Introduction
One of the most fascinating adventures you can have in
Ecuador takes place aboard the legendary railway. It is
not merely a means of transportation from one side of
a mountain to the other; on this very special adventure
you'll see the multicolored landscapes of the mountains
and the coast. You will have to catch your breath upon
first seeing the famous "Nariz del Diablo" and
its dramatic mountain tunnels.
Although most of Ecuador´s train system is in shambles,
you can still ride the rails if you are determined. Goverment
and private enterprises have projects to bring back this
attractive way of transportation.
History.
Construction of this historic line began in Guayaquil
in 1899 and made it as far as Sibambe, where it meet a
steep Andean slopeof nearly solid rock , no less intimidating
than the devil´s nose itself. To reach Alausi a
series of switchbacks where carved into the rock (many
lives were lost in these process) that would allow the
train, by advancing and reversing to ascend nearly 1000
meters to Alausi at 2607 m.
The Ferrocarril Transandino reached Riobamba in 1905 ,
later crossed its higher pooint at Urbina (3618m) and
finally reach Quito.
Routes
Quito-El Boliche
A weekend tourist train leaves Quito and heads south for
about 3 1/2 hours to Area Recreacional El Boliche, just
next to Cotopaxi National Park. These trains are old-fashioned
and uncorfortable, this is the rough part of the trip
but it is all part of the fun. Many of the passangers
(almost all) ride on the roof, great view but it can get
chilly on a cloudy day. Train leaves Saturdays and Sundays
at 8am and arrives at El Boliche at 1130am. Returning
at 2pm. Price $ 4.60 usd one way.
Riobamba-Alausi-Devil´s Nose
The most exciting part of the train ride south of Riobamba
is the descent from Alausi to Sibambe, down a death-defying
stretch of track called La Nariz del Diable "The
Devil´s Nose". The run
Riobamba-Cuenca, Riobamba-Guayaquil, Ibarra-San
Lorenzo
These tours depend upon working rail service. Due to El
Niño, some routes have been damaged, but are under
repair and may be working at any given time. If the rails
are not working, the trips can be reorganized using private
transportation. The route Riobamba-Cuenca and Riobamba-Guayaquil
are more likely to have regular departures for the new
project "Chiva Express" from Metropolitan Touring.
