ARGENTINA: On July 21 the first seven nine-car EMUs supplied by CSR of China entered service between Once and Moreno on the Sarmiento commuter route in Buenos Aires. Introduction of the new trainsets has enabled capacity to be increased from 241 536 to 399 233 passengers/day, with the number of services operated each day rising from 136 to 206 and the peak service frequency increased to every 10 min.
The Sarmiento route has been operated with a fleet of 13 eight-car EMUs drawing current at 830 V DC from the third rail. CSR is supplying a total of 25 trainsets costing US$285∙75m, and introduction of the new fleet is scheduled for completion on September 15 when capacity will be increased to 461 220 passengers/day.
The Sarmiento modernisation programme has also included track renewals on the 36 km between Once and Moreno, undertaken during overnight possessions. Villa Luro is the first of 14 stations on the route to be refurbished, introducing significant improvements to security and passenger amenities.
