The Argentine government has invested more than 20 billion pesos since the declaration of the Railway Emergency in the purchase of locomotives, railway parts, maintenance, and recovery of rolling stock. Franco Mogetta, Secretary of Transport, reported that the first disbursement of 2 million dollars has been made to acquire 3 locomotives for the San Martín line, along with the repair of 24 additional locomotives.
Supplies for the engines, braking systems, materials for the driver's cabins, and passenger car salons will be incorporated. Equipment and workshop tools for scheduled maintenance will also be received. Additionally, a budget of 130 million dollars was agreed upon with the railway parts company for the purchase of spare parts for all electric train lines.
The service on the San Martín line, connecting Retiro with Pilar/Cabred, has been operating under an emergency schedule due to a lack of locomotives. The arrival of crane bridges, vertical lathes, and the purchase of tools to expand the tasks performed in these facilities is expected, ensuring the operability of cars from various lines.
In 2024, of the more than 20 billion pesos allocated for the maintenance of rolling stock, 6.5 billion has been invested in domestically produced materials, 9 billion in imports of spare parts and advances for the acquisition of locomotives for the San Martín line, and more than 5 billion in repairs executed by external agents.
Additionally, work is being done on the acquisition of 150 passenger cars and on the contracting for the repair of 24 locomotives on the San Martín line. The plan includes the adaptation of the Victoria workshops on the Mitre line and the Tolosa workshops on the Roca line to strengthen the existing fleet and provide greater safety and efficiency for users.
Trenes Argentinos has reached an agreement with the Chinese company CRRC SIFANG for 130 million dollars for the acquisition of essential spare parts. These spare parts will be used in the scheduled repairs of railway formations that operate on various lines, improving operational efficiency and extending the useful life of the rolling stock. This agreement will prioritize the arrival of necessary spare parts for the maintenance of electric cars, which have not been received since 2015.
The government has advanced in the purchase of three new diesel-electric locomotives for the San Martín line, with a payment of 2 million dollars. This acquisition aims to improve operational safety and optimize service on that line. These actions have been taken due to the maintenance delays generated by the previous management, which resulted in delays and cancellations in service and a loss of reliability in performance.
