On the logistics map of northern Patagonia, a passenger railway is being redefined as the lifeblood of the land port economy. The province of Rio Negro is accelerating negotiations to take over passenger services in the Tren del Valle region from the national government. This transfer not only concerns the ownership of operational rights, but also is a crucial step in the implementation of the province's land port corridor strategy.

Transfer negotiations enter substantive stage

Tren del Valle is one of the few regional passenger lines still in operation in Argentina, except for the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. Since 2015, it has been operating on a 1676mm wide gauge between Neuqu é n and Sipoletti, all using refurbished high-speed trains. In the first three years of operation, nearly 900000 passengers were transported, and the annual passenger volume reached 361000 in 2019.

However, in recent years, due to service interruptions and vehicle shortages, passenger flow has continued to decline, and the regional transportation status has significantly weakened. In May 2026, the Minister of Transport of Rio Negro Province, Echaren, held talks with officials from the National Ministry of Transport in Buenos Aires to discuss the transfer details at the technical, operational, and legal levels. Subsequently, agreements need to be reached with the National Infrastructure Authority Adif and the state-owned operator Argentina Railway Company on the use of locomotives, rolling stock, stations, and infrastructure.

Seventy kilometer corridor connecting land and port nodes

Governor Verrettinek has made it clear that the goal of taking over is not just to restore operations, but to build a transportation corridor of about 70 kilometers based on this framework - extending westward to Ploitier in Neuqu é n Province and eastward to Grannalco, connecting the main city centers along the route into a network. The restoration of passenger services to Gran Nalco is a plan that local authorities have been brewing for many years. The city is an important land port node in northern Patagonia, responsible for the distribution of a large amount of agricultural and pastoral products. Once the railway is extended and landed, it will directly strengthen the commuting connection between the land port and the inland hinterland, providing passenger support for regional logistics efficiency.

When passenger railways are no longer just transportation vehicles, but are embedded in the overall planning of the land port corridor, the province of Rio Negro is re measuring its weight in the national logistics network with a single rail track. The ultimate direction of this transfer will largely determine whether the land port system in northern Patagonia can truly achieve a closed-loop multimodal transport.Editor/Cheng Liting