Line B (Buenos Aires)
Encyclopedia
Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro
runs 10.15 kilometres (6.3 mi) from Leandro N. Alem
to Los Incas/Parque Chas
(projected to Juan Manuel de Rosas
in Villa Urquiza
). Line B opened to the public on 17 October 1930.
In recent years it has held the title of being the most used line by the locals, and it is expected increase even more so after the opening of a section of tunnel between Los Incas station in the neighborhood of Parque Chas
and a shopping centre in Villa Urquiza
. It was the first line in Buenos Aires whose stations had turnstile
s and moving stairways
.
It is the only line that uses third rail current
collection, while the rest collects electric current from overhead lines
. Its gauge of 1435 mm is the same as the rest of the Buenos Aires underground system.
The rolling stock currently used on on the B line are former Tokyo Metro
(formerly Eidan Subway) 300/500/900 stocks, which was used on Marunouchi Line. These Japan
ese units were acquired in the early 1990s, and offer less sitting room than the previous setup, increasing the line's capacity during peak hours. The travel time between demand headers is about 25 min.
When excavation was carried out for construction of the Leandro Alem station, the remains of a Mammoth
of the Quaternary
period where found, which were sent to the Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata
.
enacted Law 8,870 to carry out the line that would unite the Correo Central (Central Post Office
) and the intersection of Triumvirato and Elcano streets, splice site with the tracks of the Buenos Aires Central Railroad (Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires
or FCCBA), which belonged to the same business group through a 8.7 km tunnel. The Act provided that the works "would clear in part the traffic in the central area of the city".
Latterly on 17 December 1927 in New York
the financial agreement to build was signed between Teófilo Lacroze, the president of Banco de la Nación
Dr. Tomás de Estrada, Dr. Louis J. Rocca directory owner of Ferrocarril Terminal de Buenos Aires and bankers Harris and Forbes
. This will grant the concession of the line for passengers, parcels and freight to Lacroze Brothers Company.
The construction was done by the Argentine builder Dwight P. Robinson & Cía, and the line was called Ferrocarril Terminal Central de Buenos Aires (Central terminal railroad of Buenos Aires). The first section between Federico Lacroze
and Callao
opened on 17 October 1930 and measured 7.021 km. The maiden voyage was made by President de facto
José Félix Uriburu
.
On 22 June the following year it was extended to Carlos Pellegrini
station. Finally the line was completed on 1 December 1931 when the subway reached the station Leandro N. Alem
. These three sections were carried out entirely below Corrientes Avenue
, including 19 curves and 13 stations.
According to the depth of the line some sections were made by open ditch (cut-and-cover method) or gallery or tunnel. As so were performed mainly at open skies the stations Federico Lacroze
, Dorrego
, Canning, (now Malabia), Río de Janeiro, (now Ángel Gallardo
)
and Medrano
. When you reach the tunnel at Maipu Street the maximum depth reached 17 metres. Underneath the Rancagua (today Los Andes) park, in Chacarita, a workshop and a 10 track garage (with capacity for 110 wagons) were built.
This line had escalators and turnstiles for the payment of coin-operated service, initially manufactured in United States
, formerly controlled by guards. It also was deeper than the Line A, and like it, each station was decorated with friezes of characteristic colors.
An underground link with the subsoil of the Mercado Central de Abasto
(central wholesale fruit and vegetable market) was made available on 12 July 1933, by which goods wagon
s with freight from the Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Central Railroad) would arrive, driven by electric locomotives. This was lifted after the fire occurred on 27 November 1952.
From the beginning the circulation was protected by an automatic luminous signalization, with devices for mechanic trains, which were substituted in 1980 for others of magnetic induction, also replaced in 1998 for an electric system with ATP
.
The Service was inaugurated with 56 english Metropolitan Cammell
cars (numerated from 101 to 156), of two bogies and metallic bodywork painted with cream and red colours on the exterior, with decorative artwork and dark blue coloured doors. Each car had two 105 HP motors. The interiors had 47 wooden seats, the majority with reversible back and three slide doors on each side, at the platforms level, of opening ans closure commanded by the guard. Later on, 20 similar cars made by Osgood Bradley Car Company
of the US were incorporated.
will be provided. It is expected to open in 2011.
