About this journey

Rivera station sits at Uruguay's northern border with Brazil, where a break-of-gauge marks the frontier: the Uruguayan network runs on standard gauge (1,435 mm), while the connecting Brazilian side at Santana do Livramento uses metre gauge (1,000 mm). The line south to Tacuarembó is today the only section in Uruguay where passenger trains remain in operation, making this corridor quietly singular on the national network.

The route's origins trace to the 1884 Ley de Trazado General de Ferrocarriles, which designed a radial network converging on Montevideo and granted 25-year concessions to British companies. The Ferrocarril Central del Uruguay, the largest of those British operators, had been formally constituted on 1 January 1878. The railways passed into state hands in 1948, when Parliament approved their acquisition by offsetting part of a £17 million debt owed by the United Kingdom, and the unified State Railways Administration (AFE) was created on 19 September 1952. The FIAT/KALMAR Y1 railcars making this journey came originally from Sweden, arriving in a grey and yellow livery before many were later wrapped with markings for Uruguayan state enterprises. Together they carry the entire weight of Uruguay's surviving passenger rail service across the northern interior.