Transport in nation of 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...

 consists of 2,835 km of rail

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 network, 8,983 km of roads, 1,600 km of navigable waterway

Waterway

A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...

s, and 15 airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

s/landing fields serviced by the national airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 PLUNA

PLUNA

PLUNALíneas Aéreas Uruguayas S.A. is the flag carrier of Uruguay, headquartered in Carrasco, Montevideo. It operates scheduled services within South America, as well as unscheduled cargo and charter services, with its main hub being Carrasco International Airport near Montevideo.- Foundation :The...

.

Railways

total:
2835.558 km

standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

:
2835.558 km (2005)

In service: 1507.832 km

Out of service: 1327.726 km

Passenger services

• Regular passenger services are operated between Montevideo
  Montevideo
  Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
  
   and 25 de Agosto (63 km) since August 26, 1993 (previously all regular passenger services were withdrawn on January 2, 1988). One daily train was extended to San José (96 km from Montevideo) on January 15, 2007, and other was extended from 25 de Agosto to Florida (109 km from Montevideo) on January 2, 2008. Another line, which operates between Montevideo and Ingeniero Victor Sudriers, was reopened on December 15, 2005 (44 km)

International links

• There is a freight rail connection with  Argentina Argentina
  Transportation in Argentina
  Transport in Argentina is mainly based on a complex network of routes, crossed by relatively inexpensive long-distance buses and by cargo trucks. The country also has a number of national and international airports. The importance of the long-distance train is minor today, though in the past it was...
  
   (Argentina
  Rail transport in Argentina
  The Argentine railway network comprised of track at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in South America. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up...
  
  ) over the Salto Grande Dam
  Salto Grande Dam
  The Salto Grande Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Uruguay River, located between Concordia, Argentina, and Salto, Uruguay; thus is shared between the two countries....
  
  
• There is a rail connections with  Brazil Brazil
  Transportation in Brazil
  Transport infrastructure in Brazil is characterized by strong regional differences and lack of development of the national rail network. Brazil's fast growing economy, and especially the growth in exports, will place increasing demands on the transport networks...
  
   (Brazil
  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...
  
  ) which includes freight transshipment
  Transshipment
  Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
  
   because of gauge difference
  Break-of-gauge
  With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
  
   ( to ) at Santana do Livramento
  Santana do Livramento
  Santana do Livramento is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located along the border with the city of Rivera, Uruguay, which helps form an international city of 200,000 inhabitants.- Overview :...
  
  .

Future

The state railway administration AFE has announced that starting January, 2010, 419 km of track will be renewed on the Pintado-Rivera section of the central main line and part of the international branch from Rivera to Santana do Livramento, using north of Chamberlain Russian rail given in lieu of a debt. The programme will cost $30m.

Highways

total:
8,983 km

paved:
8,085 km

unpaved:
898 km (1999 est.)

Waterways

1,600 km; used by coastal

Coastal trading vessel

Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....

 and shallow-draft

Draft (hull)

The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...

 river craft

Riverboat

A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...

Ports and harbors

Montevideo

Montevideo

Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...

, Fray Bentos

Fray Bentos

Fray Bentos, the capital of the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay, is a port on the Uruguay River. It is close to the border with Argentina and about due north of Buenos Aires.-History:...

, Nueva Palmira

Nueva Palmira

Nueva Palmira is a city in Colonia Department in south-western Uruguay. It is located on the east bank of Uruguay River, about northwest of the departmental capital Colonia del Sacramento.-Population:In 2004, it had a population of 9,230....

, Paysandú

Paysandú

-Transportation:The city is served by Tydeo Larre Borges International Airport.-Climate:Paysandú has a humid subtropical climate, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are warm to hot and winters are cool, with the occurrence of frosts and fog...

, Punta del Este

Punta del Este

Punta del Este is a resort town on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. It is located on the intersection of Route 10 with Route 39, directly southeast of the department capital Maldonado and about east of Montevideo...

, Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the oldest town in Uruguay and capital of the departamento of Colonia. It has a population of around 22,000.It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site...

, Piriápolis

Piriápolis

Piriápolis is a city in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is located on the coast of Río de la Plata, on Route 10 and its intersection with Route 37. It is about east of the national capital, Montevideo . Piriápolis is an important summer resort in the country, predating the larger and more...

.

Merchant marine

total:
1 ship ( or over) totaling /

ships by type: (1999 est.)

• petroleum tanker 1

Airports

65 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 50 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 33 (1999 est.)