Angry Argentine commuters in the B.A. suburbs of Merlo and Morón burned trains and occupied the tracks yesterday. They got angry when a train conked out right in front of them.
I mean really angry.
The good thing? This incident might finally kill the Tren Bala. The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, has now come out in clear opposition, as did a congressperson allied with President Fernández, Martín Sabbatella. “It remains clear that this country’s priority cannot be the Tren Bala.” Better still, the head of a major trade union also allied with the President, Hugo Yasky, also came out against the project, calling instead for more investment in the collapsing commuter rail system.
But not all Argentine megaprojects are dead. The day before the riots in Castelar and Merlo, President Fernández declared her support for a 13-mile train tunnel through the Andes to Chile, at an estimated cost of US$3 billion. Unlike the Tren Bala, a cargo link between Chile and Argentina is an excellent idea. Most of the financing will be private, the current road link (which I've driven) is clearly inadequate, and the economic benefits are clear. It won't be as cool as a bullet train, but it will help generate jobs and raise incomes.
Plus, the Buenos Aires rail system desperately needs to be fixed. Upgrading commuter rail isn't a marginal wouldn't-it-be-nice project, the way it would be in New York or the Netherlands. Rather, upgrading commuter rail is something absolutely necessary if Buenos Aires is to remain a functioning metropolis in the future.
So while I don't generally approve of burning public property, sacking offices, or overturning cars, this particular angry outburst may have done the country some good.
If they did this in London, it'd improve the service. http://tinyurl.com/5umd4k
Posted by: David Gerard | September 05, 2008 at 08:20 PM