Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos
Rail transport in Ecuador is - apart from a few little permanent projects - mainly carried out by the Ecuadorian Railway. It connects the two parts of the country populated coastal and highland each other. Due to lack of maintenance of the track on the one hand and damage caused by natural disasters, on the other hand, the operation came during the 1990s to an almost complete halt. Companies were only small distances for tourism purposes.
However, the railroad experienced a renaissance since she has declared a symbol of national unity and Ecuador's President Rafael Correa decided their reconstruction. Because of the mainline from Guayaquil to Quito at Durán was repaired from 2008 to 2013.
- 2.1 tram in Guayaquil
- 2.2 tram in Quito
- 2.3 tram in Cuenca
Railway
Development
The main route of the Ecuadorian Railway ( Ferrocarril del Sur ) was built in 1873-1908 and joined the country's largest cities, Guayaquil on the coast and Quito in the Andes. She had enormous significance for the development of the country, particularly the Andean highlands.
Origins
After he had prevailed in the civil war -like political crisis in Ecuador from 1859/60, the now elected as President Gabriel García Moreno of the Constituent Assembly was to assure the means for the purposes of its program of political unification of the country a railway from the coast to Quito to build. This infrastructure should connect the political and economic centers of the country, Quito in the northern Andes and Guayaquil, in the coastal region. Some members of the government were of the idea so much that they wanted to renounce in favor of the railway on their salary. However, the funding of this ambitious project from the outset designed to be difficult.
It was only on December 18, 1872 were García Moreno instruction to enter into a contract with foreign investors to build the first section between Sibambe in the Andean province of Chimborazo and Yaguachi in the coastal province of Guayas. First, however, was in the U.S. and the UK, no investor to find, as at this time there were more numerous attractive railway projects in the world. It took months until the first material could be imported. On July 18, 1873, work began in Yaguachi.
García Moreno promised to complete the 140 km long stretch until January 1875. However, the project was delayed. On 1 May 1874, the route was inaugurated by Yaguachi to Milagro. In August 1875 García Moreno was murdered. By 1896, the route of Durán ( on opposite banks of the river Guayaquil Guayas ) was to Chimbo completed in the province of Bolívar.
Under Eloy Alfaro
In 1897 he signed a contract with the North American entrepreneur Archer Harman, who in New Jersey, the Guayaquil & Quito Railway Company founded thereupon. The contract was then highly controversial. There was a strong counter-campaign in the press, and a majority in the Parliament called for renegotiations. 1898 procured the Parliament amendments to the contract, which in turn irritated the foreign investors. Harman had new capital in the UK to recruit before the project gained momentum.
The railroad was considered the most difficult in the world. In particular, the Andes rise at the Nariz de Pistishi, which was later called Nariz del Diablo ( Devil's Nose ), which was built in 1901, is a masterpiece. In several switchbacks 500 meters height to be overcome.
On June 25, 1908, the birthday of Eloy Alfaro, the railway from Guayaquil to Quito was opened, and the first train reached Quito. There followed weeks of festivities across the country.
Other sections of the railway
1915, the construction of a partial route of 145 km from Sibambe about Azogues to Cuenca was started to connect also the southern Andean region to the railway. The line was finally opened in 1965 and used until 1990, especially for the transport of goods.
From Quito the north was another line, as the Ferrocarril Norte ( Northern Railway ) has been known to set up. It was completed in 1957 and ran from Quito to Ibarra and from there via the train station Primer Paso to San Lorenzo in the province of Esmeraldas, where they came into contact in the northern coastal region of the Pacific.
In the 1930s to the 1950s was also a used especially for the freight line between Guayaquil and Salinas in operation, which was not directly connected to the route Quito - Durán. She led mainly by the port city of the first oil producing facilities in the country to La Libertad and lost in the 1950s in favor of road transport in importance and was finally shut down and dismantled.
In 1900 also a small isolated section in the province of El Oro between Machala and his Puerto Bolívar was inaugurated. This was original in Eloy Alfaro plan provided as part of a network consisting of routes from Machala to Loja, Cuenca and Durán. None of these routes, however, was completed, so it never came up with the remaining route network to the scheduled closing. However, the beginning of the 20th century was a rudimentary network, the Ferrocarriles de El Oro, the combined parts of the hinterland of the province with its main port, where goods could be shipped by water to Guayaquil. By 1908 as the originally planned route to Cuenca was assembled up Pasajes; the path to Loja ended on belonging to Piñas Station Piedras and the route Durán was completed in 1909 only to La Iberia in today's Canton El Guabo where flooding of the river Jubones prevented further work. With the advent of road transport these routes lost their importance and were eventually also be set. The name of the Avenida Ferroviaria ( Railway Avenue) in Machala to remind of the first section.
