By Roy Heale
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| FerroCentral Train |
Sadly over the years most of the trans-continental trains in South America have vanished from service.
However, in Argentina there is still
train availability from Buenos Aires to Tucamen with several stops
along the way. Operated by FerroCentral this journey is longer than
traveling by road, but for those who enjoy train trips it is a very
inexpensive way to make this journey. Used mostly by locals, this
requires considerable advance booking---often several months----as
there is limited frequency of only twice per week with a small
passenger capacity. Tickets can be purchased at the FerroCentral
offices at Retiro train station in Buenos Aires and several classes
of service are offered ranging from economy seats to small private
cabins.
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| Our Camarote
|
Recently we chose to experience this
train journey for our vacation in the Sierras of Cordoba, taking the
long twenty-two hour trip to Cordoba Capital from Retiro. Costing
just around US$30 round-trip for two persons we reserved a sleeping
cabin (camarote) for comfort and sightseeing pleasure. With this
class of ticket a complimentary breakfast for two is included and a
simple, adequate dinner is available for an extra US$6 per person
including a main course, dessert pastry and beverage. Although the
train departed exactly on schedule we encountered problems on the
tracks about half-way through the journey close to Rosario and ended
up with a seven hour diversion.
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| Dining Car |
Our sleeping compartment was cozy and comfortable so we were able to enjoy the exceptionally long trip. The dining car offered reasonably good, simple meals at exceptionally low prices, but no alcoholic beverages.
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| Dinner Main Course |
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| Dessert |
We opted to get off the train early in
Villa Maria and finish the journey to our final destination of Santa
Rosa de Calamuchita by bus, which proved to be more efficient whilst
still allowing us to enjoy the scenery.
One week after we returned to Buenos Aires in early March, 2015 the Federal Government replaced all the FerroCentral train carriages with brand new equipment and we just missed experiencing this upgraded service.
Overall, if you have the time for the journey and can plan your trip far in advance, this is a unique Argentine experience and the cheapest way to travel to the North West regions of this vast country.
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