The Ferrocarriles del Ecuador Empresa Pública (Ecuadorian Railways Company) is the national railway ofEcuador. The railway system was devised to connect the Pacific coast with the Andean highlands. After many decades of service the railway was severely damaged by heavy rainfall during theEl Niño in 1997 and 1998[1][2] and from general neglect as thePan-American Highway siphoned off passengers.[3]
In 2008 the presidentRafael Correa named the railroad a "national cultural patrimony" and indicated that it would be restored.[2] The government of Ecuador started to rehabilitate the railway and service was restored betweenGuayaquil andQuito by 2013.[3][4]
An extensive range of services, primarily for leisure travellers, were operated bysteam anddiesel-electric locomotive-hauled trains and byautoferros (bus bodies mounted on rail chassis).
All railway services ceased in 2020 and by presidential decree the liquidation of the railway company commenced.[5]
As of 2024, local tourist-oriented routes have reopened in Imbabura province[6] and Chimborazo province.[7]
The project of an Ecuadorian railway was started by PresidentGabriel García Moreno in 1861. The first section was opened betweenYaguachi andMilagro in 1873, andBucay was reached by 1888.[8]
The push into the Andes was made under PresidentEloy Alfaro who planned to link Quito in the highlands to Guayaquil on the coast of Ecuador. For advice, Alfaro turned to Col. William Findlay Shunk, a well-known North American engineer who designed theNew York El, and who had mapped a route of theInterContinental Railway (which was to connect North and South America) through Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama in 1892. The InterContinental Railway was never built. However, in 1897, Eloy Alfaro commissioned a contract with Archer Harman and a team of investors for the newly created New Jersey corporation,the Guayaquil and Quito Railway Company,"or the G&Q, to rehabilitate and complete the railroad from Guayaquil to Quito. Archer Harman and his brother, Major John A. Harman (Col. Shunk's son-in-law) were from Staunton, Virginia. Together, Archer (G&Q financier) and John (G&Q Chief Engineer) helped Alfaro to (1) realize his dream of connecting disparate parts of Ecuador, (2) break the hold of the Catholic Church, and (3) usher the 20th Century and modernity into Ecuador.
The G&Q line was built between 1897 and 1908,[2] when the line reached Quito amidst celebration that lasted for days, and shortened the often lengthy trip from Quito to Guayaquil to two days.
The G&Q Railway evolved into the Southern Division (Division Sur) of Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos.
The northern line, continuing fromQuito to San Lorenzo was completed in 1957.[8]
A branch from the G&Q at Sibambe toCuenca was completed in 1965.[8]
Ferrocarril Ambato - Cururay. Commenced fromAmbato (on the G&Q Southern Division), reachedPelileo (35 km) and was intended to continue toBaños de Agua Santa, located on the banks of the Pastaza River then intended to extend until it crossed the Arajuno River and reached a navigable point on the Curaray, a total length of 117 km. Construction commenced in 1912 and the company ceased operating in February 1936.[9]
Ferrocarril de Bahia a Chone. Commenced atBahia de Caraquez and ran toChone (79 km). Construction commenced in 1909 and was completed in 1912. The line ceased 'in the mid 1960s'.[10][11]
Ferrocarril Central de Ecuador. Commenced atManta and ran to Santa Ana. Construction commenced in 1911 and was completed in 1913. Services ceased in 1946.[12]
Ferrocarril de Guayacil a Salinas. Commenced atGuyaquil and ran toSalinas (152 km). Construction was completed in 1936. Services ceased in 1954.[13]
Ferrocarril de el Oro. Commenced atPuerto Bolivar and ran to Piedras (75 km) withLoja as the intended terminus. The line had two branches fromMachala (6 km fromPuerto Bolivar), one to Pasaje withCuenca as the intended terminus, and one to La Iberia with Duran as the intended terminus. Construction commenced around 1893. Services ceased for certain by 1971, probably earlier in reality.[14]
The railway represents the largest infrastructure of the country a total length of 965.5 kilometres (600 mi). Its single track uses agauge of3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). The 446.7 kilometres (277.6 mi) Southern Division (Division Sur) starts at the harbour ofGuayaquil with a track toDuran and then heads east into theAndean mountains where a more than 2.5 kilometres (8,200 ft) difference in altitude has to be overcome to reachRiobamba at 2,754 metres (9,035 ft). A major gain in altitude is made at theDevil's Nose (Nariz del Diablo) where the trainshunts back and forth along the rocky promontory. From Riobamba the train heads north passing its highest point atUrbina an altitude of 3,609 metres (11,841 ft) to reachQuito at an altitude of 2,850 metres (9,350 ft).
The 373.4 kilometres (232.0 mi) Northern Division (Division Norte) was completed in 1957.[8] It connects Quito to the northern sea port ofSan Lorenzo overIbarra,Primer Paso andCachavi.
TheCuenca line branches off near Sibambe and represents the 145.4 kilometres (90.3 mi) Subdivision Sur. It was constructed between 1915 and 1965.[8]
The railway used to be of general economic significance for many decades. Initially steam engines were obtained from theBaldwin Locomotive Works. The last set of 2-8-0 steam engines were obtained in 1953.[8] In 1957 fiveAlstom diesel-electric locomotives were delivered for the San Lorenzo line,[8] TenAlco diesel-electric locomotives were delivered in 1968[8] and nineGEC-Alstom locomotives were delivered in 1992.[8] Few steam and diesel locomotives were in an operational mode, the exact numbers subject to conflicting information.[1][8] There were also a number ofrailbuses (autoferros) in operation.