In the meantime, there is a record of passengers and lack investment, but plans are in the list which includes: installation of a new signal system, acquisition of new cars, construction of a new central workshop for the repair of machinery, widening of platforms, hallways and all areas of pedestrian traffic at stations and at transfer nodes, improvements in transfer centers with other means of transport
Buenos Aires Metro
The Buenos Aires Metro , locally known as Subte is a mass-transit system that serves the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first station of this network opened in 1913, the first of its kind in South America, the Southern Hemisphere and the entire Spanish-speaking world...
runs 10.15 kilometres (6.3 mi) from Leandro N. Alem
Leandro N. Alem (Buenos Aires Metro)
Leandro N. Alem is a terminal station of the Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro. The station's name honours Leandro N. Alem, a UCR politician from the late 19th century. It is located at the intersection of Corrientes and Leandro Alem, near the, Luna Park stadium and the Puerto Madero district, and...
to Los Incas/Parque Chas
Los Incas/Parque Chas (Buenos Aires Metro)
Los Incas/Parque Chas is a station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro and is the current terminus....
(projected to Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas (Buenos Aires Metro)
Juan Manuel de Rosas is a future station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro and is slated to be the terminus....
in Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires city, capital of Argentina. It is located between the barrios of Villa Pueyrredón, Belgrano, Villa Ortúzar, Coghlan, Saavedra and Agronomía. Its limits are the streets and avenues Constituyentes, Crisólogo Larralde, Galván, Núñez, Tronador,...
). Line B opened to the public on 17 October 1930.
In recent years it has held the title of being the most used line by the locals, and it is expected increase even more so after the opening of a section of tunnel between Los Incas station in the neighborhood of Parque Chas
Parque Chas
Parque Chas is a barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, reinstated on 6 December 2005 through By-law No. 1907/06.Parque Chas is the smallest district in Buenos Aires and is bounded by La Pampa, Triunvirato, Combatientes de Malvinas, Chorroarín, and Constituyentes streets. It is also the only district...
and a shopping centre in Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires city, capital of Argentina. It is located between the barrios of Villa Pueyrredón, Belgrano, Villa Ortúzar, Coghlan, Saavedra and Agronomía. Its limits are the streets and avenues Constituyentes, Crisólogo Larralde, Galván, Núñez, Tronador,...
. It was the first line in Buenos Aires whose stations had turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
s and moving stairways
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
.
It is the only line that uses third rail current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
collection, while the rest collects electric current from overhead lines
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
. Its gauge of 1435 mm is the same as the rest of the Buenos Aires underground system.
The rolling stock currently used on on the B line are former Tokyo Metro
Tokyo Metro
is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:...
(formerly Eidan Subway) 300/500/900 stocks, which was used on Marunouchi Line. These Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese units were acquired in the early 1990s, and offer less sitting room than the previous setup, increasing the line's capacity during peak hours. The travel time between demand headers is about 25 min.
When excavation was carried out for construction of the Leandro Alem station, the remains of a Mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
of the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
period where found, which were sent to the Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata
La Plata Museum
The La Plata Museum is a natural history museum in La Plata, Argentina.The building, 135 meters long, today houses 3 million fossils and relics , an amphitheatre, opened in 1992, and a 58,000-volume library, serving over 400 university researchers...
.
History
In 1912 the Congress of ArgentinaArgentine National Congress
The Congress of the Argentine Nation is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies....
enacted Law 8,870 to carry out the line that would unite the Correo Central (Central Post Office
Buenos Aires Central Post Office
The Buenos Aires Central Post and Communications Office is a public building and landmark in the San Nicolás district of Buenos Aires.-Overview:...
