The Buenos Aires Subte – Line A

UPDATE: As of 7th January 2013 the Brugeoise wooden trains have sadly been removed from service.

There aren’t many cities in the world where catching a subway train can be classed as a cultural activity, but in Buenos Aires you can do just that. Line A of the Buenos Aires Subte was the 13th underground railway line built in the world, and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. Not only is the line historic, but the original trains from the 1910s are still in operation.

Carriage Interior, Subte Line A

In fact the trains are even older than that – the trains running today are refurbished versions of the original trains that opened the line in 1913. Modified in 1926 to run as carriages in a longer train they were originally designed to run as standalone streetcars, emerging overground at Plaza Once to join the tram system.

Enjoying the View, Subte Line A

If cheap holidays are your thing, as you can see from the above photo, the highlight of the train is not their wooden interiors, but the fact that the front carriage has a window where you can get the same view as the driver. On quieter days it’s not unusual to find 3 or 4 young porteños with their noses glued to the window enjoying the sights from pole position in the oldest rolling stock in the world.

Castro Barros station, Subte Line A