Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado (SOFSE), trading as Trenes Argentinos Operaciones, is an Argentine state-owned company created in 2008 to operate passenger services in Argentina. It operates as a division of Ferrocarriles Argentinos S.E.
Since March 2015, SOFSE has run the Buenos Aires commuter rail services Mitre, San Martín, Roca and Belgrano Sur lines previously operated by private companies.
History
Background After the railway privatisation in Argentina began in 1989, the railway assets that had not been 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 organisation created to manage the assets not directly affected by State activities.
Law 26.352 promulgated in 2008 re-organized the railway operations in Argentina, creating two State organisations, the "Administración de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias" (ADIF) and the "Operadora Ferroviaria" (SOFSE). Decree N° 752/08, sanctioned in May 2008, has regulated the activities of the then recently established company from that point onwards.
Further operations
Although established in 2008, SOFSE became active two years later, when the organisation took over the railway services in Chaco Province left by Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco (SEFECHA). In 2011 the organisation added the regional services of Salta and Buenos Aires Provinces. When the Ministry 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 interurban 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.
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.
SOFSE temporarily operated the Mitre line until the Government of Argentina re-privatised it, giving the line concession to "Corredores Ferroviarios S.A." (a private company part of Emepa Group) on February 12, 2014.
In December 2014, brand new trains acquired by the Government of Argentina from Chinese company CNR Dalian, started to run luxury services from Constitución to Mar del Plata. The classic service continued to be operated by Ferrobaires.
In February 2015, services from Buenos Aires to Rufino, Santa Fe were reestablished after 22 years. The service runs with brand-new trains acquired from China on Ferrocarril San Martín tracks. Trains make stops at Chacabuco, Junín, Vedia and Alberdi, among other stations.
In March 2015, SOFSE started to run the CNR CKD8 trains from Retiro to Córdoba. Due to the poor condition of the tracks, trains took 19½ hours to run the . This was more than twice the time that it took in 1938, when services operated by Central Argentine took 9 hours to connect both cities with two intermediate stops.
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. The agreements had been signed in February 2014, committing Argentren and Corredores Ferroviarios to operate the lines.
Latest news 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 deteriorated after the flooding in August 2015.
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.
In March 2023, Trenes Argentinos announced the return of passenger services to Mendoza Province, which had been interrupted since 1993 during the Carlos Menem presidency.Volvió el tren a Mendoza, pero tarda 10 horas más que en 1910: la odisea de su construcción en el siglo XIX by Adrián Pignatelli on Infobae, 29 March 2023 As the former Mendoza railway station had been converted into a tram stop and added to the Metrotranvía network, the terminus was set in Palmira, distant 5 km from the city of Mendoza.Después de 30 años, volvimos a Mendoza on Trenes Argentinos, 23 Mar 2023 A test ride was run in March, nevertheless it was severely criticized due to the excessive journey time (27 hours) alleging that in the 1960s the travel took only 13 hours.Cruces entre el Gobierno y la oposición por las treinta horas que tarda el tren a Mendoza at Perfil, 24 Mar 2023 After a delay that took more than two months,El radicalismo pide explicaciones por la demora de la llegada del tren a Mendoza on El Sol, 25 May 2023Exigen explicaciones por la demora del tren entre Buenos Aires y Mendoza by Juan Stagnoli on Diario Mendoza, 24 May 2023 the service (that had terminus in Justo Daract, San Luis Province) was finally reestablished to reach Palmira in June 2023.El primer servicio regular de tren de pasajeros llegó a Mendoza luego de 30 años on Télam, 3 Jun 2023.