) and the intersection of Triumvirato and Elcano streets, splice site with the tracks of the Buenos Aires Central Railroad (Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires
Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires
The Ferrocarril Central Buenos Aires was a railway company in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, which built and operated a railway line from Buenos Aires to 4 de Febrero....
or FCCBA), which belonged to the same business group through a 8.7 km tunnel. The Act provided that the works "would clear in part the traffic in the central area of the city".
Latterly on 17 December 1927 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
the financial agreement to build was signed between Teófilo Lacroze, the president of Banco de la Nación
Banco de la Nación Argentina
Banco de la Nación Argentina is a state-owned bank in Argentina, and the largest in the country's banking sector.-Overview:The bank was founded on October 18, 1891, by President Carlos Pellegrini by way of stabilizing the nation's finances following the Panic of 1890; its first director was...
Dr. Tomás de Estrada, Dr. Louis J. Rocca directory owner of Ferrocarril Terminal de Buenos Aires and bankers Harris and Forbes
Harris, Forbes & Co.
Harris, Forbes & Co. was an investment banking affiliate of Harris Bank incorporated in 1911. Harris, Forbes firm was acquired by Chase Manhattan Bank in 1930 to form Chase Harris, Forbes. Just two years later, in 1932, the firm was dissolved after the passage of the Glass–Steagall Act in 1932...
. This will grant the concession of the line for passengers, parcels and freight to Lacroze Brothers Company.
The construction was done by the Argentine builder Dwight P. Robinson & Cía, and the line was called Ferrocarril Terminal Central de Buenos Aires (Central terminal railroad of Buenos Aires). The first section between Federico Lacroze
Federico Lacroze (Buenos Aires Metro)
Federico Lacroze is a subway station of the Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro, located at the intersection of Corrientes and Federico Lacroze avenues in the Chacarita neighbourhood and near the La Chacarita Cemetery....
and Callao
Callao (Line B Buenos Aires Metro)
Callao is a station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro....
opened on 17 October 1930 and measured 7.021 km. The maiden voyage was made by President de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
José Félix Uriburu
José Félix Uriburu
General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu was the first de facto President of Argentina, achieved through a military coup, from September 6, 1930 to February 20, 1932.-Biography:...
.
On 22 June the following year it was extended to Carlos Pellegrini
Carlos Pellegrini (Buenos Aires Metro)
Carlos Pellegrini is a station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro . From here, passengers may transfer to the Diagonal Norte Station on Line C and the9 de Julio Station on Line D....
station. Finally the line was completed on 1 December 1931 when the subway reached the station Leandro N. Alem
Leandro N. Alem (Buenos Aires Metro)
Leandro N. Alem is a terminal station of the Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro. The station's name honours Leandro N. Alem, a UCR politician from the late 19th century. It is located at the intersection of Corrientes and Leandro Alem, near the, Luna Park stadium and the Puerto Madero district, and...
. These three sections were carried out entirely below Corrientes Avenue
Corrientes Avenue
Avenida Corrientes is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The street is intimately tied to the tango and the porteño sense of identity...
, including 19 curves and 13 stations.
According to the depth of the line some sections were made by open ditch (cut-and-cover method) or gallery or tunnel. As so were performed mainly at open skies the stations Federico Lacroze
Federico Lacroze (Buenos Aires Metro)
Federico Lacroze is a subway station of the Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro, located at the intersection of Corrientes and Federico Lacroze avenues in the Chacarita neighbourhood and near the La Chacarita Cemetery....
, Dorrego
Dorrego (Buenos Aires Metro)
Dorrego is a station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro....
, Canning, (now Malabia), Río de Janeiro, (now Ángel Gallardo
Ángel Gallardo (Buenos Aires Metro)
Ángel Gallardo is a station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro....
)
and Medrano
Medrano (Buenos Aires Metro)
Medrano is a station on Line B of the Buenos Aires Metro....
. When you reach the tunnel at Maipu Street the maximum depth reached 17 metres. Underneath the Rancagua (today Los Andes) park, in Chacarita, a workshop and a 10 track garage (with capacity for 110 wagons) were built.
