International Railroad Discussion > argentina -Buenos Aires to Mendoza

Has anyone taken the train between Buenos Aires and Mendoza Argentina? 
What is it like? Would you recommend it? 

The place to look is "Man in Seat 61".

Yes, I have ridden it. It was a very interesting ride - steam-hauled all the way, with a lanky 78"-drivered, two cylinder Pacific hauling the train of open-window coaches across the Pampas at 60 to 70 mph, then when the going got more hilly at San Luis, a three-cylinder lower-drivered Pacific for the rest of the journey. Downsides: the coaches had no A/C, and the temperature was in the high 80's most of the day; also, I was seated right at the end of the car, and that truck had a slid flat on one wheelset, so the ride was kind of noisy, hot and dusty. The train service was named "El Cuyano" (Mendoza is in the region known as Cuyo), and the trip was timetabled at 14-1/2 hours (6:00AM - 8:30PM).

Of course, you (and I) would have trouble repeating that ride today, beecause I took it in January of 1954, when I was just short of my 16th. birthday...sorry to disappoint you! Today, I doubt that there is any passenger service; most long-distance passenger service in Argentina ended in the 1990's.Sporadic attempts have been made to re-establish some services over the years, and the last government signed some big contracts with China for new locomotives and rolling stock, both passenger and freight, but most of it seems aimed at commuter traffic, plus a few l-d trains to the northwest (Cordoba), southwest (Bariloche) and south (Mar del Plata) of Buenos Aires - no mention of any services to Mendoza. Check and double-check any on-line information very carefully, because the situation changes almost daily. Best of luck!

Roger Lewis (airbrakegeezer)

I rode it in the early 1980s.  Very nice sleeper train with a good diner.  I think this is still one of the suspended services. 

There is not currently a service from BsAs to Mendoza. Nearest would be Cordoba.

Adam 

No passenger trains to Mendoza.  You can ride former San Diego trolleys in town though,still in red with some English langauge signs inside the cars.

Information about passenger trains in Argentina can be found here -

http://www.sateliteferroviario.com.ar/horarios/

Site lists both local and long distance services as well as light rail.