Overview | |||
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Locale | Greater Concepción | ||
Transit type | Commuter rail / Rapid transit | ||
Number of lines | 2 | ||
Number of stations | 25 | ||
Daily ridership | 16000 daily | ||
Website | http://www.biotren.cl | ||
Operation | |||
Began operation | 1 December 1999 | ||
Operator(s) | Ferrocarriles del Sur S.A. | ||
Technical | |||
System length | 66.6 km (41.4 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||
Electrification | (Voltage?) catenary | ||
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Biotren | |
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Operation | |
Rolling stock | UT-440 series RENFE Class 440 |
The Biotren (Spanish: Biotrén) is an at-grade urban commuter rail system that covers a big part of the city of Concepción, capital of the region of Bío-Bío, also known as Greater Concepción or Concepción Metropolitan Area, both synonyms of "city" according to the urbanistic standards and laws of Chile, of which this city is the second biggest, most populous and important of the country. Biotren connects the boroughs or comunas of Concepción Centro (downtown borough), Talcahuano, Hualpén, San Pedro de la Paz, Chiguayante and Hualqui. The system is managed by Ferrocarriles Suburbanos de Concepción S.A. (Fesub), which name comes from the former metrorail system of the city and is a subsidiary of Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE), Chilean State Railways. Biotren is part of the Plan and Authority of Integrated Transit of Concepción, Biovías.
The system was partially inaugurated on 24 November 2005 in a ceremony that counted with the presence of the then President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos.
It began to fully operate in 2006 because during the year 2005 the railroad lines were being upgraded for the new system. The AEL and AES trains that the former system used were replaced by UT-440 MC(Modelo Concepcion) units that were specially upgraded for the city of Valencia, Spain by Renfe.