Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Our Train Ride Experience From Cordoba to Buenos Aires and Back Again

 
Argentina has 23 provinces and one federal district, which is La CABA, aka the Argentine capital. Taking a train may be the cheapest way to travel between provinces, but its destinations are currently limited. For example, you can't take a train from Cordoba to Mendoza or from Cordoba to San Juan. It wasn’t always like this though. There was a time where you could travel practically anywhere in Argentina by train. Then the regime of President Menem decided that the train system took business away from trucking distributors. So, he shut down most train service routes. Over time, those old railroad tracks turned into dumping grounds, which attract a lot of shady elements into the local neighborhoods. 
This used to be a train track
Dead trees and trash now litter this old railroad
Under the Kirchnerista presidential regime, the railroad systems became operational again. Companies like Ferrocentral were once again able to offer train services to provinces like Cordoba, which connected them with routes that lead to Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires. 
We took the train route from Cordoba to Buenos Aires


Check out the video footage we took of the scenery throughout the train ride.
On our journey to and from Buenos Aires, we noticed a whole lot of farms, soy and wheat processing plants, as well as a couple of small towns. I didn't see anything as industrialized as Cordoba City or the Capital of Buenos Aires. 
Passengers get ready to board the train. Nice beanie hat dude!

The interior of the train is similar to those used by Amtrak in the United States. There are overhead compartments that allow you to store your carry-on luggage, and footrests so you can stretch your weary legs while you sleep.   

Each cart has a men and women's restroom, which is rather convenient when the food doesn't agree with you. You can always go and buy yourself coffee, tea, soda, croissants, or a milanesa (breaded steak) sandwich, just make sure you're willing to pop a squat afterwards in one of the toilets. Something in that sandwich made my stomach hurt. You're better off bringing your own food. But would I use the train again? Absolutely! 
Some passengers might like the menu on the train ...
Others might hate it

2 comments:

  1. How much was a ticket and how long did the trip take from Cordoba to BsAs? Great post as always!

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  2. Thank you! The ticket was 89.71 Argentinian pesos which is about 16 US dollars. It took about 21 hours to get there from Cordoba to Buenos Aires. Thanks again for reading my blog.

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