Subway of Buenos Aires(2)

Type 300, Higashiyama line's old car Enlarge	Original cars of Buenos Aires subway Enlarge

Line C's trains are 6-coach. There are both cars from Higashiyama line and original cars, and it seems that the number of both is about to equal. The length of the car is: Higashiyama line's is 15.6m, the original car is 17m. The former has 3 doors on one side and the latter has 4. The 2 photos above were taken at Retiro station, the terminal of 3 suburban railways and long-way buses. Both of C line's terminals have 2 tracks and each trak has platfoams on both side. The platform between the tracks is boarding only and other platforms are arrival only and there are no gates on the arrival platforms so I could see the trains well from the entrance of the platforms.

These photos are out of focus and a fence is on the train, but it was difficult for me to catch all cars without catching the fence.

Original cars had been painted blown, like the right photo, but most of the cars were re-painted into yellow. I think they were made the same colour to Higashiyama line's. There is a direction sign board in front of the train and it seems this is functioning.

Among the subway in Buenos Aires, only trains of line B collect electricity from the third rail. Other lines have aerial electric wires. So Higashiyama line's cars are put pantographs newly. However, most of suburban railways are third rail system. And it is fearful that they have crossings.

It seemed that cars were commonly used between lines C, D and E. Maybe it caused that, I met sometimes trains on line C but the cars had line D's map.

Re-painted original cars Enlarge	Type 300 Enlarge

Side of type 300 Enlarge

These are at Constitución station, the other terminal of line C. Line C's and the suburban railway's stations were very dark and looked like NY subway's. Now they are under construction and will be bright.

The left above is the original cars of yellow. The right is the same car to the prior photo but this is another side. The left is side of type 300. The red light above the platform is a sign that shows left time to the departure in seconds. I found this sign at both of line C's terminals. Maybe some of other stations have it.

You can hardly find it in this photo but there is a station name sign at the top end of columns. It is parallel to rails and continues from end to end of the platform. Thanks to this sign, I felt stations are beautiful even no other things had been redecorated. I think this sign was installed when Marunouchi line's cars came and it was setted that line B's colour is red. You can see this sign often at stations in downtown. The white-back sign is a route map, but it doesn't show where here is so I could hardly find where I am.

Inside of Nagoya's car Enlarge	A space for wheelchairs Enlarge

The end of a car Enlarge

These are photos taken in Nagoya's car. The information display shows the time when I took this. Japanese trains rarely have clocks so this is better than Japan. It shows next station's information as `Próxima Estación XXX' and when the train is at a station, it shows `Ud. esta Estación XXX'. It is flashy display.

The right photo is a space for wheelchairs made newly. I wonder why mat is put. Most of trains in Japan don't have a belt to fix a wheelchair, does this mean trains here shakes harder than in Japan? Actually, Japanese trains' spaces for wheelchair is used for increase capacity so they don't recognize seriously the role it was expected, I think.

The left is the end of a middle car. The hood between cars was removed and a door was attached and rocked so passing is prohibited. Marunouchi line's cars are still original so we can pass through from 1st to 6th cars. Some Higashiyama line's cars are also keep their original so we can pass through between 1st and 3rd, 4th and 6th. Besides, you can see 'fire extinguisher' sign in Japanese. Of course, there is also a sign in spanish.

I forgot to take photos in old cars. There are 2 groups of seats setted face to face at one side between doors and the seat next to the door is for 1 person. when somebody seats here, (s)he almost seats with his or her back to the wall. A conductor is in a passenger cabin. He opens doors before the train stops so I was scared a little.

Outside Enlarge	Inside Enlarge

Line A is the oldest line as you can see from the name 'A' and opend in 1913. The line Tokyo subway's inspectors visited is this. Trains seems to have been used since the open. Cars seem to be made of wood so it is very terrible when fire occures. Doors are semi-automatic and when the conductor unlocks we should open doors by hand. It is very fearful that both side of the doors are unlocked at the same time so you can also open the another side doors. The conductor is in the 1st car's passenger cabin. Maybe it is for talking with the operator. It seems that all cars are double-ended and 5 cars make a train. I found stopping position sign at stations and there are displayed 5 or 11. Can 11-coach train run? Or the sign '11' is not the number 'eleven' but has other meaning?

We found a newer train (see the oficial website) but it didn't run. Maybe it runs only while rush hours.

Plaza Miserere station is the same place to Once station, TBA Sarmiento line's terminal. This line and Mitre line departs from Retiro on line C are operated by TBA(Trenes de Buenos Aires). Once station is a big terminal on the ground. The subway station is also big that has more than 4 tracks and curiously there are trains of Mitre line on some tracks. It is opposite to Japan that subway trains have pantographs and suburban trains collect electricity from the 3rd rail, but in the first place, I wonder why such trains are in the subway station. Maybe in rush hours suburban trains arrive at and depart from here so that passengers easily change trains.

There are 2 stations that trains going toward one side don't stop. They are Alberti that only trains toward west (suburb) stop and Pasco that only trains toward east (downtown) stop. The distance between 2 stations is short and I could see abandoned platforms at both station's contrary side so I think one platform of every station was abandoned and these stations make 1 station's function. The route search page in the official website shows us results as if we can take trains for both direction from these stations.

The rail doesn't end at the suburn terminal Primera Junta but continues to the ground. I'll talk about it later.

Type 250 Enlarge	Inside of type 250, 'Watch the doors' written in Japanese Enlarge

We met trains type 250 in line D. This type has a direction display in front of the car and it works properly. The left photo is at Congreso de Tucuman, the suburban terminal of the line. Line D's 4 stations at the suburban side have stairwells. There are many exhibits - dishes, for example, on the platform and concourse and there are also explanations written in Spanish but I can't read such difficult Spanish so I couldn't understand why they are here. There are busts in the walls.

I visited the official website before the trip and knew that a new train (see the (official page) is on line D but I never met such trains. I finally found it at this station's detention track so it wasn't working. It was regrettable.

There is a Japanese sign 'Watch the doors' remains. I want Teito Rapid Transport Authority's illustration sign that a cat's tail is pinched by doors to remain.

Inside of the original car Enlarge

This is inside of a line D's original train. This time I don't have a picture of outside so see the official page. Seats are made of FRP.

Now, there isn't a chapter of line E. I have no photos of it because I had thought that trains are the same to line C - that's why. But actually trains are different from line C. See the official page. I think this is what I took.