Ferrocarril Económico Correntino
| Corrientes Economic Railway | |||
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Corrientes station, terminus, c. 1900.
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| Overview | |||
| Native name | Ferrocarril Económico Correntino | ||
| Type | Inter-city | ||
| Status | Defunct | ||
| Locale | Corrientes Province | ||
| Termini |
Corrientes Mburucuyá |
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| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1892 | ||
| Closed | 1969 | ||
| Owner | Government of Corrientes | ||
| Operator(s) |
List
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| Technical | |||
| Line length | 220 km (140 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) | ||
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Ferrocarril Económico Correntino is the informal name for some former narrow gauge State-owned railway lines in Corrientes Province of Argentina that used a gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in).
Railway locomotives used firewood as fuel, running at a maximum speed of 20 km/h, therefore a trip between Corrientes and Mburucuyá (178 km length) took nearly 26 hours.
The first line, named "Ferrocarril Primer Correntino", operated from 1892 to 1904. After its closure part of the rail tracks were removed and the other part continued operating as a freight train for the sugar cane mill with the same name. The second line was "Compañía General de Ferrocarriles Económicos de la Provincia de Corrientes", added part of the previous railway operating from 1912 to 1927 when it was acquired by the Government of Corrientes and renamed "Ferrocarril Provincial de Corrientes".
With the railway Nationalisation in Argentina the FCEC was added to the General Urquiza Railway in 1948. The line was definitely closed in 1969 and its tracks lifted.
Italian entrepreneur Francisco Bolla, owner of suger cane mill "Ingenio Primer Correntino" had requested for a railway line to transport both, goods and passengers. On December 18, 1890, the Provincial Legislature promulgated a Law granted Bolla a concession to build and operate a railway line. The Law specified a 600mm-narrow gauge and the use of steam locomotives for the railway.
Law also granted Bolla's company the lands where the railway would be built, also exempting company from paying duties for a period of 30 years. For its part, the company had to run a minimum of three trains a week, whose fees would be established by the Government of Corrientes itself.
The first section was built from Primer Correntino cane mill to San Luis del Palmar, being opened on September 23, 1892. Nevertheless, the Provincial Government realised that the company had extended the line from San Luis to the Arroyo Riachuelito and was constructing another branch to the city of Corrientes without permission. Because of that, the Government suspended the construction by decree on July 17, 1896. Works were finally resumed on September 14, giving also new concessions to the company.
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Wikipedia