This line had escalators and turnstiles for the payment of coin-operated service, initially manufactured in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, formerly controlled by guards. It also was deeper than the Line A, and like it, each station was decorated with friezes of characteristic colors.
An underground link with the subsoil of the Mercado Central de Abasto
Abasto de Buenos Aires
The Abasto de Buenos Aires was the central wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1893 to 1984. Since 1999, it has served as a shopping mall, Abasto Shopping. It is also famous for being in the area where the tango singer Carlos Gardel, known as El Morocho del Abasto...
(central wholesale fruit and vegetable market) was made available on 12 July 1933, by which goods wagon
Goods wagon
Goods wagons are railway wagons that are used for the transportation of goods .- Development :At the beginning of the railway era, the vast majority of goods wagons were four-wheeled vehicles of simple construction. These were almost exclusively small covered wagons, open wagons with side-boards,...
s with freight from the Ferrocarril Central de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Central Railroad) would arrive, driven by electric locomotives. This was lifted after the fire occurred on 27 November 1952.
From the beginning the circulation was protected by an automatic luminous signalization, with devices for mechanic trains, which were substituted in 1980 for others of magnetic induction, also replaced in 1998 for an electric system with ATP
Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...
.
Metro Cammell
The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in Saltley and subsequently Washwood Heath....
cars (numerated from 101 to 156), of two bogies and metallic bodywork painted with cream and red colours on the exterior, with decorative artwork and dark blue coloured doors. Each car had two 105 HP motors. The interiors had 47 wooden seats, the majority with reversible back and three slide doors on each side, at the platforms level, of opening ans closure commanded by the guard. Later on, 20 similar cars made by Osgood Bradley Car Company
Osgood Bradley Car Company
The Osgood Bradley Car Company manufactured railway passenger cars and streetcars in Worcester, Massachusetts.-History:The company was founded in 1822 to manufacture stagecoaches and sleighs. The company's first railway passenger cars were built for the Boston and Worcester Railroad in 1835. ...
of the US were incorporated.
Expansion plans
Line B is being extended underground further west (2 km) from Los Incas/Parque Chas to Echeverría and Juan Manuel de Rosas (previously named Villa Urquiza) where transfer to the Ferrocarril MitreFerrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre
Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre , named after the former Argentine president Bartolomé Mitre, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...
will be provided. It is expected to open in 2011.
In the meantime, there is a record of passengers and lack investment, but plans are in the list which includes: installation of a new signal system, acquisition of new cars, construction of a new central workshop for the repair of machinery, widening of platforms, hallways and all areas of pedestrian traffic at stations and at transfer nodes, improvements in transfer centers with other means of transport
Events and highlights
- The Ferrocarril Terminal Central de Buenos Aires of Lacroze brothers would be access to the centre of Buenos Aires, but ended up the B line subway.
- Line B connects –through a ramp at Federico Lacroze– non-revenue service into the electrified track of Urquiza Line, where the metro rolling stock heads to Urquiza RailwayFerrocarril General UrquizaFerrocarril General Urquiza , named after the Argentine general and politician Justo José de Urquiza, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...
workshops in Ruben Darío (HurlinghamHurlingham, Buenos AiresHurlingham is a city in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It forms part of the Gran Buenos Aires metropolitan area and is situated 23 km west of the city centre...
) for wheel, gear and axle maintenance.
- Until the privatizationRailway Privatisation in ArgentinaFollowing a prolonged period of hyperinflation in the 1980s, accompanied by a steep increase in fiscal deficit and a sharp fall in reserves, the Argentine government, under the presidency of Carlos Menem from 1989, initiated a series of neoliberal reforms which included the privatisation of...
of subte in the 1990s, the D line was identified by the red color; whilst the B line used green. The switch was perceived to be an annoying re-branding effort.
