One day.... by TheWanderingCamel
In operation from 1910 until its closure in 1984 following an earthquake, the Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes - Mendoza (Trans-Andean Los Andes -Mendoza Railway) was one of the great railway journeys of the world. A narrow gauge of 1 m with rack railway sections, the mountain railway joined the gap from Mendoza to Buenos Aires and Los Andes to Santiago. Now it looks as though it is set to run again in the not too distant future. Agreements have been signed between Argentina and Chile and work set in motion that hopefully will see trains on the tracks again by 2010. The timeline (and the estimated cost of US$460 million) may prove to be a bit of wishful thinking but whenever it is finished, it is going to be 150 miles of rail traveller's heaven, though whether it will run passenger services is yet to be seen - the last few years it was in service only for freight and competing with the highway and cheap buses may prove too hard.Dramatic scenery all the way from Mendoza to the mile long Cumbre tunnel at 10486 feet, and then a dizzying descent of 7000 feet in just 35 miles wouldl make this one fantastic train ride. Meantime, the tracks and bridges, signals, tunnels and snow shelters of the old railway can be seen as you travel the RN-7 up from Mendoza.
