Train travel in Uruguay is limited to only one regular passenger train. Railway network in Uruguay was neglected for decades The rehabilitation of the main railway line is underway. It’s hard to say something about the future of the railway in Uruguay. The country has railway network about 2 900 km long, but almost all railway lines are in desolated state. Half of lines is used for freight traffic. Train stations alongside lines are abandoned and lies in the middle of nowhere.
Last update: 25.09.2026
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Train travel in Uruguay – current situation
Due to engineering works and rehabilitation of the railway line linking the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo to the city of Paso del Toros all suburban trains in Montevideo were ceased. Before the closure trains in Uruguay ran only to 25 Agosto. Freight trains and passenger train are operated by Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado (AFE)
There is an only one passenger train from Tucuarembo to Rivera in the north of the country. Rivera is a divided city. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento. Inhabitants of the twin cities are free to move anywhere within the two communities without having to undergo checks.
Passenger service is operated by Y1 railcars manufactured between 1979 and 1981 and reconstructed in 2002. They were acquired from Sweden in 2013.
There are special trains within Montevideo are which consists diesel locomotive and passenger carriages or steam locomotive with vintage cars.
Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado website (timetable)
Map of the railway network in Uruguay (2010)
Ferrocarril Central
The modernised Ferrocarril Central railway linking the port of Montevideo and Paso de los Toros in the centre of the country was formally opened on 16 April 2024. The ceremony of ribbon cutting took place at Cardal station located 76 km north of the capital. The new line spans 265 km. 343 km of new track were laid, some sections are double-tracked. The line consists 128 concrete bridges and 6 trenches.
Ferrocarril Central is main railway line running north-south down the spine of the country. The refurbished railway line is intended mainly for freight transport from UPM pulp production mill near Paso de los Toros to Montevideo. Passenger trains are also planned – 25 stations and passenger stops were built or modernised. The modernisation includes a new signalling and rail monitoring system.
Train travel in Urugay – international trains
Currently there are no international passenger trains in Uruguay. On 30 August 2011 train from Argentina to Urugay was inaugurated. Train ran from Pilar, Argentina to Paso de los Toros, Urugay (813 km) through Salto and Paysandu (2nd a 3rd largest cities in Urugay). The service was stopped in 2012.
There were plans to launch a new passenger train between Argentina and Uruguay in 2023.
There are no passenger trains to Brazil.
See also:
Railways in Americas by country
Railways in Uruguay – history
The history of the railway in Uruguay began in 1866 when the company “Ferrocarril Central del Uruguay” was founded.
On 25 April 1867 was opened branch between Paso del Molino and Cerro with a horse-drawn train.
On 1 January 1869 the first 17 kilometeres railway line between Bella Vista and Las Piedras was inaugurated.
In May 1874 the whole route from Durazno to Montevideo (205 km) was put into operation.
Due to lack of finances many loans were contracted in London and in 1878 the British acquired majority stake in railway company which changed the name to Central Uruguay Railway. Several national railway companies founded by this time ended under British control also.
In 1913 tracks reached border with Brazil.
In 1948 the private companies were nationalized.
International connection with Argentina through Salto Grande dam was opened in 1982.
On 2 January 1988 all passengers services in Uruguay were ceased and railway lines were used only for freight traffic.
On 26 August 1993 passenger services from Montevideo to Veinticinco de Agosto (63 km) were reinstated and one train was extended to San José de Mayo (96 km). On 15December 2005 passenger trains inaugurated on the railway line from Montevideo to Empalme Olmos (44 km), and on 2 January 2008 one passenger train was extended from extended from Veinticinco de Agostoo to Florida (109 km from Montevideo).
Railway monuments in Uruguay
Estación Central General Artigas – a former main railway station of Montevideo and one of the most important railway buildings in Uruguay. It is located in the Aguada district, close to the city centre. The monumental station was designed by Italian engineer and architect Luigi Andreoni for the Central Uruguay Railway Company, a British-owned railway company. Construction followed the destruction of the previous station by fire in 1891. The building was inaugurated on 23 June 1897 and opened to the public on 15 July 1897. Its architecture is strongly influenced by Beaux-Arts and academic historicism, with an imposing symmetrical façade and a large central hall. The station was originally simply known as Estación Central. It was renamed Estación Central José Artigas in 1955, while the present name, Estación Central General Artigas, dates from 1974. After the nationalisation of Uruguay’s railways in 1949 and the creation of AFE (Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado) in 1952, the station became the main centre of the national railway system. Regular passenger services were suspended in 1988, although special trains later operated from the station. Regular passenger trains returned in 1993, including services to 25 de Agosto.
A new, much smaller railway terminal was constructed about 500 metres north of the historic station. The new terminal opened on 1 March 2003, and the General Artigas station was closed to regular railway traffic. The closure was particularly significant because the historic building is much more than a former railway station: it occupies a large site and was once the principal gateway to Uruguay’s railway network. A University of the Republic study describes the complex as an important area of unused urban space since 2003. The station was declared a National Historic Monument in 1975, recognising its architectural and historical importance.
Old railway station of Colonia del Sacramento – a former railway station near the historic centre and port of Colonia del Sacramento. Historical Colonia Railway Station The station was inaugurated on 4 February 1901 by the Central Uruguay Railway Company, a British-owned railway company. The first passenger train from Montevideo arrived on 1 March 1901. The inaugural journey from Montevideo Central Station to Colonia took about nine hours and carried only around 30 passengers, including officials and railway-company employees. Passenger railway services to Colonia were finally discontinued in 1985, after which the station ceased to function as a regular railway terminal. The station complex preserves several features of a traditional railway installation, including the station building, platform, railway infrastructure and former railway facilities. The site is particularly interesting because of its proximity to the port and the historic quarter of Colonia. In 2004, the building was transferred to the Instituto de Hotelería y Gastronomía of the Department of Colonia, which undertook its heritage restoration and reuse. The railway tracks in the area no longer provide a regular passenger service to Colonia.
Related articles:
Railways in Americas by country
Trenopedia – main site