At the point of liquidation the railway had 12 diesel-electric locomotives, 7 steam locomotives and 11 autoferro, not all operational.[15]
Since the 1997/98 disruptions no continuous service has been conducted and further degradation had made the railway almost useless. Road services have taken over passenger and freight transportation in Ecuador. At the 2008 centennial only 10 percent of the railway was open[2] onlytourist trains remain active.[3]
In 2008 the presidentRafael Correa named the railroad a "national cultural patrimony"[2] and indicated that it would be restored. The EFE was transformed in a public corporation:Ferrocarriles del Ecuador Empresa Publica (FEEP). FEEP publicised details of the restoration work in a series of publications 'Guardavia', commencing with issue 1 in May 2010 and concluding with issue 11 in December 2014.
The first section of line to be inaugurated was that betweenQuito (Chimbacalle) andLatacunga on 30 December 2008.[16][17]
Following this a short section (3.5 km) of the former Sibambe toCuenca line, that between El Tambo and Coyoctor / Baños del Inca was inaugurated on 24 April 2009.[16][18]
The line from the coast at Duran (nearGuayaquil) toYaguachi was inaugurated on 29 June 2010.[16][19]
Two sections of line were inaugurated in 2011. The section betweenAlausí andSibambe which includes theswitchback at the Devil's Nose was inaugurated on 16 February and that betweenIbarra and Salinas on 13 December.[16]
The section from Colta viaRiobamba to Urbina was inaugurated on 3 October 2012.[16]
The first phase of the rehabilitation project, the 271 km betweenQuito andGuamote, was inaugurated on December 27 and 28, 2012.[16]
The second phase of the rehabilitation project, the 181 km betweenGuamote andDuran, was inaugurated on January 28 and 29, 2013.[16] Thus by 2013 the entire Guayaquil/Duran - Quito railway was restored and open to the public.[20]
The section of line between Ibarra and Otavalo was inaugurated in 2014.[16]
Guayaquil <> Quito; 1897-1908; 446.7 km (277.6 mi)
Quito <> San Lorenzo; > 1957; 373.4 km (232.0 mi)
Sibambe <> Cuenca: > 1965: 145.4 km
| Location | Date reached | Date restored | Notes | Co-ordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sibambe | junction with Duran - Quito line | 2°14′35″S78°52′41″W / 2.243087°S 78.877978°W /-2.243087; -78.877978 | ||
| Chunchi | 1921[21] | |||
| Tipococha | 1927[21] | |||
| El Tambo | 1930[21] | 2009[16][18] | 2°30′45″S78°55′29″W / 2.512517°S 78.924623°W /-2.512517; -78.924623 | |
| Coyoctor | 2009[16][18] | Baños del Inca | 2°31′33″S78°54′51″W / 2.525936°S 78.914251°W /-2.525936; -78.914251 | |
| Biblian | 1945[21] | |||
| Azogues | 1948[21] | 2°44′13″S78°51′08″W / 2.736838°S 78.852143°W /-2.736838; -78.852143 | ||
| Cuenca | 1965[21] | 2°54′57″S78°59′39″W / 2.915928°S 78.994282°W /-2.915928; -78.994282 |
Comprehensive details of the lines, their stations and distances have been compiled and published by Jim Fergusson and have now been made available through The Branch Line Society in the United Kingdom.[24]
A number of leisure orientated services operated, including fromQuito toLatacunga viaCotopaxi National Park, betweenAlausi and Sibambe (Devil's Nose / Nariz del Diablo), between El Tambo and Baños del Inca, between Duran and Yaguachi and betweenIbarra and Salinas. A premium service 'Tren Crucero' operated the whole length of the Southern Division from Duran to Quito.
Due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic upon the national economy, all trains were suspended in March 2020.
"All trains have been cancelled from March 17, 2020 on until further notice." Source: Volta o Trem 24-2 via Friends of Latin American Railways[1]
Subsequent to this the company entered liquidation.
"Through Executive Decree No. 1057 of May 19, 2020, amended through executive decreess No. 1096 of July 17, 2020, No. 1123 of August 6, 2020, No. 1243 of February 2021 and No. 1288 of April 13, 2021, the Constitutional President of the Republic, ordered the extinction of Railways of Ecuador, Public Company-FEEP" [translated from original without amendment: extinction = liquidation].[5][2]
The official liquidator's progress report provides information on the condition of the line (operational, non-operational, abandoned) at the time of liquidation.
On 5 January 2022 the railway assets were transferred to the Ecuadorian State.[3]
Today Minister @MarceloHCabrera signed the transfer of the National Railway Infrastructure to @ObrasPublicasEc with which this patrimonial asset passes into the hands of the Ecuadorian State and marks a new stage.
@MarceloHCabrera highlighted that this system will contribute to tourism, passenger transport and sustainable mobility since there is the possibility of implementing electric trains.
After this signing, the legal and administrative processes will be carried out so that the railway system is concessioned through a Public-Private Alliance, which will allow repowering and rehabilitating the Ecuadorian train.
[translated from original without amendment]
As of 2024, local tourist-oriented routes have reopened in Imbabura province[25] and Chimborazo province.[26]
There are plans to expand the services further toColombia andVenezuela.[citation needed]
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