Rail transport in Paraguay
Encyclopedia
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
consisted primarily of a 376 km main line of standard gauge between Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
and Encarnación
Encarnación, Paraguay
Encarnación is the capital city of the Paraguayan department of Itapúa, located at the south of the department, on the right-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Posadas, Argentina...
(with a connection to Posadas
Posadas, Misiones
Posadas is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, located at the south of the province, on the left-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of 965 km² and a population of 323,739 ....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
). The infrastructure was administered by Ferrocarriles del Paraguay S.A. (FE.PA.S.A.), corporation established in 2002. As of 2006, all traffic has been suspended except weekly tourist steam
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
trains between Jardín Botánico de Asunción (Asunción Botanical Gardens) and the city of Areguá
Areguá
Areguá is a city in Paraguay; located 28 km away from the capital city Asunción. It is the capital of Central. Probably the best feature of this Paraguayan town is its geographical location; it lays between a group of rolling hills with a distinctive rock formation and a beautiful blue lake,...
(23 km) plus an additional 15 km section to the village of Ypacaraí
Ypacaraí
Ypacaraí is a town in the Central Department of Paraguay on Lake Ypacarai. On the road system, it is located between Asunción and Caacupé. In 2004, the village had a population of 30,150, and is 64.1 m above sea level. Notable agricultural crops of the area include tobacco and cotton...
under renovation and cross-border freight trains between Posadas
Posadas, Misiones
Posadas is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, located at the south of the province, on the left-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of 965 km² and a population of 323,739 ....
in Argentina and Encarnación. As of 2007 steam 2-6-0s built between 1910 and 1914 still perform shunting duties. The former main station in Asunción has been converted into a railway museum.
As of 2010, following the collapse of an abutment of a bridge on the Rio Ytay, the tourist steam train traffic has been suspended until repairs can be effected. The rising level of the Yacyreta dam has flooded the tracks on the Argentinian side, putting a halt on the grain exports by rail from the Encarnacion goods terminal until the track can be reinstated at a higher level.
There were also a number of narrow-gauge industrial lines, mainly in the North of the country, that total over 600 km of track; built to bring agricultural production to the ports on the Rio Paraguay, they also carried passengers; some of those lines, quite extensive (some over 150 km in length) still exist, even if no longer in use.
History
Railways in Paraguay were inaugurated in 1861, during the era of Carlos Antonio LópezCarlos Antonio López (politician)
Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán was a Paraguayan political figure. He was the country's ruler from 1841 to 1862....
. Privatized and renationalized several times, the railroad was finally nationalized in 1961. As of 1988, the 367-km rail system was outdated, wood-powered, slow and costly even with government subsidies. The volume of cargo carried on the railroad declined in the 1970s and 1980s as alternative roads and waterways became more efficient, though some agricultural goods did move by train. In Encarnación, the Paraguayan railroad system connected via ferry with the Argentine city of Posadas, which is connected by Ferrocarril General Urquiza
Ferrocarril General Urquiza
Ferrocarril 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...
to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and the Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an and Brazilian railroad
Rail transport in Brazil
Rail transport in Brazil began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies. The railways were nationalised under RFFSA in 1957...
systems. There also was a small "soybean railroad" near the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian border.