Railways

total: 6,782 km
broad gauge: 3,743 km 1.676-m gauge (1,653 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 116 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,923 km 1.000-m gauge (40 km electrified) (1995) The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia is a metre gauge railway in the north of the country. It was originally constructed in 2' 6" gauge. The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (in English: Antofagasta (Chili) & Bolivia Railway or for short: FCAB) is a non-government railway operating in the northern provinces of Chile. ...

Chile's railways (except for a few dedicated line) are operated by the state owned company "Ferrocarriles del Estado" which is abbreviated as FF.EE. The rail system once served the entire country, running rail lines from arica in the north to puerto montt in the south.

Due partly to the nature of the terrain and evolution in trasnportation systems, rail travel has suffered greatly at the hands of bus and air travel. The train usually takes longer to reach a destination than a bus line does and comfort is comparable. Prices also tend to be uncompetitive. Rail freight transport has also suffered at the hands of the trucking industry and will continue to do so due to the immense leverage the truck driver's union can bring to bear if they were to feel threatened.

The northern rail line out of santiago is now in disuse past the intersection to the valparaiso line offshoot and this section is used nearly exclusively for freight. Although the northern line is still in place, it is in a state of serious disrepair.

The southern line runs as far as Puerto Montt and is electrified as far as the city of temuco, whereafter the line must be served by diesel locomotives. Due to lack of budget and care, the temuco to puerto montt section was abandonded during a period in the 1990s but plans are underway to rebuild and improve the line as part of a plan to improve the entire southern rail line.

There have been repeated case studies regarding the installation of a high speed line between the cities of valparaiso and santiago, some even considering mag-lev trains, but no serious action has ever been taken on the matter.

Rail links to adjacent countries

• Bolivia - yes - same gauge 1000mm
• Argentina - defunct - 100km of mountain rail of 1000mm gauge with rack railway sections - break of gauge 1600mm/1000mm at either end.
• Peru - no

Track with Von Roll system rack. ... With railways, a break-of-gauge is where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. ...

2005

IRJ of March 2005 reports construction started to build/restore (?) South Trans-Andean Railway link between Zapala, Argentina and Lonquimay, Chile. Possible break-of-gauge. Possible rack railway. [1] International Railway Journal or IRJ is a international journal published in the UK. It is a monthly periodical. ... There are several Trans-Andean Railways which are either planned, built, defunct, or waiting to be restored. ... Zapala is a city in the Patagonic province of Neuquén, Argentina. ... Lonquimay is the terminus of a broad gauge railway in Chile, which is often, still today, cited as the most practical railroad route over the Andes to Argentina. ... With railways, a break-of-gauge is where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. ... Track with Von Roll system rack. ...

Cities with Metros

• Santiago (Metro de Santiago) [2]
• Valparaíso
• Concepción (Biotren)

Metro is: a general term, synonymous with rapid transit, subway or underground, for an urban underground rail public transit system (see list of rapid transit systems); any of several specific public transport systems, including: Bi-State Development Agency in Missouri and Illinois, d/b/a Metro since 2003 Buffalo Metro... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ... Map Universidad de Chile station is decorated with works of art Tobalaba station Metro de Santiago is the metro system serving Santiago, the capital of the Republic of Chile. ... Port of Valparaíso, Chile Valparaíso is an important Chilean seaport and an increasingly vital cultural center. ... Concepción (Spanish for conception, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Roman Catholic dogma) is the name of several towns and cities in Latin America: Concepción, Chile Concepción, Santander, Colombia Concepción, Campeche, Mexico Concepción, Tabasco, Mexico Concepción, Paraguay Concepción, Zulia State, Venezuela And... The similar system for Metro of Concepción or Biotren is basic urban metropolitan rail system that covers a big part of the city of Concepción, region of Bío-Bío, also known as Gran Concepción (Greater Concepción) or Concepción Metropolitan Area, both sinonyms of...

Highways

total: 79,800 km
paved: 11,012 km
unpaved: 68,788 km (1996 est.)

Freeways

2,653 km

Waterways

725 km

Pipelines

crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km; natural gas 320 km

Ports and harbors

Antofagasta, Arica, Chañaral, Coquimbo, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Talcahuano, Valparaíso Antofagasta is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and steep hills to the east Street in Antofagasta   () is a port city and episcopal see in northern Chile, about 700 miles north of Santiago. ... Morro de Arica Arica is a port city in northern Chile, located only 18 km (11 miles) south of the border with Peru. ... Chañaral is a town in Atacama Region, Chile. ... Port city, capital to Elqui Province in the Coquimbo Region, its lies close to La Serena, forming a urban area of around 300. ... Iquique (IPA /ikike/) is a city in northern Chile, capital of Tarapacá Region, on the Pacific coast, just west of the Atacama Desert. ... Location of Puerto Montt on a partial map of Chile. ... City of Punta Arenas Punta Arenas in Tierra del Fuego Punta Arenas is the main city on the Strait of Magellan and the capital of the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Chile, and depending on the definition of city, makes a claim for the worlds... San Vicente can refer to: San Vicente, city in El Salvador San Vicente Department, department in El Salvador San Vicente del Raspeig, city in Spain San Vicente de Oviedo, church in Oviedo, Spain San Vicente, town in Argentina San Vicente Partido, partido in Argentina This is a disambiguation page &#8212... Talcahuano is a port city of Chile, lying near Concepción. ... Port of Valparaíso, Chile Valparaíso is an important Chilean seaport and an increasingly vital cultural center. ...

Merchant marine

total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 580,749 GRT/860,034 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 9, chemical tanker 8, container 2, liquified gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll-on/roll-off 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1999 est.)

Airports

370 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 62
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)

Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport, located in Santiago, is Chile's largest aviation facility. View of the Airport Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport, located in Santiago, Chile, is Chiles largest aviation facility. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ...

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 308
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 68
under 914 m: 223 (1999 est.)

National Airlines

• LAN Airlines (formerly LanChile)
• Sky Airline
• Aerolíneas del Sur

LAN Airlines S.A. NYSE: LFL (formerly Lan Chile S.A.) is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. ...

See also

• Chile
• Transantiago

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. Transantiago is a future bus rapid transit system that will serve Chiles capital city, Santiago, from October 27, 2005, with full operation planned for October 2006. ... The World Factbook 2006 (government edtion) cover. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...