- Florida and Carlos Pellegrini stations are, by far, the two busiest stations as most commuters alight there in the morning to work in the downtown financial district, and also allow easy access to the entertainment district in the evening (see also Florida StreetFlorida StreetFlorida Street is an elegant shopping street in Downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. A pedestrian street since 1971, some stretches have been pedestrianized since 1913....
). These two stations have a central andén (platform) serving both directions, and their crowded access ramps and stairs are a boon for pickpockets. Carlos Pellegrini and Pueyrredón are the only station in this line offering combination with other subway lines, and allows access to an underground commercial gallery located right below the ObeliscoObelisk of Buenos AiresThe Obelisk of Buenos Aires is a national historic monument and icon of Buenos Aires. Located in the Plaza de la República, in the intersection of avenues Corrientes and 9 de Julio, it was built to commemorate the fourth centenary of the first foundation of the city.In order to enrich the...
landmark, used by pedestrians to avoid crossing 9 de Julio Avenue9 de Julio AvenueAvenida 9 de Julio is a wide avenue in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its name honors Argentina's Independence Day, July 9, 1816.The avenue runs roughly one kilometer to the west of the Río de la Plata waterfront, from the Retiro district in the north to Constitución station in the south...
at street level.
- Uruguay station is located near the Tribunales (Courthouse) and many famous restaurants and theaters.
- Pasteur, Pueyrredón, and Carlos Gardel stations are located in the BalvaneraBalvaneraBalvanera is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.-Origin of Name and Alternative Names:The official name, Balvanera, is the name of the parroquia centered around the church of Nuestra Señora de Balvanera, erected in 1831.The zone around Corrientes avenue is known as Once after Plaza Once de...
neighborhood. The latter is located near the Abasto shopping mallAbasto de Buenos AiresThe Abasto de Buenos Aires was the central wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1893 to 1984. Since 1999, it has served as a shopping mall, Abasto Shopping. It is also famous for being in the area where the tango singer Carlos Gardel, known as El Morocho del Abasto...
, in the neighborhood where Carlos GardelCarlos GardelCarlos Gardel was a singer, songwriter and actor, and is perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was born in Toulouse, France, although he never acknowledged his birthplace publicly, and there are still claims of his birth in Uruguay. He lived in Argentina from the age of two...
grew up.
- Since the 1940s, the line used to end in Federico Lacroze StationEstación Federico LacrozeFederico Lacroze railway station is a passenger railway terminus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is located in the city's outlying barrio of Chacarita in a predominantly residential area. It is just a short distance north of the Cementerio de la Chacarita, the city's largest cemetery...
, near Chacarita CemeteryLa Chacarita CemeteryCementerio de la Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known as the National Cemetery and is the largest in Argentina.-Location:The cemetery is in the barrio or district of Chacarita, in the northern part of Buenos Aires...
, where commuters could board the suburban bound Urquiza LineLínea Urquiza (Buenos Aires)The Urquiza Line is a suburban electric commuter line operated by the subway operator Metrovías, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It runs from the Federico Lacroze terminus in the barrio of Chacarita, to General Lemos terminus, Campo de Mayo in Greater Buenos Aires, a total journey time of 46 min...
. In the 1990s, work began to expand the line to Villa OrtúzarVilla OrtúzarVilla Ortúzar is one of the neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires. Its limits are La Pampa St., Forest Ave., Elcano Ave., Ferrocarril General Urquiza railroads, Del Campo Ave., Combatientes de Malvinas Ave. and Triunvirato Ave....
and Villa UrquizaVilla UrquizaVilla Urquiza is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires city, capital of Argentina. It is located between the barrios of Villa Pueyrredón, Belgrano, Villa Ortúzar, Coghlan, Saavedra and Agronomía. Its limits are the streets and avenues Constituyentes, Crisólogo Larralde, Galván, Núñez, Tronador,...
.
External links
- Subterráneos de Buenos Aires (Official Page)
- Metrovías S.A. Subte Operator (Official Page)
- Subterráneos de Buenos Aires, B Line
- System map
- La ruina de la línea B (In Spanish—History includes vintage photos and video)