Trenes Argentinos, the state railway operator, has made the first payment on 43 new diesel trains for Buenos Aires commuter lines, part of a US$324 million contract, the government said this week.
The order covers 150 passenger cars for the Roca, Mitre, Sarmiento, San Martín and Belgrano Sur lines, plus spare parts and supplies for the first three years of maintenance, technical documents and start-up of service. The first trains are due to arrive at the end of 2027, more than a year away.
The government says the metropolitan network carries about 1.3 million people a day and that this is its first purchase of new passenger trains for it since 2015. It says the diesel trains will cut travel times and raise frequencies.
The government announced the purchase in November 2025 as a direct contracting process with a shortened price comparison, at an estimated US$300 million. The final contract is US$324 million.
The contract covers 36 three-car trains for the broad-gauge lines and 7 six-car trains for the narrow-gauge Belgrano Sur line. According to the specialist outlet enelSubte, a joint venture of China Rainbow International Investment Corporation and CRRC Tangshan, a Chinese rail manufacturer, won it in May as the only bidder.
The purchase falls under the rail emergency the government declared in 2024, which it says speeds up spending on trains, track and spare parts.