Back to the Sky

In August 6, the Tren de las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) once again traveled along the magic heights of Salta's landscapes. Ecotren is the company awarded with the service concession after the technical incident which left stranded more than 350 passengers three years ago. The train -with 10 fully renovated wagons, which carry 500 passengers- leaves from General Belgrano Station in the city of Salta, going through the Valle de la Lerma and the Quebrada del Toro, to later arrive in the viaduct La Polvorilla, in the thresholds of the magnificent Puna.

The Tren de las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) is a referent in the tourist iconography of the Northwest of Argentina, highly appreciated by the international market.

The train is the fourth highest in the world, after those in China, Peru and Bolivia, reaching 4200 meters (13,780 ft) in its highest point, at the end of the railway line. Despite this fact, the Train to the Clouds’ typical characteristic is that it does not run using the rack system. This engineering feat, a work by the North-American engineer Richard Fontaine Maury (at the request of the then President Hipólito Yrigoyen), established the principle of wheel-to-road (not cogwheel) adherence to the railway lines, articulated in a spiraling and zigzag ascending logic.

The tour lasts around 15 hours, passing through a total of 21 tunnels, 29 bridges, 13 viaducts, 9 sheds, and 2 loops. At an average speed of 35 km/h (21 mph), the train runs on the railway lines of the legendary branch line C14, which reaches the port of Antofagasta, Chile.

In addition to the tuning up of the ten wagons (with two bilingual tour guides on each of them) -among which there is a dining car, a bar, and an infirmary-, the 45 million investment of Ecotren (the company in charge of the concession) for its refunctionalization includes an auxiliary heating system of the entire train, remodeling of the internal components (seats, tables and windows), improvements in the stations and enhancement of security measures. In relation to the latter, the company has developed two contingency plans. The first one is related to the purchase of a foreign locomotive to tow the train in case of failures in the main machine. The second measure is passengers’ on-foot evacuation to a point in which auxiliary vans are met.

It is worth mentioning that in July 2005, a technical problem left stranded a train full of tourists during many hours, and passengers had to be taken to the station by helicopters. After the incident, the service was closed and the government decided to change 60 km (37 mi) of railway lines and withdrew the concession from the responsible company. Then, the bid was awarded to Ecotren, a domestic capital corporation.

The company has plans of enhancing the service to two trains, refurbish stations, and implement projects in order to reduce environmental impact.

Along its 217 km (135 mi) route, the Train to the Clouds has enabled the reactivation of the shy economies of the towns it runs through, which have taken advantage of the tourist resource and set up sale stands of craftworks, clothes, and varied regional products.

The train provides regular services on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.