Operation of the railway
The railroad worked only a few years at a profit. In 1925, finally sold the Guayaquil & Quito Railway Company transferred its majority shareholding in the State of Ecuador. The maintenance of the track was very expensive, especially by rains, landslides and floods that traffic often disabled, especially in the Andean region. The damage is often resolved only provisionally and basic renovations were made over decades.
Although the journey tedious and the wagons were often very crowded, the railroad was very important for the transport of goods and labor. Until then goods were mainly transported by donkeys, but also horses, mules and llamas. Even after the inauguration of the railway the donkey remained competitive. Automobiles in large numbers were not invented until the banana boom of the 1950s.
By El Niño, the railway was in 1998 so badly damaged that they could not be completely busy. Unlike in other countries, the railroad was not completely abandoned or dismantled. Small sections remained on tourist routes in operation. In particular, the tourist heart of Alausí - Sibambe ( Nariz del Diablo ) enjoyed a lasting popularity. A special feature was that there tourists the trip was allowed on car roofs.
Rebuilding
Under President Rafael Correa, the entire network has been restored. To this end, the private company organized Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos ( EFE ) was transferred in 2009 to a public company: Ferrocarriles del Ecuador Empresa Publica ( FEEP ).
First, the section of El Tambo to Baños del Inca was put into operation on the side route to Cuenca. In several sections, the opening of the distance from Quito to Latacunga followed. Also on the coast, a section was opened in October 2010: the section Durán - Yaguachi. Then activities focused on the section Riobamba Bucay, wherein the piece Alausí - Sibambe ( Nariz del Diablo ) was already operational in early 2011. In October 2012, the route Riobamba Colta was put into operation. End of December 2012, the entire highland route from Quito through Latacunga, Ambato, Riobamba was opened after Guamote. End of January 2013 was followed by the rest of the main line ( Guamote about Alausí Huigra, Bucay Milagro by Durán ).
The route to the north ( Ibarra - Salinas ) has been repaired. From the end of 2012, the route Ibarra Otavalo to be restored.
In addition to the repair of the tracks, the train stations and stations were prepared again. In addition, with the Spanish railway company feve there is a transfer of technology. In the course of the Ecuadorian Railway has received some modern cars. The existing diesel locomotives were largely repaired.
According to information from the Ecuadorian Railway operates 32 stations and 5 workshops. It has 8 diesel, 7 steam locomotives, some rail buses and 24 passenger wagons.
Current operating
Currently drive rail trains and buses from Quito via Nature Park Cotopaxi to Latacunga, of Alausi after Sibambe ( Nariz del Diablo ), from Riobamba to Urbina and after Colta, El Tambo to Baños del Inca, and from Ibarra to Salinas and on small stretches of San Lorenzo. In addition, trains of Durán at Guayaquil to Yaguachi or to Bucay.
As of June 2013 runs a tourist scenic train on the track of Durán at Guayaquil to Quito. The journey takes three days. The train is partially pulled by a steam locomotive.
Trams
Tram in Guayaquil
In Guayaquil, the first horse-drawn railway was opened on 20 July 1873. From 1909 steam-powered trains were used on some lines, but were not very popular because of qualms and noise.
1904, the company Empresa de Luz y Fuerza Eléctrica ( ELVES ) was established, which should provide Guayaquil with electricity. In 1906 the ELVES permission to operate an electric tram. The first lines were opened in 1910. Until the 1920s, horse-drawn trams, steam trains and electric trains were run in parallel.
ELVES 1925 was bought by the U.S. Electric Bond And Share Co. ( Ebasco ). This founded the Compañía de Tranvías de Guayaquil, which took over the operation of the trams. 1927 there were 18 electric trams and 10 trailers on a network of 13 km.
In the 1930s, disappeared the last horse and steam railways. Around 1950, the electric railways were hired. Since then, the public transport is disputed with diesel buses.
Tram in Quito
In Quito, there were often also plans to set up a horse-drawn railway, which, however, were never realized due to the uneven topography and the large cobblestones.
In 1908, the railroad came to Quito, was a compound of the very south railway station with the city center is needed. For this, the Quito Tramways Company ( QTC ) was founded. Construction began in 1911, and on October 8, 1914, the tram link between the station and the city center was inaugurated.
There were two lines: One from the station to the city center and to the cemetery of San Diego, and north to the Av. Colón, almost exactly the same route as today the trolleybus Quito.
1921 built the Compañía Nacional de Tranvías from Av. Colón from a tram further north to Cotocollao. Since the QTC had a monopoly on electric railways, this ran on gasoline. Engines and chassis were supplied by AEG, but the trams built in Ecuador. This line was opened on 23 June 1923 and ran until 1928.
The tram service in Quito was discontinued about 1948.
1995 was reintroduced with the trolleybus Quito, an electric transportation.
In recent times, there are again plans for a light rail in Quito, the "Tren Ligero de Quito " ( Traq ). He is said to be faster than the trolley and have a higher capacity.