A pretty important thing you should have mentioned is how cheap the subte and buses are in BsAs. When I was there in Jan 2023 it was ARS22 (less than USD 10 cents!) per trip. I never saw anyone evading fares which is quite amazing given how poor their economy is.
yep. I remember when I was a child and learnt in english class that the word "subway" mean the public transport thingy (subterraneo) and I was like "no wayy😱🤯🤯" "I can't believe my favourite fast food chain is the subte". Lol
@@maestrofeli4259for me, born and raised in Buenos Aires, the arrival of Subway franchising spunded a too disgusting name. And never bought a sandwich that sounded as prepared in.the darkness of below. Doy you know why americans call so a simple sandwich?.
@@AnavonRebeur perdon, no pude entender muy bien a que te referis con la ultima oracion. Yo soy del conurbano, por lo que el subte no fue gran parte de mi vida y nací despues de que subway se instalara en el pais, por lo que subway siempre estuvo en mi vida (igual que mcdonalds, starbucks, burger king u otras cadenas yanquis) y su nombre nunca se me hizo raro.
IT'S FINALLY HEREEEE!! I don't know what else can I say after watching this video evolve from concept to reality. I'm glad I was able to help you out with this one. Hopefully we can collaborate in another future project!
MATIIIIIIIIIIIII JUSTO VEIA ABAJO COURTESY OF MATI Y DIJE NO TE PUEDO CREER! DIOS QUE COINCIDENCIA JAJA, EXCELENTE VIDEO DE RM TRANSIT Y ENCIMA CON TU MATERIAL!, TIENE QUE SALIR CROSSOVER !!
@@heatherdukeswifeandgirlfriend Girls with spine deformities from Buenos Aires are still beautiful Saludos desde buenos aires con la espalda hecha mierda
I remember a 90's argentine film called Moebius, about a missing train in the subte system. One topologist hypothesized that the system has grown so complex, it was actually non-Euclidian. Loved the video, thank you!
@@juca365 esa es tremenda pelicula, de hecho habia un montonazo de lineas ficticias tales como la J y estaciones como dock sud, borges, parque I y II, etc etc
Thank you for showing Buenos Aires's beautiful Subte system. I was in BA recently for an exchange trip, and I truly agree that this system is beautiful.
Oh yes, I've waiting for this one for long! Born there, commuted on line C daily and I have to say it's quite a traumatic experience at rush hour. Systemically over-capacity and unreliable, the Subte has been a long time victim of political wars between the national and city governments, often from opposite sides of the political spectrum. The mural art on the Subte is quite remarkable, perhaps worth of a video on its own along such examples around the world. Great work RMTransit!!!
And yet it's fared better than public transit in the United States! Some cities the size of Buenos Aires or larger only have light rail, a single starter rapid transit line, or bus rapid transit!
what "opposite spectrums"? there hasn't been a true right-wing party for decades, the only one right now being "la libertad avanza", which was created less than four years ago by right wing people who just entered politics with the express purpose of fighting back against career politicians who are so far removed from their voters that they can't even fathom what our true wants are.
I've used the B line since 2007, and about 6 years ago I decided to just start walking to work (I travel 30 blocks, it's not that much) because of how unreliable the subte is. It's always, quite literally, ALWAYS either packed at all times of the day, or there's always some problem which I'm starting to believe they're made up and not real.
The C line gets Tokyo levels of ridership at rush hour, the only thing missing is the company guys pushing people in; sadly this job is left to amateur volunteers (aka other riders). I agree the suburban railway would make an interesting video, specially the Roca line between Haedo and Temperley, a token line left almost exclusively for people in emergency settlements in Southwest GBA to be able to go to work.
The original lines retired in 2013 where really a time trip, I loved riding them, but they shaked like they where about to collapse, the problem was that ther where all wood, so very hard to fix without non historical parts. Its sad that they are not there anymore, i feel very privileged for having rode them.
The shaking of the carriage body was not due to wear and tear, but it was planned by design and construction, to avoid breaking the wooden parts. Actually, the carriages survived roughly 90 years reliably running.
I rode them A LOT during the 90s (sometimes up to 4 times a day) and they where LOVELY! They shook and made all kind of noises, lights suddenly turned off but I kind of got used to it and even liked that they gave some rest to my eyes, sometimes even for a couple of stations! Good times, thanks for the video!
Growing up in Villa Devoto, I didn't get to use the subway as much (no subte line goes that far west of the city) so my family and I mainly used the bus. I do remember going to the doctor once when I was little and being completely amazed by those wagons, so beautiful! I wish I got the chance to ride them more.
The original A line wagons were the best of the whole network. While I wish they had been kept running (or replicas with modern mechanics were built to replace them) at least they are put on the tracks semi regularly for touristic travel.
One funny detail about the linea E (my favorite one), it was planned on the late 70's to continue forward west near the general paz, (the highway that separates the capital city from the province, which would've massively increased usage and saved lots of commune time for tens of millions of people). The plans were also approved by the government. The only issue? They had, simultaneously, also approved the construction of the 25 de mayo highway connecting the same route on the surface. But neither project knew about the extension or height of the other one, until it was already too late and they realized that the sewer pipes from the highway would be running at exactly the same height as where the subway track would. With a little less incompetence from the dictatorial government, this could've been easily avoided. That is why they had to cancel the construction of the next station (the digging was almost 50% done at this point) and stop at Plaza de los virreyes (where it ends currently), and it will never be able to continue because the sewage system plan prevailed as it was more visible since it was on the surface, and so it would make a better image of this de facto government. That is why, to continue the original plan they had to do the premetro line, a poor attempt in uniting the poor south side of the city using a god forgotten tramway that would absolutely never receive any funds. Fun premetro tip: Do not absolutely, never, under any circumstance take it. You've been warned.
Thank you for information you shared. At least they should extent the Line E to Terminal Dellepiane since there's a bus terminal and also depot for Line E, it would be so useful. I really don't know what the hell is the person or the persons who planning the metro system is thinking.
Algunas notas: - Los trenes Le Brugeoise siguen en servicio para tareas de movimiento de otras unidades (no llevan pasajeros, pero sirven a la empresa para llevar cosas del taller de superficie al túnel de la estación primera junta) - Los fines de semana circulan por un lazo cerrado los viejos tranvías de la ciudad restaurados por la asociación "amigos del tranvía" saliendo del taller de caballito y dando una vuelta pasando por Rivadavia antes de volver - Exceptuando la linea H, las demás lineas se conectan entre si por medio de vías de servicio - Debajo del túnel de la linea A, hay un viejo túnel con espacio para un tren de cargas mas pequeño
Buenos Aires Subte is great. For an old subway that has small connective tunnels and so many changes over the years it is quiet easy to navigate. The old parts of the city it is well connected and most of the touristic parts of the city are very accessible via subway (not counting Caminito and San Telmo). Some of the stations have great art murals painted on the subway tiles. However as in Paris and London it is so annoying to see the trains coming from the “wrong direction” due to the British heritage of the original lines.
@@RMTransit I would not hold my breath. I was already disappointed by the elimination of the tranvía de puerto madero, which had the potential to become a cool lrt that could have been extended to la Boca neighbourhood. But as you I wish to see extended. I also hope to see the trains converted to electronic traction on all lines.
Trains going on the left is not heritage from the British, but from Argentina's past. Up until 1945 streets also were left-handed. Cars/bicycles/carriages as well as trains/trams, all on the left. Then we switched on streets but not on rail.
Loved the video. We argentines tend to complain a lot about our country, as if nothing was right about it. But we need to have a bit of pride and recognize that it's not all that bad. Yes, subte could use A LOT of improvement, but it is nonetheless quite a good metro system
Absolutely. There's so much to see and experience here, from the land itself to the people and what they do. Generally it's a great place to live... all it's major problems can be summarized in one word: politics. Or rather the lack of them, since for the last few decades there was no actual long term future planning to steer the country. It was all infighting and short term politics aimed to win elections rather than improving the nation.
@@moteroargentino7944 Tengo 36 años y nunca en mi vida vi un político que hable sobre un plan a largo plazo. Recién ahora Milei está diciendo que en 35 años no sé qué, pero dudo que vaya a poder hacer algo con las dos cámaras en contra y que el siguiente gobierno que venga no deshaga todo lo que vaya a poder hacer.
Chusty, coincido plenamente, vivo en Seattle de hace 23 años y me impresiona de buena forma lo limpio y bien que se ve todo en el video, muchisimo mejor que muchas areas de la ciudad de Seattle, (por suerte no vivo EN la ciudad) - hay muchisimas cosas que a veces dan por sentado de lo que se tiene alla que no todos lados hay, (como todo, tambien cuenta al reves, desde este lado, cuando nos quejamos aca de algo) , Saludos !
I really enjoyed visiting Buenos Aires, and I do hope things get better for you guys as you do have a very fantastic base to work with. Buenos Aires is one my favorite cities on earth, its so vibrant, full of life and culture (and the buildings are eclectic and interesting!) I wish the best for Argentina in general, but I do know at least as an outsider looking in its going to be very challenging.
One thing you misses abuot Retiro is that apart of the tree train stations it has a long distance bus station directly to the north of it. And long distance buses are the most used form of long distance public transportation in Argentina.
Here's some context for some of the names mentioned here: General San Martín is José de San Martín, who's an Argentine regarded as the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru as he was the main leader of the southern and central parts of South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish. Belgrano refers to Manuel Belgrano, who not only participated in the struggle for independence as well, but also designed what became the flag of Argentina. Plaza de Mayo was named in honor of the 1810 May Revolution, which sparked the war for independence when the Primera Junta seized the government, ousted the Spanish Viceroy, and launched a series of military expeditions. A tip for the future: In the Rio de la Plata region (as in not just Argentina but also Uruguay), they pronounce "ll" as "zh" instead of as a y. So Caballito at 4:38 is pronounced "Cabazhito". This pronunciation of ll and y as sh is actually a linguistic phenomenon called yeismo rehilado, which is also common in Uruguay. Why is this a thing in the region? Because of Galician, French, Portuguese, and most importantly, Italian immigration. Loan words like champagne and chef from French for example. And Puerto is pware-to. This isn't just a Rio de la Plata thing, but an all-Spanish thing. Saying Puerto as "porto" is Anglicized
A mí me dio gracia que cuando se refirió a los distintos subtes naturalmente pronunció las letras en inglés, lo que puede prestarse a confusión con cómo realmente las llamamos en español 😋
As a Chilean I wondered if the lack of expansion in Buenos Aires subte is due to the broad and larger bus system and suburban rail that crosses the city. In Santiago the former bus system had so many lines and coverage that many people never used the subway, but when the system was replaced with Transantiago, metro increased its passengers and the oversaturated network needed to be expanded.
En parte si. Hay que verlo en terminos de lienas ferreas, entiendo el resto de Latam no tiniendo red de trenes urbanos amplia no las incluyan, pero en nuestro caso son parte de la misma red. Estan super conectadas. En total son 98 estaciones en la Capital Federal.
Large bus system in existence before subway are constructed is a common thing across developing cities, including East Asian cities that have now become developed. It didn't stop those cities from switching from bus to subway.
It's mostly due to neglect by a right-wing city government that's more committed to cars than public transportation. The bus network is not that good - it actually resembles Santiago's yellow lines in many aspects.
@@pwn3dnamethat’s not true, only your personal -shortsighted, biased-impression; the problem here is the macro economic situation that prevents city government from taking loans and private companies from taking the risk to continue growing the Subway system. Until the macro issue gets resolved, no system updates are possible.
@@willy-7030 the country has had a poor macroeconomic situation for the last 40 years, give or take, yet we've managed to build some subway in all years except for the last four. Take some responsibility for once.
0:30 little clarification, there aro almost 15 million living in the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) and it's suburban area, but just 3 or 4 million in CABA itself, the subte is only in CABA.
Being from Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina, the Subte is one of the things we envy the most. The amount of time and money the Subte means is crazy. In my city there are only buses, taxis and Cabify. Traffic jams are insane every day. But the government won't invest and take the risk. But Subte should be present in every major city. And Córdoba being so spread in area, needs it even more.
Great Video. Although Buenos Aires does have a limited metrobus network, it does have one of the most extensive bus network in the world. You can pic virtually any corner and there is a bus combination that will get you there.
if not 1 a combination of 2 for sure, you will never have to walk more than 6 blocks or drive. But sometimes the bus can be overcrowded and it is a nightmare
As an Argentinian, I can strongly affirm that we need a new metro line that "circles" and connects green, red, light blue and purple lines on the western side of the city. If you see Buenos Aires map, you will find areas like Villa Del Parque that are completely unconnected to the metro system (but they do have trains). Without a line that connects the western side of the city from north to south, people who live on the western side need to take a metro line to go to the eastern/center side of the city and then take another line to go north or south, or simply travel by bus.
Oh boy, my favourite topic, subte de Buenos Aires!! We can resume the lack of expasion to politicians, as always (corruption, favors to buses/truck owners), and bad economic (due to politicians). Of course, politicians wants low cost and highly visible infraestructure, so metrobus was born. Subways are boring and no one sees the tunels being...bored(?)!. BTW, in Skyscrappercity we have fun imagining proposed lines onto an actual map or proposing new lines. Fun fact, Highlander 2 was filmed in Argentina, and part of it was filmed in the E line, they even used a preliminary subway car made by Materfer. We also have a failed attemp to put the Sarmiento line into a tunnel (soterramiento del Sarmiento, even it rhymes), the project is surrounded by a lot of corruption, but president Mauricio, the cat, Macri, promised the tunnel and it started being built with. Now we have a tunnel half built, but due to a lack of budget (FMI to the rescue!) it got suspended. RER is awesome, maybe can be simplified I wish we can build it. And the lack of high speed train...don't get me started!. Your pronunciation of the spanis words is very good!!
The failed Soterramiento wasn't Macri's fault, it was doomed from the start due to Kirchner's corruption during the first Cristina government. The project started around 2008-2010.
I'm Argentinian, I've lived my whole life in Buenos Aires, and an interesting fact is that you can ride the original 1913 wooden cars (La Burgeoise) on special events like the night of the museums. Also, until a few years ago the "Subte" sign was not yellow throughout the network. It used to have the background colour of the line the station belonged to, and also yellow can be confusing since it's the H line colour
Excellent... The original trains from line A you can actually ride on weekends in a small tourist service from Caballito. You forgot the connection from line A to Sarmiento trains, they even have some Sarmiento services sharing underground platform with the Subte.
Great video! Dropping in to add some info on the B line (ironically among the lines I used the least 😅): - Of the east-west lines, it was the only one built from west to east (all the rest were built from downtown outwards) - It was built by Federico Lacroze, then owner of the now Urquiza line, who had planned on through trains from downtown (Leandro N. Alem station, by the then central mail building) to the suburbs (it's the only subte line built with railway standards -- spacing, track hardness, etc. -- instead of light railway as the rest of the lines) - He never quite got to run those trains due to (extremely valid!) union issues: Train conductors wanted the benefits of both Railway conductors (best retirement plan in Argentina and among the best salaries at the time) and Subway conductors ("unsanitary work"[1] -- 6 hour shifts instead of 8 hour shifts at the same daily pay). His response was to cancel the through-running services - This also came with a completely different electrical system that is rather unique for subway systems (3rd rail instead of overhead lines[2]). - The CAF trains had lots and lots of issues: For some inexplicable reason, SBASE/Metrovías decided to install the extremely proprietary and never-before installed overhead line system from CAF[3] instead of adapting the engines to 3rd rail, or even to the catenary system used in the entire rest of the system, which required increased maintenance windows (line was closing ~2 hours early and even shutting down some weekends during this work). - To make matters worse, the trains that came with AC didn't quite fit with the AC units installed in parts of the tunnel (ironically the tighest fit was in one of the newer parts: the connection between the old Federico Lacroze garages and the extension to Tronador/Villa Ortúzar), so they had to lower the tracks relative to the tunnel roof (Didn't know that cargo trains used to serve the Abasto! 🤯) As for the connection of Once to Puerto Madero, there was a tunnel meant for cargo that even had a underutilized passenger express train at one point (twice daily) to Moreno and Luján. The tunnel has been cut off by the "Paseo del Bajo" project (a trench/tunnel where all trucks that used to circulate in Eduardo Madero/Ing. Huergo are now forced into), and I doubt they can reestablish that connection (it's a small miracle already that the Paseo del Bajo didn't shut down the tracks connecting Retiro with the Roca railway...). [1]: This right was taken from the workers sometime in the 90's IIRC, and it has been their main fight ever since [2]: I don't have my mental timeline right, but I have seen very old photos of the Urquiza line with overhead lines [3]: My understanding is that the "standard" overhead lines in Argentina are suspended copper bars, while the CAF system is as near as makes no difference completely rigid
Two things worth mentioning. While the H line was inaugurated in 2007 (twice, because at the original inauguration, it turned out that the line didn't work, so they had to re-inaugurate it months later after they fixed the problems), it originally only ran for four stations, connecting lines D, B, and A, with one intermediate stop, and ran that way for years before eventually adding in more stops in both directions, one at a time gradually increasing its coverage. The last to open opened just a couple of years ago and there are still more to come. Second, and one of the things that I've always found fascinating, and which may be just a local apocryphal story... You might note watching the videos, that the trains run "on the left", so to speak. Supposedly, it's because the original suburban, and subte line A, were installed by British companies. While our traffic in Buenos Aires runs "on the right", the American model, all of our trains run on the opposite side. According to the story, by the time anyone noticed that the Brits were installing the trains on "the wrong side", it was too late to do anything about it. Whether or not the story is true, who knows? But it does make for good local lore when showing visitors around.
Great video! I know the scope of the video is the subte, but in the Intro I think you under-estimated the importance of the bus network, is truly amazing the number of lines, services and extension, I think is the most unique thing about the Buenos Aires transportation system and what "saves" us (the porteños/bonaerenses) from having an unbearable experience because of the poor conectivity of the train and metro lines.
Es verdad pero los bondis nos "salvan" porque los metros no están bien desarrollados. Los trenes y subtes son la manera más eficiente de transporte que hay y creo que se debería invertir más en eso antes que concentrarse solo en los colectivos durante tanto tiempo. Y que no se me mal interprete, el metro bus es muy útil y agilizó el sistema de colectivos mucho más pero creo que hay que apostar por los trenes/subtes mucho más
Remember being there for a month one winter in I think 2006 and seeing the wooden doors of the cars on one of the lines swinging back and forth, open and close as the train was moving along.
That was the line A, the oldest of the network, opened in 1913. In 2006, the original trains were still running. Since 2013, the line has all new CNR Citic series 200 trains, and the original trains were retired.
@@RMTransit It was quite an experience, I loved it as a kid. The lights would flicker when cornering, and you if sat in the front of the train you could see the way forward. The smell of wood and the screeching noise of the wheels on the rails. Sadly the old cars were not preserved and either left to rot or sold to the mayor's friends. It would've been super simple to leave a couple of the trains running during the weekends, such a shame.
99 Years on Service !!!!. and with one of the lowest rates of accidents (just 4 in all it history). Door was held close by pneumatics, I find a bit difficult to picture what you are describing. Been a daily user for years, never seen something like that. Could be the driver internal door. Yes, they barely closed them properly ... they didnt care at all. Drivers treated this material pretty bad, even using reverse as a brake. Tourist love them. And dont think because it was wooden and old, they couldnt cope with the rush hour like champs. With 200HP per coach, they got the job done really well. GOOD OLD IRON
Great video, also we have a big big problem with the subte B, the trains that we bought from Spain have Asbesto, very dangerous carcinogenic material.. and we are still using them. 3 workers already died from cancer, and the goverment of Buenos Aires doesn't buy new trains.. its a big problem right now
I waited for years for you to tackle the Subte system and you never fail to deliver! I hoping to see soon the video about Buenos Aires´s Suburban Railways as i myself work at Plaza Constitución on the General Roca Railway
Nice coverage !!!!. It is very true that our metro have mantained a wide variety of raillstock across the years. By the end of the 70 this was about to change. We had a project calle "coche unico" ( one train for all lines). The project aim was to provide ALL the lines, except for B for obviuos reasons with an homogenoeus fleet or trains. Across 18 years, FIAT MATERFER delivered 45 pairs (each pair consistin on a A and B car). But our Gobernement never commited to support this process and with the last deliveries in 1998, the train loocked out of date. But here is the result> This rolling stock performed pretty well across the years. It aged well, still going strong. and passed the 2016 audit from Metro of Barcelona. This is not the only case of Argentinian rolling stock but it was the second project for the metro. This rolling stock can run on 600 and 1500V, more like S7000 and others. IT uses chopped DC for traction control (ALL SOLID STATE), air suspension an PLC "drive by wire" controls. For a late 70s design ,man they did an outstanding job. People dont realize the effort that was put there, they lack from AA and that all ....
I've been waiting this video for so long! I'm from Argentina, and even though the some Subte stations aren't the cleanest, and sometimes it can be too crowded, I think it's a wonderful system nonetheless, with beautiful stations and varied rolling stock (it might not be the best, but it is very interesting to se the different trains, and riding them) Thanks so much for doing this video, keep up the work!
Thank you so much for talking about our subte!!! I agree that, although it needs improvement, its still one of the best subway systems out there so thank you for shining the spotlight on it ajjaja (also kudos for the pronunciation in spanish u did rlly good) Saludos desde Argentina 💖
I love the Subte,and it's nice to see other people learn more and more about Argentina's railways! (as someone who lives there) My personal favorite line is the C line since it partaked most of my childhood.
I can't believe you didn't include footage from the Line A stations which are exactly the same as they were in 1913. It even has the original advertisement.
As a born Argentinian who takes the B line daily, I wanted to say two things, one, that our subway system is hella awesome, but also let everyone know that the subte workers are striking because of many cases of mold and asbestos in the stations and tunels causing diseases. Hopefully our government will listen to demands and fix these issues soon so we can all enjoy the best public transportation possible. Thanks for the video, it's weird listening to foreigners talk about something so close to me in other languages, but it also gives me perspective on how other countries see our city !
its been long time since i last used the "subte". i live some 30km from the city. but even back then, u could go anywhere combining it with suburban trains and urban and suburban buses. bsas public transportation is pretty well designed/organized. (much more than other things in this country)
Being part of the city government, I have a couple of footnotes: 1) The mega station under the Obelisk (RER) is not going to happen. The debt taken by President Macri with the IMF was partly justified with this project, but after the reduction of investments in trains, the lack of funds was declared. There is currently no plan to revive the project. 2) There is a second stretch of tramway in CABA, which was closed not many years ago. Coincidentally, it used the same modern cars as the Madrid tram. Clearly the system was not well managed and the cars are currently in our Tram Museum. There are private proposals to revive the system, but again, without a defined plan from the city... and we need trams back. 3) You should see the elevation works of the Mitre line and the tunneling works of the Sarmiento line. Each one deserves its own videos.
¿Hay algún plan de la Secretaría de Transporte por el tema de colectivos en general? Está bien que la CNRT es la tiene que hacer los cambios de recorrido y todo eso, pero no puede ser que en ciertas avenidas como Rivadavia la mitad de las paradas no estén bien señalizadas (aún cuando en la CNRT tienen parada oficial en cierto lugar). También mejoraría mucho el tránsito en general y el transporte público si se crearan y modificaran ciertas líneas, o cosas muy pequeñas como la ubicación de una parada mal ubicada que desencadena un cuello de botella a todo el tránsito, y eso es algo que prácticamente no demanda presupuesto alguno.
El RER está pospuesto indefinidamente pero eso no quiere decir que no haya escenario de realizarse. El unico problema es financiero, no es un proyecto cancelado por dificultades de ingenieria. Las vias del tranvia del este se levantaron, no hay más sistema como tal. Toda su infraestructura desapareció, inclusive los coches ya son practicamente chatarra.
Interesting to see southern hemisphere content. Looking forward to a video on the commuter rail systems in South Africa, especially the Gautrain in Johannesburg-Pretoria.
great video! I went to buenos aires twice, and even with so many problems with subway and bus infrastructure, it's so much more efficient than where I currently live in. you should definely make a video about São Paulo subway system as well!
Good video. I wish you showed the art on some stations, and spoke about the SUBE system allowing for virtually unlimited connectons for less than a U$D price
Definitely didn't expect a South American metro system to have such a storied history, especially, well, since Shanghai just got released a few weeks ago. Anyways, nice video as always
Basically because Argentina (and most specifically Buenos Aires) had EU capitals budget back in the day, unlike other south american cities. With such a budget you could do a lot of things. Sadly in the last 100 years Argentina has decayed a lot and became much more “south american” as the rest of the countries around there. Such a shame…
It's always so bizarre seeing my home city in english speaking youtube videos! One of the stations featured is quite literally two blocks from where i live. The intricacies of the public transit system itself elude me, but damn if it ain't convenient; I don't ever have to worry about learning to drive as a necessity, as I've heard happens a lot in the majority of the US. Great video, I can tell you know a lot about the topic!
Nice video. I wasnt aware of this metro, but it appears to to be well used in Buenos Aires and the public wants it to be expanded. Being able to use the Subte card in the rest of Argentina sounds similar to how the Suica card in the Tokyo system can be used elsewhere in Japan.
Actually it is not the "subte card" is the SUBE (Sistema Único de Boleto Electrónico) card, which is a National Government political being implementing gradually across the country.
took me 2 days to come up with a cool funny comment but really im just very thankful for the opportunity reece! been waiting for a vid about my beloved system for such a long time and it finally paid off with a banger video 😍
I love how you called it subte the whole way through. it's short for subterranean, aka subway, in case anybody didn't connect the dots. I didn't know we had such dope subtes compared to the rest of the world.
I remember once in 2019 I rode the E line for the first time. The car i got on was so, so old... it has wooden benches not against the wall but all facing each other like traditional train boots, and there was a chandelier on the ceiling. Never seen that car again, the next time i boarded one was the more modern tracks.
Loved the mention to the "subtrenmetrocleta" (connecting subte, trains, metrobus and a bike station under the Obelisco) project at the end, it has sadly been left behind but it will live forever in our hearts.
Lo de "subtemetrocleta" fue una estupidez espontánea de algún funcionario sobredotado del GCBA, y vendría siendo que el transporte principalmente sea en esos medios, pero nada más en concreto. Lo que mencionó es la RER, Red de Expresos Regionales, y fue una idea (no mucho más que eso) muy ambiciosa del gobierno de Macri.
Thank you for covering this. Buenos Aires is a very extensive city and during rush hours, it's almost impossible to use the subte system accordingly. Lines E, C, B and D being the most used ones in my opinion (from personal experience, having used all of them) Another note you could've added is that there were projects planned for new lines F, G, I and extention of the existing ones to connect everything in a single unit, but never happened in the end. This would've solved a lot of issues regarding rush hour multitudes as people would have a new way to get to their jobs and homes, other than relying on the existing system or riding the bus, which is either crwoded as well or on strike multiple times. Overall, beautiful narration, research and take on our underground system!
i live in buenos aires sinze 1994 and i love trains, your video wass veery enjoyable. U should ask motormans here they very friendly and they may give u a drive on the motorman cabin to make a nice video
This is why space bugs destroyed Buenos Aires, they were jealous of the tunnels, their dirty bug tunnels are way less efficient. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
the city capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, was the 14th city in the world to have a subway system, Argentina was the seventh country in the world to have a subway system, and the first in the southern hemisphere of the planet. I did a video about the first Metro too. Very nice video !!!! a big like
Im from BA but currently living in London, and honestly I can appreciate a lot the design and connections of the system back at home. As much as the tube is incredibly vast, I don't think the design is as efficient as the transport in Buenos Aires. Living in the edge of the city to the south I had 1 to 1.3 h commute to anywhere within the city normally requiring either 2 buses, 1 bus or bus and subte. Getting around the same distance in London will definitely take 2 hours at least and require bus, tube, and walking at least 10 mins. Obviously this is owed to the history of the network and the differences in city layout (london being built across a river, with a non'-grid street layout), still can't help but miss the commute back at home!!
I am in Mendoza, Argentina now - was in Buenos Aires last month - loved it. I was staying in Recoleta and there was a subway stop just outside my apartment. I used this iconic and very old subway system for the whole month, using a Sube card given to me by my Airbnb host. Awesome experience. When I was first in BA in 2009 I actually used the very first subway cars from 1913 which were still in service. They still had the old wooden escalators as well. While the BA system is very old, in a couple of days I will be using the very modern Santiago, Chile system which is one of the best in the world IMHO.
SUBTE is by far the fastest way to get to various parts of Buenos Aires. There is a bus line that has a stop at the corner of my block that goes all the way up to Retiro (line 100) but often, I would rather take a shorter bus line to Lanus station, then the Roca train line to Constitución, and then the SUBTE to whatever place in Buenos Aires City I have to be, provided the place is in a walkable distance from the metro stop. While travelling that way is more expensive, it is way faster than one or two bus lines, as trains don't have traffic or red lights to stop them.
Also, on line E there are two stations SAN JOSÉ, the current one and the old one that is below the current one. The old one has an address to Constitution, since that was its original route. Today we can see on the way of the C when it is entering the station Constitución on our right we see as some iron columns and even parked cars, there were the platforms of the line E.
Love the Subte, as someone used to the London Underground, the Subte is a refreshing change. Granted, the C can be chaotic at times as can the B but you expect that. I love it
I wish they continued working on the Subte network, there are still some parts of the city that are hard to reach with public transportation, which were supposed to be connected by other planned (but never built) Subte lines
Currently one major issue with the Subte is the presence os asbestos, a known carcinogen, in various parts of the system. It doesn't cause a huge risk for users but many workers have suffered health problems. They are protesting by closing the service once in a while, but as it is such a needed service they usually take turns striking.
Check out another amazing South American metro system, the Sao Paulo Metro, here: th-cam.com/video/HJf0Nd4WejM/w-d-xo.html
A pretty important thing you should have mentioned is how cheap the subte and buses are in BsAs. When I was there in Jan 2023 it was ARS22 (less than USD 10 cents!) per trip.
I never saw anyone evading fares which is quite amazing given how poor their economy is.
I think I did not hear you mention it -- "subte" is just short for "subterráneo", which simply means "under ground".
At last someone points out to this!
You are right !
yep. I remember when I was a child and learnt in english class that the word "subway" mean the public transport thingy (subterraneo) and I was like "no wayy😱🤯🤯" "I can't believe my favourite fast food chain is the subte". Lol
@@maestrofeli4259for me, born and raised in Buenos Aires, the arrival of Subway franchising spunded a too disgusting name. And never bought a sandwich that sounded as prepared in.the darkness of below. Doy you know why americans call so a simple sandwich?.
@@AnavonRebeur perdon, no pude entender muy bien a que te referis con la ultima oracion.
Yo soy del conurbano, por lo que el subte no fue gran parte de mi vida y nací despues de que subway se instalara en el pais, por lo que subway siempre estuvo en mi vida (igual que mcdonalds, starbucks, burger king u otras cadenas yanquis) y su nombre nunca se me hizo raro.
IT'S FINALLY HEREEEE!! I don't know what else can I say after watching this video evolve from concept to reality. I'm glad I was able to help you out with this one. Hopefully we can collaborate in another future project!
Thank you Mati!
Mati y RM transit, no me esperaba está colaboración 😮
matiiiiii
Also waiting this video 😽
MATIIIIIIIIIIIII JUSTO VEIA ABAJO COURTESY OF MATI Y DIJE NO TE PUEDO CREER! DIOS QUE COINCIDENCIA JAJA, EXCELENTE VIDEO DE RM TRANSIT Y ENCIMA CON TU MATERIAL!, TIENE QUE SALIR CROSSOVER !!
Buenos Aires is a beautiful city.
Saludos desde Buenos Aires.
Argentinian women are so beautiful. Hope I meet one someday.
Best regards from Buenos Aires
Man I look so forward to eat the famous asado one of these days. Greetings from Buenos Aires.
i have 3 spine deformities
chau
@@heatherdukeswifeandgirlfriend Girls with spine deformities from Buenos Aires are still beautiful
Saludos desde buenos aires con la espalda hecha mierda
I remember a 90's argentine film called Moebius, about a missing train in the subte system.
One topologist hypothesized that the system has grown so complex, it was actually non-Euclidian. Loved the video, thank you!
Recuerdo esa pelicula! Creo que habia una estacion Ciudad Universitaria, ficticia obvio, pero como deseaba que se hiciera realidad :)
@@juca365 esa es tremenda pelicula, de hecho habia un montonazo de lineas ficticias tales como la J y estaciones como dock sud, borges, parque I y II, etc etc
Una estación llamada Italpark!
Morbius
@@_TRB_ morbius es otra, es una pelicula de mierda nefasta. MOeBIUS es la argentina y es la mejor pelicula argentina
Thank you for showing Buenos Aires's beautiful Subte system. I was in BA recently for an exchange trip, and I truly agree that this system is beautiful.
Thanks for watching, its a great city!
Oh yes, I've waiting for this one for long! Born there, commuted on line C daily and I have to say it's quite a traumatic experience at rush hour. Systemically over-capacity and unreliable, the Subte has been a long time victim of political wars between the national and city governments, often from opposite sides of the political spectrum. The mural art on the Subte is quite remarkable, perhaps worth of a video on its own along such examples around the world. Great work RMTransit!!!
Thanks for watching, its a great system - it deserves expansion!
And yet it's fared better than public transit in the United States! Some cities the size of Buenos Aires or larger only have light rail, a single starter rapid transit line, or bus rapid transit!
@@edwardmiessner6502 Well, beating the United States in public transit is an easy feat LOL
what "opposite spectrums"? there hasn't been a true right-wing party for decades, the only one right now being "la libertad avanza", which was created less than four years ago by right wing people who just entered politics with the express purpose of fighting back against career politicians who are so far removed from their voters that they can't even fathom what our true wants are.
I've used the B line since 2007, and about 6 years ago I decided to just start walking to work (I travel 30 blocks, it's not that much) because of how unreliable the subte is. It's always, quite literally, ALWAYS either packed at all times of the day, or there's always some problem which I'm starting to believe they're made up and not real.
The C line gets Tokyo levels of ridership at rush hour, the only thing missing is the company guys pushing people in; sadly this job is left to amateur volunteers (aka other riders).
I agree the suburban railway would make an interesting video, specially the Roca line between Haedo and Temperley, a token line left almost exclusively for people in emergency settlements in Southwest GBA to be able to go to work.
The suburban railways will absolutely get a vidoe eventually!
"amateur volunteers" - Hahaha!
Ah, nothing like getting squashed into the Subte during rush hour. I definitely don't miss it.
Not that roca line please...
The fact it serves dangerous settlements is enough to not include it.
@@OfficerExe wtf the people that live there need transport too
The original lines retired in 2013 where really a time trip, I loved riding them, but they shaked like they where about to collapse, the problem was that ther where all wood, so very hard to fix without non historical parts. Its sad that they are not there anymore, i feel very privileged for having rode them.
titilaban las luces, hacia ruidos raros y sentías que iba a explotar, pero como se extrañan esos vagones
The shaking of the carriage body was not due to wear and tear, but it was planned by design and construction, to avoid breaking the wooden parts. Actually, the carriages survived roughly 90 years reliably running.
I rode them A LOT during the 90s (sometimes up to 4 times a day) and they where LOVELY! They shook and made all kind of noises, lights suddenly turned off but I kind of got used to it and even liked that they gave some rest to my eyes, sometimes even for a couple of stations! Good times, thanks for the video!
Growing up in Villa Devoto, I didn't get to use the subway as much (no subte line goes that far west of the city) so my family and I mainly used the bus. I do remember going to the doctor once when I was little and being completely amazed by those wagons, so beautiful! I wish I got the chance to ride them more.
The original A line wagons were the best of the whole network. While I wish they had been kept running (or replicas with modern mechanics were built to replace them) at least they are put on the tracks semi regularly for touristic travel.
One funny detail about the linea E (my favorite one), it was planned on the late 70's to continue forward west near the general paz, (the highway that separates the capital city from the province, which would've massively increased usage and saved lots of commune time for tens of millions of people). The plans were also approved by the government. The only issue? They had, simultaneously, also approved the construction of the 25 de mayo highway connecting the same route on the surface. But neither project knew about the extension or height of the other one, until it was already too late and they realized that the sewer pipes from the highway would be running at exactly the same height as where the subway track would. With a little less incompetence from the dictatorial government, this could've been easily avoided. That is why they had to cancel the construction of the next station (the digging was almost 50% done at this point) and stop at Plaza de los virreyes (where it ends currently), and it will never be able to continue because the sewage system plan prevailed as it was more visible since it was on the surface, and so it would make a better image of this de facto government. That is why, to continue the original plan they had to do the premetro line, a poor attempt in uniting the poor south side of the city using a god forgotten tramway that would absolutely never receive any funds.
Fun premetro tip: Do not absolutely, never, under any circumstance take it. You've been warned.
Or, you know, take it, BUT WATCH OUT
why shouldn't I take the premetro?
Thank you for information you shared. At least they should extent the Line E to Terminal Dellepiane since there's a bus terminal and also depot for Line E, it would be so useful. I really don't know what the hell is the person or the persons who planning the metro system is thinking.
Algunas notas:
- Los trenes Le Brugeoise siguen en servicio para tareas de movimiento de otras unidades (no llevan pasajeros, pero sirven a la empresa para llevar cosas del taller de superficie al túnel de la estación primera junta)
- Los fines de semana circulan por un lazo cerrado los viejos tranvías de la ciudad restaurados por la asociación "amigos del tranvía" saliendo del taller de caballito y dando una vuelta pasando por Rivadavia antes de volver
- Exceptuando la linea H, las demás lineas se conectan entre si por medio de vías de servicio
- Debajo del túnel de la linea A, hay un viejo túnel con espacio para un tren de cargas mas pequeño
Fun fact: the Marunouchi Line rolling stock still have some signs in Japanese.
Indeed! I have seen them, although i doubt the untrained eye would notice as they have really darkened over the years
@@timoarrg where?
@@albertoandrade9807 las palancas de alarma están en japones
@@albertoandrade9807 En algunos enlaces entre vagones se notan varios carteles en japones
I thought it was just some kind of urban art when I first saw it, but now it makes sense lol
Buenos Aires Subte is great. For an old subway that has small connective tunnels and so many changes over the years it is quiet easy to navigate. The old parts of the city it is well connected and most of the touristic parts of the city are very accessible via subway (not counting Caminito and San Telmo). Some of the stations have great art murals painted on the subway tiles. However as in Paris and London it is so annoying to see the trains coming from the “wrong direction” due to the British heritage of the original lines.
I want to see it grow, and the through running suburban rail happen!
@@RMTransit I would not hold my breath. I was already disappointed by the elimination of the tranvía de puerto madero, which had the potential to become a cool lrt that could have been extended to la Boca neighbourhood. But as you I wish to see extended. I also hope to see the trains converted to electronic traction on all lines.
@@RMTransit Good luck with that. I don't think it will happen anytime soon. Also Subte is not friendly to people with disabilities at all.
Trains going on the left is not heritage from the British, but from Argentina's past. Up until 1945 streets also were left-handed. Cars/bicycles/carriages as well as trains/trams, all on the left. Then we switched on streets but not on rail.
The BRT system opened in 2013 also goes the opposite way for some weird reason, so you have cars going one way and buses going the opposite way
I was 100% NOT expecting this collab. Aguante Mati en la ciudad y RMTransit!
Loved the video. We argentines tend to complain a lot about our country, as if nothing was right about it. But we need to have a bit of pride and recognize that it's not all that bad. Yes, subte could use A LOT of improvement, but it is nonetheless quite a good metro system
Absolutely. There's so much to see and experience here, from the land itself to the people and what they do. Generally it's a great place to live... all it's major problems can be summarized in one word: politics. Or rather the lack of them, since for the last few decades there was no actual long term future planning to steer the country. It was all infighting and short term politics aimed to win elections rather than improving the nation.
@@moteroargentino7944 Tengo 36 años y nunca en mi vida vi un político que hable sobre un plan a largo plazo. Recién ahora Milei está diciendo que en 35 años no sé qué, pero dudo que vaya a poder hacer algo con las dos cámaras en contra y que el siguiente gobierno que venga no deshaga todo lo que vaya a poder hacer.
Chusty, coincido plenamente, vivo en Seattle de hace 23 años y me impresiona de buena forma lo limpio y bien que se ve todo en el video, muchisimo mejor que muchas areas de la ciudad de Seattle, (por suerte no vivo EN la ciudad) - hay muchisimas cosas que a veces dan por sentado de lo que se tiene alla que no todos lados hay, (como todo, tambien cuenta al reves, desde este lado, cuando nos quejamos aca de algo) , Saludos !
I really enjoyed visiting Buenos Aires, and I do hope things get better for you guys as you do have a very fantastic base to work with. Buenos Aires is one my favorite cities on earth, its so vibrant, full of life and culture (and the buildings are eclectic and interesting!) I wish the best for Argentina in general, but I do know at least as an outsider looking in its going to be very challenging.
@@daniel_rossy_explica Milei diciendo que va a invertir en obra pública? Contate uno de gallegos ahora...
One thing you misses abuot Retiro is that apart of the tree train stations it has a long distance bus station directly to the north of it. And long distance buses are the most used form of long distance public transportation in Argentina.
Here's some context for some of the names mentioned here: General San Martín is José de San Martín, who's an Argentine regarded as the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru as he was the main leader of the southern and central parts of South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish. Belgrano refers to Manuel Belgrano, who not only participated in the struggle for independence as well, but also designed what became the flag of Argentina. Plaza de Mayo was named in honor of the 1810 May Revolution, which sparked the war for independence when the Primera Junta seized the government, ousted the Spanish Viceroy, and launched a series of military expeditions.
A tip for the future: In the Rio de la Plata region (as in not just Argentina but also Uruguay), they pronounce "ll" as "zh" instead of as a y. So Caballito at 4:38 is pronounced "Cabazhito". This pronunciation of ll and y as sh is actually a linguistic phenomenon called yeismo rehilado, which is also common in Uruguay. Why is this a thing in the region? Because of Galician, French, Portuguese, and most importantly, Italian immigration. Loan words like champagne and chef from French for example. And Puerto is pware-to. This isn't just a Rio de la Plata thing, but an all-Spanish thing. Saying Puerto as "porto" is Anglicized
cool!
(though I still think @RMTransit did a *very* decent job with the pronunciation : ) )
As an Argentinian , I refuse to be connected to that conquering dictator
A mí me dio gracia que cuando se refirió a los distintos subtes naturalmente pronunció las letras en inglés, lo que puede prestarse a confusión con cómo realmente las llamamos en español 😋
As a Chilean I wondered if the lack of expansion in Buenos Aires subte is due to the broad and larger bus system and suburban rail that crosses the city. In Santiago the former bus system had so many lines and coverage that many people never used the subway, but when the system was replaced with Transantiago, metro increased its passengers and the oversaturated network needed to be expanded.
En parte si. Hay que verlo en terminos de lienas ferreas, entiendo el resto de Latam no tiniendo red de trenes urbanos amplia no las incluyan, pero en nuestro caso son parte de la misma red. Estan super conectadas. En total son 98 estaciones en la Capital Federal.
Large bus system in existence before subway are constructed is a common thing across developing cities, including East Asian cities that have now become developed. It didn't stop those cities from switching from bus to subway.
It's mostly due to neglect by a right-wing city government that's more committed to cars than public transportation. The bus network is not that good - it actually resembles Santiago's yellow lines in many aspects.
@@pwn3dnamethat’s not true, only your personal -shortsighted, biased-impression; the problem here is the macro economic situation that prevents city government from taking loans and private companies from taking the risk to continue growing the Subway system. Until the macro issue gets resolved, no system updates are possible.
@@willy-7030 the country has had a poor macroeconomic situation for the last 40 years, give or take, yet we've managed to build some subway in all years except for the last four.
Take some responsibility for once.
0:30 little clarification, there aro almost 15 million living in the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) and it's suburban area, but just 3 or 4 million in CABA itself, the subte is only in CABA.
Just booked a flight to Buenos Aires and this is one of the first videos I've watched since
Being from Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina, the Subte is one of the things we envy the most. The amount of time and money the Subte means is crazy. In my city there are only buses, taxis and Cabify. Traffic jams are insane every day. But the government won't invest and take the risk. But Subte should be present in every major city. And Córdoba being so spread in area, needs it even more.
Great Video. Although Buenos Aires does have a limited metrobus network, it does have one of the most extensive bus network in the world. You can pic virtually any corner and there is a bus combination that will get you there.
if not 1 a combination of 2 for sure, you will never have to walk more than 6 blocks or drive. But sometimes the bus can be overcrowded and it is a nightmare
I love Argentina, I love Buenos Aires and SUBTE is possibly my favorite metro system I've ever used.
As an Argentinian, I can strongly affirm that we need a new metro line that "circles" and connects green, red, light blue and purple lines on the western side of the city. If you see Buenos Aires map, you will find areas like Villa Del Parque that are completely unconnected to the metro system (but they do have trains).
Without a line that connects the western side of the city from north to south, people who live on the western side need to take a metro line to go to the eastern/center side of the city and then take another line to go north or south, or simply travel by bus.
Osea la Línea I? Está en el mismo proyecto que la H sólo que no se ha hecho aún, junto a la F y la G
Oh boy, my favourite topic, subte de Buenos Aires!! We can resume the lack of expasion to politicians, as always (corruption, favors to buses/truck owners), and bad economic (due to politicians). Of course, politicians wants low cost and highly visible infraestructure, so metrobus was born. Subways are boring and no one sees the tunels being...bored(?)!. BTW, in Skyscrappercity we have fun imagining proposed lines onto an actual map or proposing new lines.
Fun fact, Highlander 2 was filmed in Argentina, and part of it was filmed in the E line, they even used a preliminary subway car made by Materfer.
We also have a failed attemp to put the Sarmiento line into a tunnel (soterramiento del Sarmiento, even it rhymes), the project is surrounded by a lot of corruption, but president Mauricio, the cat, Macri, promised the tunnel and it started being built with. Now we have a tunnel half built, but due to a lack of budget (FMI to the rescue!) it got suspended.
RER is awesome, maybe can be simplified I wish we can build it. And the lack of high speed train...don't get me started!. Your pronunciation of the spanis words is very good!!
I second everything said here.
The failed Soterramiento wasn't Macri's fault, it was doomed from the start due to Kirchner's corruption during the first Cristina government. The project started around 2008-2010.
@@MrBrno yeah well, I couldn't write all the soterramiento's back story, it's a long one 😅
Tangentially related, but in the movie "Moebius" (Argentina, 1996), the subte plays a stellar role.
I was just in Madrid, it reminds me so much of that system. BA is one city I really want to visit, hopefully someday
I'm Argentinian, I've lived my whole life in Buenos Aires, and an interesting fact is that you can ride the original 1913 wooden cars (La Burgeoise) on special events like the night of the museums. Also, until a few years ago the "Subte" sign was not yellow throughout the network. It used to have the background colour of the line the station belonged to, and also yellow can be confusing since it's the H line colour
Excellent... The original trains from line A you can actually ride on weekends in a small tourist service from Caballito. You forgot the connection from line A to Sarmiento trains, they even have some Sarmiento services sharing underground platform with the Subte.
Yeah, that underground connection between Sarmiento train and lines A and B its quite pretty (at least for me)
I am from Buenos Aires and this was very informative, thank you!
Great video! Dropping in to add some info on the B line (ironically among the lines I used the least 😅):
- Of the east-west lines, it was the only one built from west to east (all the rest were built from downtown outwards)
- It was built by Federico Lacroze, then owner of the now Urquiza line, who had planned on through trains from downtown (Leandro N. Alem station, by the then central mail building) to the suburbs (it's the only subte line built with railway standards -- spacing, track hardness, etc. -- instead of light railway as the rest of the lines)
- He never quite got to run those trains due to (extremely valid!) union issues: Train conductors wanted the benefits of both Railway conductors (best retirement plan in Argentina and among the best salaries at the time) and Subway conductors ("unsanitary work"[1] -- 6 hour shifts instead of 8 hour shifts at the same daily pay). His response was to cancel the through-running services
- This also came with a completely different electrical system that is rather unique for subway systems (3rd rail instead of overhead lines[2]).
- The CAF trains had lots and lots of issues: For some inexplicable reason, SBASE/Metrovías decided to install the extremely proprietary and never-before installed overhead line system from CAF[3] instead of adapting the engines to 3rd rail, or even to the catenary system used in the entire rest of the system, which required increased maintenance windows (line was closing ~2 hours early and even shutting down some weekends during this work).
- To make matters worse, the trains that came with AC didn't quite fit with the AC units installed in parts of the tunnel (ironically the tighest fit was in one of the newer parts: the connection between the old Federico Lacroze garages and the extension to Tronador/Villa Ortúzar), so they had to lower the tracks relative to the tunnel roof
(Didn't know that cargo trains used to serve the Abasto! 🤯)
As for the connection of Once to Puerto Madero, there was a tunnel meant for cargo that even had a underutilized passenger express train at one point (twice daily) to Moreno and Luján. The tunnel has been cut off by the "Paseo del Bajo" project (a trench/tunnel where all trucks that used to circulate in Eduardo Madero/Ing. Huergo are now forced into), and I doubt they can reestablish that connection (it's a small miracle already that the Paseo del Bajo didn't shut down the tracks connecting Retiro with the Roca railway...).
[1]: This right was taken from the workers sometime in the 90's IIRC, and it has been their main fight ever since
[2]: I don't have my mental timeline right, but I have seen very old photos of the Urquiza line with overhead lines
[3]: My understanding is that the "standard" overhead lines in Argentina are suspended copper bars, while the CAF system is as near as makes no difference completely rigid
Two things worth mentioning.
While the H line was inaugurated in 2007 (twice, because at the original inauguration, it turned out that the line didn't work, so they had to re-inaugurate it months later after they fixed the problems), it originally only ran for four stations, connecting lines D, B, and A, with one intermediate stop, and ran that way for years before eventually adding in more stops in both directions, one at a time gradually increasing its coverage. The last to open opened just a couple of years ago and there are still more to come.
Second, and one of the things that I've always found fascinating, and which may be just a local apocryphal story... You might note watching the videos, that the trains run "on the left", so to speak. Supposedly, it's because the original suburban, and subte line A, were installed by British companies. While our traffic in Buenos Aires runs "on the right", the American model, all of our trains run on the opposite side. According to the story, by the time anyone noticed that the Brits were installing the trains on "the wrong side", it was too late to do anything about it. Whether or not the story is true, who knows? But it does make for good local lore when showing visitors around.
Sarmiento railway used to connect once with retiro through the 1912 tunnel. My mom used to take it 20 years ago. Now it's closed.
It should be back!
Great video! I know the scope of the video is the subte, but in the Intro I think you under-estimated the importance of the bus network, is truly amazing the number of lines, services and extension, I think is the most unique thing about the Buenos Aires transportation system and what "saves" us (the porteños/bonaerenses) from having an unbearable experience because of the poor conectivity of the train and metro lines.
Es verdad pero los bondis nos "salvan" porque los metros no están bien desarrollados. Los trenes y subtes son la manera más eficiente de transporte que hay y creo que se debería invertir más en eso antes que concentrarse solo en los colectivos durante tanto tiempo. Y que no se me mal interprete, el metro bus es muy útil y agilizó el sistema de colectivos mucho más pero creo que hay que apostar por los trenes/subtes mucho más
More than 600 bus lines between CABA+GBA which is absolutely insane
I actually used to take the 1913 trains, its crazy inside, its like a time capsule, and they worked perfectly
Remember being there for a month one winter in I think 2006 and seeing the wooden doors of the cars on one of the lines swinging back and forth, open and close as the train was moving along.
That was the line A, the oldest of the network, opened in 1913. In 2006, the original trains were still running. Since 2013, the line has all new CNR Citic series 200 trains, and the original trains were retired.
Some of the oldest cars out there those would have been!
@@RMTransit It was quite an experience, I loved it as a kid. The lights would flicker when cornering, and you if sat in the front of the train you could see the way forward. The smell of wood and the screeching noise of the wheels on the rails.
Sadly the old cars were not preserved and either left to rot or sold to the mayor's friends. It would've been super simple to leave a couple of the trains running during the weekends, such a shame.
Some were auctioned to private collectors.
99 Years on Service !!!!. and with one of the lowest rates of accidents (just 4 in all it history). Door was held close by pneumatics, I find a bit difficult to picture what you are describing. Been a daily user for years, never seen something like that. Could be the driver internal door. Yes, they barely closed them properly ... they didnt care at all. Drivers treated this material pretty bad, even using reverse as a brake. Tourist love them. And dont think because it was wooden and old, they couldnt cope with the rush hour like champs. With 200HP per coach, they got the job done really well. GOOD OLD IRON
Wow that metro is incredible, So beautiful!
Saludos desde Buenos Aires
_Happy Mati en la Ciudad noises_
👀👀
@@matienlaciudad tus vídeos sobre la historia del subte me encantaron y fueron súper utilices en descubrir el Buenos Aires que a mi me interesa (🚂)
@@PetreDiaz Me alegro que te hayan gustado! 😄
Happy to see more latinamerican metro systems in this channel.
Mati en la Ciudad Joined to the chat
Just the chat? 😂
He was already in the chat!
@@RMTransit A
I don't think I had ever appreciated or learned as much about my own city's metro system this much
Great video, also we have a big big problem with the subte B, the trains that we bought from Spain have Asbesto, very dangerous carcinogenic material.. and we are still using them. 3 workers already died from cancer, and the goverment of Buenos Aires doesn't buy new trains.. its a big problem right now
Saludos desde Buenos Aires and also thanks for talking about our subte system, really nice video.
I waited for years for you to tackle the Subte system and you never fail to deliver! I hoping to see soon the video about Buenos Aires´s Suburban Railways as i myself work at Plaza Constitución on the General Roca Railway
Thanks for the kind note! Stay tuned, I will do one eventually!
Dou, de que trabajas en Constitución?
@@OfficerExe En el área de transporte
Nice coverage !!!!. It is very true that our metro have mantained a wide variety of raillstock across the years. By the end of the 70 this was about to change. We had a project calle "coche unico" ( one train for all lines). The project aim was to provide ALL the lines, except for B for obviuos reasons with an homogenoeus fleet or trains. Across 18 years, FIAT MATERFER delivered 45 pairs (each pair consistin on a A and B car). But our Gobernement never commited to support this process and with the last deliveries in 1998, the train loocked out of date. But here is the result> This rolling stock performed pretty well across the years. It aged well, still going strong. and passed the 2016 audit from Metro of Barcelona. This is not the only case of Argentinian rolling stock but it was the second project for the metro. This rolling stock can run on 600 and 1500V, more like S7000 and others. IT uses chopped DC for traction control (ALL SOLID STATE), air suspension an PLC "drive by wire" controls. For a late 70s design ,man they did an outstanding job. People dont realize the effort that was put there, they lack from AA and that all ....
I've been waiting this video for so long! I'm from Argentina, and even though the some Subte stations aren't the cleanest, and sometimes it can be too crowded, I think it's a wonderful system nonetheless, with beautiful stations and varied rolling stock (it might not be the best, but it is very interesting to se the different trains, and riding them) Thanks so much for doing this video, keep up the work!
Thank you! I hope I did the system some justice!
3:48 feels like a hybrid mix of Lexington & 53rd on the NYC subway and Grove Street Station on the Path
Thank you so much for explaining with such detail my beautiful city and it's subte history!
Thank you so much for talking about our subte!!! I agree that, although it needs improvement, its still one of the best subway systems out there so thank you for shining the spotlight on it ajjaja (also kudos for the pronunciation in spanish u did rlly good) Saludos desde Argentina 💖
Didn't expect it to be so old
I love the Subte,and it's nice to see other people learn more and more about Argentina's railways! (as someone who lives there)
My personal favorite line is the C line since it partaked most of my childhood.
You should do a video about the Dominican subway system and transportation in and around the capital city Santo Domingo
Yessss, and also about the current monorail construction in Santiago de los caballeros
Great video! One thing omitted is the fact that the ticket cost 10cents and you can cross almost the whole city with that.
I can't believe you didn't include footage from the Line A stations which are exactly the same as they were in 1913. It even has the original advertisement.
Great job with the Spanish pronunciations. I greatly appreciate it. Great video!
i live in bs as, your video is perfect, thanks
Thank you!
As a born Argentinian who takes the B line daily, I wanted to say two things, one, that our subway system is hella awesome, but also let everyone know that the subte workers are striking because of many cases of mold and asbestos in the stations and tunels causing diseases. Hopefully our government will listen to demands and fix these issues soon so we can all enjoy the best public transportation possible. Thanks for the video, it's weird listening to foreigners talk about something so close to me in other languages, but it also gives me perspective on how other countries see our city !
what makes it so special is the ability of taking your phone out of your pocket and in 2 seconds time its gone
its been long time since i last used the "subte". i live some 30km from the city. but even back then, u could go anywhere combining it with suburban trains and urban and suburban buses. bsas public transportation is pretty well designed/organized. (much more than other things in this country)
Being part of the city government, I have a couple of footnotes:
1) The mega station under the Obelisk (RER) is not going to happen. The debt taken by President Macri with the IMF was partly justified with this project, but after the reduction of investments in trains, the lack of funds was declared. There is currently no plan to revive the project.
2) There is a second stretch of tramway in CABA, which was closed not many years ago. Coincidentally, it used the same modern cars as the Madrid tram. Clearly the system was not well managed and the cars are currently in our Tram Museum. There are private proposals to revive the system, but again, without a defined plan from the city... and we need trams back.
3) You should see the elevation works of the Mitre line and the tunneling works of the Sarmiento line. Each one deserves its own videos.
¿Hay algún plan de la Secretaría de Transporte por el tema de colectivos en general? Está bien que la CNRT es la tiene que hacer los cambios de recorrido y todo eso, pero no puede ser que en ciertas avenidas como Rivadavia la mitad de las paradas no estén bien señalizadas (aún cuando en la CNRT tienen parada oficial en cierto lugar). También mejoraría mucho el tránsito en general y el transporte público si se crearan y modificaran ciertas líneas, o cosas muy pequeñas como la ubicación de una parada mal ubicada que desencadena un cuello de botella a todo el tránsito, y eso es algo que prácticamente no demanda presupuesto alguno.
El RER está pospuesto indefinidamente pero eso no quiere decir que no haya escenario de realizarse. El unico problema es financiero, no es un proyecto cancelado por dificultades de ingenieria.
Las vias del tranvia del este se levantaron, no hay más sistema como tal. Toda su infraestructura desapareció, inclusive los coches ya son practicamente chatarra.
Interesting to see southern hemisphere content. Looking forward to a video on the commuter rail systems in South Africa, especially the Gautrain in Johannesburg-Pretoria.
2 more southern hemisphere videos coming this month!
Omg I was just wondering if you were gonna cover this!
Loved seeing the bird switching trains... 😆
Even birds appreciate the efficient service of Subte!
great video! I went to buenos aires twice, and even with so many problems with subway and bus infrastructure, it's so much more efficient than where I currently live in. you should definely make a video about São Paulo subway system as well!
Good video. I wish you showed the art on some stations, and spoke about the SUBE system allowing for virtually unlimited connectons for less than a U$D price
Definitely didn't expect a South American metro system to have such a storied history, especially, well, since Shanghai just got released a few weeks ago.
Anyways, nice video as always
Its a really interesting system, it's hard to believe some of the details honestly!
Well, that's your prejudice showing, then.
Buenos aires subway system is the oldest in the southern hemisphere
How prejudiced, Argentina is the best country in the world
Basically because Argentina (and most specifically Buenos Aires) had EU capitals budget back in the day, unlike other south american cities. With such a budget you could do a lot of things.
Sadly in the last 100 years Argentina has decayed a lot and became much more “south american” as the rest of the countries around there. Such a shame…
Just spent time in Buenos Aires amd their Subte is muy bueno, indeed.
Cheers for saying "Once" great job
It's always so bizarre seeing my home city in english speaking youtube videos! One of the stations featured is quite literally two blocks from where i live. The intricacies of the public transit system itself elude me, but damn if it ain't convenient; I don't ever have to worry about learning to drive as a necessity, as I've heard happens a lot in the majority of the US. Great video, I can tell you know a lot about the topic!
Nice video. I wasnt aware of this metro, but it appears to to be well used in Buenos Aires and the public wants it to be expanded. Being able to use the Subte card in the rest of Argentina sounds similar to how the Suica card in the Tokyo system can be used elsewhere in Japan.
There are a lot of Japanese connections!
Actually it is not the "subte card" is the SUBE (Sistema Único de Boleto Electrónico) card, which is a National Government political being implementing gradually across the country.
took me 2 days to come up with a cool funny comment but really im just very thankful for the opportunity reece!
been waiting for a vid about my beloved system for such a long time and it finally paid off with a banger video 😍
I love how you called it subte the whole way through. it's short for subterranean, aka subway, in case anybody didn't connect the dots. I didn't know we had such dope subtes compared to the rest of the world.
Please cover chennai metro 🇮🇳. It has 54km operational metro and 119 km under construction
I remember once in 2019 I rode the E line for the first time. The car i got on was so, so old... it has wooden benches not against the wall but all facing each other like traditional train boots, and there was a chandelier on the ceiling. Never seen that car again, the next time i boarded one was the more modern tracks.
Loved the mention to the "subtrenmetrocleta" (connecting subte, trains, metrobus and a bike station under the Obelisco) project at the end, it has sadly been left behind but it will live forever in our hearts.
Lo de "subtemetrocleta" fue una estupidez espontánea de algún funcionario sobredotado del GCBA, y vendría siendo que el transporte principalmente sea en esos medios, pero nada más en concreto. Lo que mencionó es la RER, Red de Expresos Regionales, y fue una idea (no mucho más que eso) muy ambiciosa del gobierno de Macri.
Thank you for covering this. Buenos Aires is a very extensive city and during rush hours, it's almost impossible to use the subte system accordingly. Lines E, C, B and D being the most used ones in my opinion (from personal experience, having used all of them)
Another note you could've added is that there were projects planned for new lines F, G, I and extention of the existing ones to connect everything in a single unit, but never happened in the end. This would've solved a lot of issues regarding rush hour multitudes as people would have a new way to get to their jobs and homes, other than relying on the existing system or riding the bus, which is either crwoded as well or on strike multiple times.
Overall, beautiful narration, research and take on our underground system!
i live in buenos aires sinze 1994 and i love trains, your video wass veery enjoyable. U should ask motormans here they very friendly and they may give u a drive on the motorman cabin to make a nice video
amazing video!! would certainly love to see a video on the railways as a daily user of those (specially the urquiza and san martin railways)
This is why space bugs destroyed Buenos Aires, they were jealous of the tunnels, their dirty bug tunnels are way less efficient. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
El subte de buenos aires es mas moderno que el metro de nueva york
I love the CNRs, they smell like lemon.
the city capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, was the 14th city in the world to have a subway system, Argentina was the seventh country in the world to have a subway system, and the first in the southern hemisphere of the planet. I did a video about the first Metro too. Very nice video !!!! a big like
I remember I got to ride it once I got there, first time I was in a metro in general.
Wow, Buenos Aires is sure a very interesting city.
Saludos desde buenos aires
Im from BA but currently living in London, and honestly I can appreciate a lot the design and connections of the system back at home. As much as the tube is incredibly vast, I don't think the design is as efficient as the transport in Buenos Aires. Living in the edge of the city to the south I had 1 to 1.3 h commute to anywhere within the city normally requiring either 2 buses, 1 bus or bus and subte. Getting around the same distance in London will definitely take 2 hours at least and require bus, tube, and walking at least 10 mins. Obviously this is owed to the history of the network and the differences in city layout (london being built across a river, with a non'-grid street layout), still can't help but miss the commute back at home!!
you forgot Lacroze, terminal for the Urquiza line, which is joined by the line B of the subway
I was watching videos about subway fires. Can we have episode about prevention and safety systems in metro and trains?
I think the new viaducts for suburban rail deserved a longer explanation. Good video anyway.
I am in Mendoza, Argentina now - was in Buenos Aires last month - loved it. I was staying in Recoleta and there was a subway stop just outside my apartment. I used this iconic and very old subway system for the whole month, using a Sube card given to me by my Airbnb host. Awesome experience. When I was first in BA in 2009 I actually used the very first subway cars from 1913 which were still in service. They still had the old wooden escalators as well. While the BA system is very old, in a couple of days I will be using the very modern Santiago, Chile system which is one of the best in the world IMHO.
Lucky me i got to drive the original Subte Trains 15years ago
SUBTE is by far the fastest way to get to various parts of Buenos Aires. There is a bus line that has a stop at the corner of my block that goes all the way up to Retiro (line 100) but often, I would rather take a shorter bus line to Lanus station, then the Roca train line to Constitución, and then the SUBTE to whatever place in Buenos Aires City I have to be, provided the place is in a walkable distance from the metro stop. While travelling that way is more expensive, it is way faster than one or two bus lines, as trains don't have traffic or red lights to stop them.
thanks for talk about our country and our beautiful city :)
Fun fact: most of the old wagons from Linea B (B line) are full of asbestos, and the Subte company does nothing to remedy it.
Also, on line E there are two stations SAN JOSÉ, the current one and the old one that is below the current one. The old one has an address to Constitution, since that was its original route. Today we can see on the way of the C when it is entering the station Constitución on our right we see as some iron columns and even parked cars, there were the platforms of the line E.
Love the Subte, as someone used to the London Underground, the Subte is a refreshing change. Granted, the C can be chaotic at times as can the B but you expect that.
I love it
I hope you talk about the amazing sybway and metropolitan train system of São Paulo soon!
I wish they continued working on the Subte network, there are still some parts of the city that are hard to reach with public transportation, which were supposed to be connected by other planned (but never built) Subte lines
another day, another coronación de gloria
Currently one major issue with the Subte is the presence os asbestos, a known carcinogen, in various parts of the system. It doesn't cause a huge risk for users but many workers have suffered health problems. They are protesting by closing the service once in a while, but as it is such a needed service they usually take turns striking.
love me some buenos aires subte rush hour 😌
Great video, very interesting for us to understand subte better as we moved recently.