Palermo
29/12/1987 - Palermo - Ministro Carranza
31/05/1997 - Ministro Carranza - José Hernández
21/06/1999 - José Hernández - Juramento
27/04/2000 - Juramento - Congreso de Tucumán

More Photos

Line E was also built by Chadopyf. Work began in 1940 and the first section between San José and the intersection at General Urquiza was opened in 1944. Six months later, it was extended to a temporary platform at Boedo, which remained in use until a definitive station was opened in 1960. By 1966, it was extended from Bolivar to Avenida La Plata, then in 1973 to José María Moreno, to Varela in 1985, and eventually to Plaza de los Virreyes in 1986. 33 years later it reached Retiro.

20/06/1944 - San José (Plaza Constitución) - General Urquiza (3 km)
16/12/1944 - General Urquiza - Boedo (temporary platform)
09/12/1960 - Boedo (new station)
24/04/1966 - Boedo - Av. La Plata and San José - Bolívar
23/06/1973 - Av. La Plata - José María Moreno
07/10/1985 - José María Moreno - Emilio Mitre
31/10/1985 - Emilio Mitre - Medalla Milagrosa
27/11/1985 - Medalla Milagrosa - Varela
08/05/1986 - Varela - Plaza de los Virreyes
03/06/2019 - Bolívar - Retiro (2 km)

March 2013: Entre Ríos station renamed into Rodolfo Walsh

More Photos

Line H opened in October 2007, 63 years after the last subte line had been brought into service. It was planned to run parallel to Line C, from Retiro to Sáenz (11 km), to be built in various stages. Construction on the first section between Plaza Once and Inclán started in 2001. A fifth station, Caseros, was added to the project in 2003.

18/10/2007: Once - Caseros (2.9 km)
06/12/2010: Once - Corrientes (0.7 km)
04/10/2011: Caseros - Parque Patricios (0.6 km)
27/05/2013: Parque Patricios - Hospitales (0.8 km)
18/12/2015: Corrientes - Las Heras (2 km)
12/07/2016: Santa Fe station
17/05/2018: Las Heras - Julieta Lanteri-Facultad de Derecho

More Photos

Apart from the Subte there is a 7.4 km light rail line (called Premetro and opened in 1987) which serves the southwestern part of the city from Line E's terminus at Plaza de Los Virreyes.

Besides the Subte, Buenos Aires has numerous suburban railways, some operated with diesel and some with electric trains:

1) Ferrocarril Urquiza: standard-gauge with 3rd rail power supply, running west from Federico Lacroze, operated by Metrovías
2) Línea Mitre: broad-gauge with 3rd rail power supply, running north and northwest from Retiro
3) Línea Belgrano Norte: non-electrified metre-gauge line running north along the coast from Retiro; operated by FERROVIAS
4) Línea San Martín: non-electrified broad-gauge line running west from Retiro
5) Línea Sarmiento: broad-gauge with 3rd rail power supply, running west from Plaza Once; being put underground on inner section
6) Línea Belgrano Sur: non-electrified metre-gauge lines running west from Buenos Aires and Puente Alsina terminals
7) Línea Roca: broad-gauge with overhead power supply, running south from Plaza Constitución
8) Línea Tren de la Costa: standard-gauge light rail line electrified with overhead catenary in the north of the metropolitan area, connecting to the Bartolomé Mitre branch of the Línea Mitre (TREN DE LA COSTA)

 Projects

Current projects:

Line H: Southern extension from Hospitales to Saenz

Mid-term projects:

Line H - northern section Facultad de Derecho to Retiro

Long term plans include several north-south routes to create a proper network avoiding the city centre:

Line F - 8.6 km - from Plaza Italia (Line D) to Constitución (Line C); later south to Barracas.
Line G - 7.3 km - from Retiro to Cid Campeador; later northwest to Villa del Parque.
Line I - 6.6 km - from Emilio Mitre (Line E) to Plaza Italia (Line D); later north to Ciudad Universitaria.

- The former project to extend Line D from Congreso de Tucumán to Manuel Pedraza, was indefinitely postponed.

See Map1 (thanks to Jordi Serradell) and map2 (thanks to Mariano Hellmuth-Gómez) with possible future lines.

Metrovías S.A. Subte Operator (Official Website)

Official Integrated Map with Subte and Suburban Railways by Gagin Studio Graphic Design

Trenes Argentinos (Most Suburban Railways)

En el Subte by Martín Machain

Subte & Premetro at Wikipedia.es

Ferrocarriles Metropolitanos de Buenos Aires at Wikipedia.es

Allen Morrison's BA Electric Railways Map

Map showing future extensions by Jordi Serradell

UrbanRail.Net > B.A. Subte Photo Gallery

ALAMYS - Asociación Latinoamericana de Metros y Subterráneos