The Villa María and Rufino Railway (VM&R) was a British-owned company that, towards the end of the 19th century, built and operated a broad gauge

Indian gauge

Indian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...

, , railway line in 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...

, where it was known as the Ferrocarril Villa María a Rufino (FCVMR).

The VM&R was granted a concession on 15 August 1887 to construct a 227 km line between Villa María

Villa María

Villa María is a city in Córdoba Province, Argentina, and the head town of the General San Martín Department. It is located in the center of rich agricultural land. The area leads the country in production of milk...

 in Córdoba Province

Córdoba Province (Argentina)

Córdoba is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are : Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja and Catamarca...

, on the Central Argentine Railway

Central Argentine Railway

The Central Argentine Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...

 (CA), and Rufino

Rufino, Santa Fe

Rufino is a city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It has 18,372 inhabitants as per the . It lies on the southwest of the province, from the provincial capital Santa Fe, near the borders with Córdoba and Buenos Aires , on the intersection of National Routes 33 and 7.The town was founded by...

 in Santa Fe Province

Santa Fe Province

The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...

, on the Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway

Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway

The Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina....

 (BA&P). The section between Villa María and La Carlota

La Carlota, Córdoba, Argentina

La Carlota is a city in the south of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, about 110 km south of Villa María and 240 km from Córdoba City. It has 11,490 inhabitants as per the ....

 was opened on 26 October 1890 and from La Carlota to Rufino on 23 March 1891.

The line passed through the developing grain zone, which lay between the main lines operated by the BA&P and the CA, and became a valuable feeder for the former railway. At that time the VM&R provided farmers situated along its route with their only direct access to the port and market of 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...

.

Because of their common interests the VM&R and the BA&P forged close links until finally, in 1900, the BA&P took over the VM&R.