Nevertheless, in successive years several railway lines were closed by Trenes Argentinos, in most of the cases the company alleged increasing maintenance costs, lower demand, and infrastructure problems as causal factors.Último tren a Pehuajó on Infocielo, 26 Oct 2024 Some of the closed services were the tourist service Mercedes–Tomas Jofré (after an accident where a truck destroyed one of its bridges in 2024;un camión destruyó un puente ferroviario en Mercedes on Infobae, 8 May 2024 the line had been reopened only one year before.Se inauguró el servicio turístico Mercedes – Tomás Jofré at enelsubte, 29 May 2023 As the bridge was never repaired, the service continues inactive),El servicio turístico Mercedes – Tomás Jofré seguirá suspendido on Enelsubte Retiro–Justo Daract, Retiro–Palmira,Clausuraron cinco servicios ferroviarios fuera del AMBA en menos de un año on Enelsubte, 28 Oct 2024 and the Bragado–Pehuajó (2024)Adiós al tren entre Bragado y Pehuajó on Página12, 21 Oct 2024 and General Guido–Pinamar (April 2025) branches.Suspenden el tren entre General Guido y Pinamar por problemas de infraestructura on Página12.com.arOtro tren menos: eliminan el servicio a Pinamar on Tiempo Argentino, 28 Mar 2025
In 2025, several services were indefinitely suspended by Trenes Argentinos such as trains to Córdoba and San Miguel de Tucumán, both in December 2025. The company explained that the suspension was due to track repair work that has been underway since a previous derailment in September.Cancelaron el servicio de trenes que conectan Buenos Aires con Córdoba y Tucumán por una medida gremial at infobae. 30 Dec 2025
Services operated
The following is a list of services operated by Operadora Ferroviaria in Argentina. The list includes urban railways such as Mitre, San Martín, Roca and Belgrano Sur lines previously managed by private companies.
Metropolitan Commuter rail services within the Buenos Aires Province:Recorridos - Área metropolitana on Trenes Argentinos, 31 Jul 2022
Service Line Once – Moreno Electric 45 Sarmiento Moreno – Mercedes Diesel Sarmiento Merlo – Lobos Diesel 90 Sarmiento Constitución – Ezeiza Electric35 Roca Ezeiza – Cañuelas Diesel 35 Roca Constitución – Alejandro Korn Electric 45 Roca Alejandro Korn – Chascomús Diesel 93 Roca Constitución – La Plata Electric 60 Roca La Plata – Policlínico (University train) Diesel 4 Roca Constitución – Temperley Electric 19 Roca Temperley – Haedo Diesel 30 Roca Constitución – Bosques (via Quilmes) Electric 19 Roca Constitución – Bosques (via Temperley) Electric 19 Roca Bosques – Gutiérrez Diesel 7 Roca Cañuelas – Lobos Diesel Roca Dr. A. Sáenz – Villars Diesel Belgrano Sur Dr. A. Sáenz – Marinos Cruc. Belgrano Diesel43 Belgrano Sur Retiro – Tigre Electric 30 Mitre Retiro – B. Mitre Electric 15 Mitre Retiro – José León Suárez Electric 27 Mitre Victoria – Capilla del Señor Diesel 60 Mitre Villa Ballester – Zárate Diesel 75 Mitre Retiro – Doctor Cabred Diesel 70 San Martín Maipú – Delta Electric 15 Tren de la Costa Notes
Long distance Inter-city services along Argentina, Servicios regionales y de larga distancia on Trenes Argentinos
Province/s covered Terminus Company/Line Buenos Aires Constitución – Mar del Plata 2 Roca Once – Bragado 3 Sarmiento Retiro (SM) – Junín 1 San Martín Buenos Aires – Santa Fe Retiro (M) – Rosario Norte 1 Mitre Notes
Regional
Province/s covered Terminus Company/Line Chaco R.S. Peña – Chorotis 7 Belgrano Resistencia – Los Amores 4 Belgrano Córdoba Córdoba / Alta Córdoba – Valle Hermoso 6 Belgrano Córdoba – Villa María 3 Mitre Entre Ríos Paraná – Jorge Méndez 4 Urquiza Neuquén – Río Negro Cipolletti – Plottier 10 Roca Salta Gral. Güemes – Campo Quijano 4 Belgrano
International
Regions covered Terminus Company/Line Misiones – Itapúa Posadas – Encarnación 2 Urquiza
Maps of services operated As of October 2024
References
External links