Paraguay - railway to return?

[NorthernSpirit]

Currently the South American nation of Paraguay doesn't have a functioning rail network after the system was closed, however they are plans that a section of line between the capital Asuncion and Ypacaraí is to reopen. Hopefully the rest of the line can be rebuilt back to Encarnacion.

Back on Track? Paraguay’s Railway Revival Faces Delays

A planned commuter train in Asunción sparks nostalgia, hope — and skepticism.

www.theparaguaypost.com

https://www.fepasa.com.py/



Maybe, and this is only an idea, that Great British Railways could sell them the class 150's, 158's and maybe the 455's to Paraguay to help them get their rail network going again, since most of the HST fleet is either in Mexico or Africa.

 

[AdamWW]

Maybe, and this is only an idea, that Great British Railways could sell them the class 150's, 158's and maybe the 455's to Paraguay to help them get their rail network going again, since most of the HST fleet is either in Mexico or Africa.

Doesn't sound that daft. Romic, who I believe are responsible for the HSTs overseas, also seem to have offered 150s in the past.

I presume it would be the leasing companies rather than GBR selling them though.

 

[geoffk]

Realistically, would 150s be fit for further service without major expenditure on bodywork? I don't think we want to lose any 158s in the immediate future.

 

[dutchflyer]

Have been there once-mostly to visit its then also still functioning little tramway-with ex-Brussels stock, stayed in a Hotel on central plaza or so and hey: surprise, at around 17.00 the daily STEAM train went over that plaza. I can only hope for its citizens they are able to provide something newer as then. Next day-in a bus/coach, to also see the main waterfalls shared with Brazil and then back to Argentina.
I understand most on this forum is rail-biased, but quite often I really do not see the advantage of a 1/day train compared with a frequent BUsline that will also be able to serve much closer by people´s homes. In general latino/south America is not renowned for being overly rail-friendly. Or with a wider view one may even say that for all spanish-speaking countries!?

 

[edwin_m]

In general latino/south America is not renowned for being overly rail-friendly. Or with a wider view one may even say that for all spanish-speaking countries!?

As well as Mexico mentioned above, Peru and Panama are talking about major rail projects. And Spain is a Spanish-speaking country which has had multiple high speed and Metro openings...

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Doesn't sound that daft. Romic, who I believe are responsible for the HSTs overseas, also seem to have offered 150s in the past.

The cross-border shuttle to Argentina mentioned in the article is operated with secondhand Wadloper DMUs from the Netherlands, so using Class 150s wouldn't be completely crazy.

Posadas-Encarnación International Train - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

One of Romic's executives, Claudio Omar Cagnina, is an Argentinian who lives in Chile, so they would probably be keen to do business in South America.

 

[notverydeep]

The Paraguay National Rail network probably has the best claim to have been the last 100% steam national / state operation in the world.

 

[JonasB]

Maybe, and this is only an idea, that Great British Railways could sell them the class 150's, 158's and maybe the 455's to Paraguay to help them get their rail network going again, since most of the HST fleet is either in Mexico or Africa.

According to the article, the plan is to build a "double-track light electric railway", so I'm not sure old and narrow DMUs are what they need.

 

[railfan99]

The Paraguay National Rail network probably has the best claim to have been the last 100% steam national / state operation in the world.

In January 1985 on my first overseas trip my friend and I travelled on the 0500 hours Sunday only steam hauled passenger train from Encarnacion to Asuncion, IIRC the origin and destination. We had now-long discontinued South American rail passes, having used Canadian Pacific Airways from Melbourne to Vancouver Canada, Varig from there to Lima and many surface travels on trains and occasional buses to get to then dictator-ruled Paraguay.

 

[dutchflyer]

Just as a kind of half-amusing sidenote: Paraguay was extensively treated on dutch radio recently as being ´a heaven for those wanting to gat away from it all, preferable with as little government as feasible´.
On wiki it was stated that a very long stretch of railway was planned to turn into a CYCle path.
And @Edwin as reaction: of course very well know-and have also rode most of them, the HS-/AVE lines by RENFE in Espana. About each&every time&always described as being rather UNcustomer-friendly, certainly if customer is holding that cherished InterRailPass-which I usually did. And can also confirm that opinion.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Just as a kind of half-amusing sidenote: Paraguay was extensively treated on dutch radio recently as being ´a heaven for those wanting to gat away from it all, preferable with as little government as feasible´.
On wiki it was stated that a very long stretch of railway was planned to turn into a CYCle path.
And @Edwin as reaction: of course very well know-and have also rode most of them, the HS-/AVE lines by RENFE in Espana. About each&every time&always described as being rather UNcustomer-friendly, certainly if customer is holding that cherished InterRailPass-which I usually did. And can also confirm that opinion.

On the subject of 'get away from it all', reported back in October 2000:

The residents of Puerto Casado, in Paraguay, have demanded that their town be handed over to the local council after it was purchased by the sect known as the Moonies.
The Unification Church of the Reverend Sung Myung Moon acquired more than 300,000 hectares of land in the northern department of Alto Paraguay.
The land was sold by an Argentine company and includes the town of Puerto Casado which has about 6,000 inhabitants.

Source: BBC news article

Puerto Casado had a 180km rail network at one time, as had many of the ports along the Paraguay River with lines into their agricultural hinterland.

On the subject of current projects, there is clear evidence of the rebuilding of the line north from Encarnacion with concrete bridges standing in isolation heading north. Not sure how recent these are and whether progress is still intended or the project abandoned.

 

[Santa Claus]

According to the article, the plan is to build a "double-track light electric railway", so I'm not sure old and narrow DMUs are what they need.

“[…] first trains will be running by 2030: or earlier, if a ‘trial phase’ to Luque is approved first.” (from the news article)

Maybe trialling the electric railway with some 2nd-hand-DMUs? Only problem would be, if they decided to go for low-floor EMUs afterward.

I understand most on this forum is rail-biased, but quite often I really do not see the advantage of a 1/day train compared with a frequent BUsline that will also be able to serve much closer by people´s homes.

Let’s hope it will be more than one train per day! And if the bus route is using a motorway (or just a lot of bypass roads), it cannot go close to people’s homes; and if the bus route goes close to people’s homes, it will have trouble competing with cars using a motorway (or just a lot of bypass roads) on longer distances.

 

[Transilien]

Maybe, and this is only an idea, that Great British Railways could sell them the class 150's, 158's and maybe the 455's to Paraguay to help them get their rail network going again, since most of the HST fleet is either in Mexico or Africa.

How about the 180s?