Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado

Background

The first SOFSE logo

A CNR CKD8G diesel-electric locomotive running express services to Mar del Plata

A CSR train running on Sarmiento line

SOFSE Materfer and CNR CKD8 rolling stock in Bragado

After the Railway privatisation in Argentina at the beginning of the 1990s the railway assets that had not given in concession were taken over by Ferrocarriles Argentinos before being dissolved.

From 1996 to 2000 those assets were administered by "Ente Nacional de Administración de Bienes Ferroviarios" (ENABIEF) created through a National Decree promulgated by the Presidency of Argentina. On June 1, 2000, ENABIEF merged to Dirección Nacional de Bienes del Estado.

From then on, the "Organismo Nacional de Administración de Bienes" (ONABE) began its activities as an organism created to manage the assets not directly affected to State activities.^[6]

Law 26.352 promulgated in 2008 re-organized the railway operations in Argentina creating two State organisms, the "Administración de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias" (ADIF) and the Operadora Ferroviaria (SOFSE). Decree N° 752/08 regulated the activities by the recently established company since then.

Further operations

Although having been established in 2008, SOFSE became active two years later, when the organism took over the railway services in Chaco Province left by Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco (SEFECHA). In 2011 the organism added the regional services of Salta and Buenos Aires Provinces. When Minister of Transport was created in 2012, SOFSE took over all the urban services not granted in concession of Greater Buenos Aires. The society also began to operate interuban services such as train services to Córdoba, Tucumán cities and other services previously operated by the Government of Entre Ríos Province.

In June 2013, SOFSE took over the Tren de la Costa when the Government decided the company would be managed by the Argentine State after revoking the contract with Sociedad Comercial del Plata.^[7]

In September 2013, the Government of Argentina designed SOFSE to operate the Mitre and Sarmiento lines, after their contracts of concession were revoked to Trenes de Buenos Aires. This decision was officially promulgated through Resolution N° 1083/13.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

SOFSE operated temporarily the Mitre line until the Government of Argentina re-privatised it, giving the line in concession to "Corredores Ferroviarios S.A." (a private company part of Emepa Group) on February 12, 2014.^[13][14][15]

In December 2014, brand new trains acquired by the Government of Argentina to Chinese company CNR Dalian, started to run luxury services from Constitución to Mar del Plata.^[16][17] Classic service continued to be operated by Ferrobaires.^[18]

In February 2015, services from Buenos Aires to Rufino, Santa Fe were reestablished after 22 years. The service runs with brand-new trains acquired to China on Ferrocarril San Martín tracks. Trains make stops at Chacabuco, Junín, Vedia and Alberdi, among other stations.^[19][20]

In March 2015, SOFSE started to run the CNR CKD8 trains from Retiro to Córdoba. Due to the poor conditions of the tracks, trains took 19 hours to run the 700 km (430 mi) between terminus. It was double the time that in 1938, when services operated by Central Argentine took 9 hours to connect both cities with two intermediate stops.^[21][22]

Commuter rail renationalisation

SOFSE took over Belgrano Sur and Roca (operated by Argentren) and Mitre and San Martín (operated by Corredores Ferroviarios) lines after the Government of Argentina rescinded the contracts signed with both companies on March 2, 2015. The contract terms specified that the concession could be cancelled with no right to claim compensation.^[4] The agreements had been signed in February 2014, committing Argentren and Corredores Ferroviarios to operate the lines.^[5][23][24]

Current situation

In January 2016, the Ministry of Transport ceased operations over services to La Pampa Province. The Government took the decision based on the low demand of the Santa Rosa–General Pico line and the poor conditions of some bridges that had been deteriorated after the flooding in August 2015.^[25][26][27]

In June 2016, the Buenos Aires–Rosario service extended operations to Rosario Norte Station (located at the north of the city, closer to the downtown) instead of Rosario Sur, which had been terminus until then.^[28]

Urban

Commuter rail services within the Buenos Aires Province:

Long distance

Inter-city services along Argentina: