History of the railway in Paraguay began in 1856 when the first leader of the Paraguay – Carlo Lopez hired British engineers to develop a plan to build a railway line from Asunción to Paraguari. Construction works started immediately. On the construction of the railway line were worked workers and soldiers , and the construction progressed very quickly.
Last updated: 29.01.2024
The first train made his short journey from Asunción to Trinidad (4 km) in 1861. At the end of 1861, the route to Luque, now located in the Asunción metropolitan area, was opened. The following year the line was extended to Aregua and two years later to Pirayu.
In 1865 the railway service was suspended due to the War against the Triple Alliance. The war 1864-1870 between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay ended with the defeat of the Paraguaya, and almost all adult men in Paraguay lost their lives. Many kilometers of railway line were dismantled and most of the rolling stock taken to Buenos Aires by the Argentine army.
After a few years, a part of the railway line was repaired by Brazil government. In 1876 the Paraguayan government sold the trains to Luis Patri – the richest man in the country. The money from the transaction was used to pay off the debt debt acquired with the Brazil.
Ten years later, the government bought the trains back. Trains were launched on the Paraguarí – Villarica route, and new wagons and locomotives were imported.
In 1887 the government authorizes the sale of part the railway service to the transnational English company “The Paraguay Central Railway”.
In 1959 The Paraguay Central Railway suspended train traffic. Two years later railways were nationalized.
In the following decades, rail lost to road transport.
In 1999, there were only suburban trains in the Asunción area. Suburban trains from Botanical Garden station in Asunción to Aregua (25 km) were hauled by a steam locomotive with old wagons. In 2009 a railway bridge collapsed and all trains were ceased.
Train travel in Paraguay – current situation
There are no domestic passenger trains in Paraguay. The only passenger train in Paraguay connects border city of Encarnación with Posadas in Argentina. The cross-border train passengers to quickly and conveniently cross the border. Journey takes 8 minutes, trains run every 30 minutes.
The railway line from Encarnación to Asunción is in poor state, some sections of the railway lines were dismantled or swept away by flood.
The railway infrastructure in Paraguay is administered by Ferrocarriles del Paraguay S.A.
The old railway station in Asunción was converted into museum dedicated to the history of the railway in Paraguay. The most valuable exhibit of the museum is restored steam locomotive “Paraguay” produced in 1861. The monumental building of the station was completed before 1870.
Railway in Paraguay – future
In 2018 The government of Paraguay announced project to develop the modern railway network. The plan was abandoned.
There are plans to rehabilitation of the railway line from Asunción to Ypacarai via Aregua (44 km, five stations) for suburban trains or light rail (tram).
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