Buenos Aires’ Trains: The Whereabouts Of 37% of the Cars Is Not Known and As Much Is In an Unrecoverable State
<p style="text-align: justify;">The AGN observed rolling stock of rail service provided by the UEPFP and found that has more than 30 years of use, significant delays in maintenance, a historical process of disinvestment and a high degree of deterioration that led to a state of inoperability. In addition, it did not provide all of the services that it had assured it would nor did it adjust to the current regulations regarding accessibility for people with disabilities.</p>
"The train fleet is in a state of significant deterioration and some are absent", as was revealed by the General Audit Office (AGN, for its acronym in Spanish) in its report that evaluates the service Buenos rail transport is under the orbit of the Program Execution Unit Provincial railway.
As reported by the UEPFP, by 2014 it had a fleet of 863 units of which "only 26% was in a good or very good state". Meanwhile 31% was unused and some in that percentage were not used because they were "in an unrecoverable state".
In addition, there are 316 units, accounting for 37% of the total, whereabouts "unknown" being, for the AGN, a "serious" situation. When consulted by the National Transport Regulation Commission (CNRT, for its acronym in Spanish), "the operator did not provide answers about the location or destination."
Regarding the state of the fleet, the report adopted in 2016 states that "in having more than 30 years of use, significant delays in maintenance, improper backup system and a historical process of disinvestment," it presents a “high level of deterioration" and, in some cases reached the" state of inoperability."
During the period audited the Provincial Executing Unit Rail Program "did not carry out all of the services that it had assured to give according to the current agreement" by both the state of the rails and by the rolling stock.
The CNRT inspected the train and found "serious deficiencies in the safety and comfort systems as a result of inadequate maintenance".
The AGN verified that some of the trains providing passenger services for the branches franchised by the UEPFP "do not comply with the current regulations regarding accessibility for people with disabilities". It adds that "the CNRT in their routine inspections are not included as compliance with these regulations."
It was also found that the Implementation Unit "systematically violated operating practices generating a service with low levels of security." In addition, "did not respond to the comments made by the CNRT repeatedly."
Since the service awarded began in 1993, "the definitive inventories that appeared in the signed agreements between the State and the Province of Buenos Aires were never approved”, a situation that leads to "a risk control, monitoring, updating and custody of goods.”
When the Watchdog consulted the CNRT on this issue, the agency responded that "it had already informed the Province and the enforcement authority about it."
Finally, the report states that "the Railway Infrastructure Administration did not have an updated or unified record of rolling stock with the operator Ferroviara Company."